All day sitting in the office looking out at the cloud and drizzle in beautiful old London and yet the phone kept ringing. Everybody wants to come to the pool to play!!

I guess it makes sense..Cold day...Think of holiday.. Call the dive school and arrange to jump in the swimming pool as soon as possible. Warm chlorinated pool with eyes closed can equate to tropical water I guess..

Strange to think 3 weeks ago I was diving in New Zealand..

Roll on the spring! I want to go diving again!

Good news for for anybody interested in taking the PADI scuba diving Rescue Diver course.

PADI have recently revamped their Rescue Diver course. There are quite a few changes but the main one that interests me is the practical side. Previously all the practical sessions were completed over two days in the Open Water. There were 10 exercises to practice and 2 rescue scenarios. We felt this was putting too much pressure on our students so we would practice 6 or 7 of the skills in the pool before going into Open Water for the 2 days.

The new course has addressed this problem by introducing a course where all 10 skills can be thoroughly learnt in the swimming pool before going for the dives. The dives have also been improved as there are now 4 Rescue scenarios to complete which include all of the 10 exercises.

I believe this new course will benefit our students greatly and increase their ability to help if a situation ever arose(Unlikely as it is).

For more information on the PADI Rescue Diver course please check out our website at http://www.divebalham.co.uk/Courses/Rescue.htm" title="http://www.divebalham.co.uk/Courses/Rescue.htm" target="_blank"http://www.divebalham.co.uk/C... We will be holding our next Rescue Diver course in February.

Ever thought of going to Dahab in the Red Sea for a dive holiday? See below for information about our next dive holiday.

Jane and I have worked there before and found the diving to be something special. The reef is in good condition and there are 2 absolutely brilliant sites; the Canyon and the Blue Hole.

The Canyon start of in a shallow lagoon and you make your way though a cut in the coral and out onto the reef. After swimming north east for awhile you come to a crack in the coral and the canyon beckons below. The colour of the water as you look up is breathtaking. As you slowly swim up the canyon it starts to close in a little until you reach a narrow entrance. Swim through it and you are in the goldfish bowl. A spherical chamber full of small glass fish with the light streaming through the many holes. As you swim out through the exit you know you will come back.

Dive Wimbledon and it's affilates Dive Kingston, Dive Putney and Dive Balham are organising a trip to Dahab on the Egyptian Red Sea in May. We will be departing on 14th May and staying at one of Dahab's nicest hotels. The hotel is the 4* Swiss Inn ( http://www.swissinn.net/dahab/index.htm" title="http://www.swissinn.net/dahab/index.htm" target="_blank"http://www.swissinn.net/dahab... ).

London scuba diving schools Dive Kingston, Dive Wimbledon, Dive Putney and Dive Balham offer PADI scuba diving courses in London from entry level to instructor. Our instructors are all extremely experienced, well travelled and safety conscious.

Dive Wimbledon also has a club with regular practise sessions at Putney Leisure Centre in South London and will regularly be diving on the south coast this year. We will also be leading several overseas scuba diving trips. Our next trip is planned for May and we will be heading off to Dahab in the Red Sea for a week. Having worked there before we know it will be one of the highlights of our year. This trip is open to divers and non-divers and we will be completing the qualifying dives for several of our students as well as running an advanced course, rescue course and enriched air course. Other courses can be taken upon request.