Atlantic Scuba Jan Feb 2014 Newsletter

Jan/Feb 2014 Newsletter

Hi, welcome to our first ever newsletter. Just keeping you updated with what is going on and what is planned for the future at Atlantic Scuba.

As this is our first newsletter, we thought we'd bring everyone up to speed as to 'where we are' right now. A lot has happened and a lot is planned for the future.

Shop

Our dive shop has a range of gear from several suppliers and manufacturers. We are a Poseidon Premium Dealer and Poseidon Service Centre. We are also Cressi, Sopras Sub and A.P. Valves dealers, as well as stockists of Lumb Bros, Kent Tooling, Northern Diver, Beaver, Bowstone, Force Fins and Trilobite. We also have a range of second hand equipment. As well as servicing Poseidon equipment we can also service Sopras Sub regulators and equipment.

School

The school is in Unit 2 next to the shop, with the service centre which we call Cornwall Cylinder Testing - CCT. The school side has also been busy, we have been teaching more and more courses every year since we started. Trying to keep up with requests for a wider range of courses, as well as being an SDI 5 Star Dive Centre, TDI, SSI and PSAI centre, we are now also a PADI Dive Centre. The PADI side will be run by Katrina and Paul, both PADI Instructors. They can offer a wide range of PADI courses between them, at competitive prices.

The new agencies allow us to offer a choice of agency for most courses as well as some new courses.

These include courses like -

• Visual Inspection Technician (for cylinders)

• Oxygen service Technician

• Advanced Nitrox (up to 100%)

• Sidemount Diver

• Twinset Diver

• Nitrox Gas Blender

• Advanced Gas Blender

Some of these are 'dry' courses, in other words no diving, which is handy during the wet and windy winter months. We can now teach over 100 different courses, some of which are the same courses from different agencies. There are a few extra technical courses we will hopefully be teaching very soon.

Agency variations. There are variations between the agencies, the primary difference is the theory side. With SDI, many courses have the theory available as online only or as book versions. PADI and SSI have a mixture of online and book versions, no online only versions. PSAI are book only.

So, whatever course you are looking for, we can probably offer it.

Boat

After such a wet and windy start to the year, boat trips have been few and far between. There is so much to do when the winds stop, most sites will need revisiting to see what damage may have occurred during the storms. We are also currently applying for night passages so we can offer night time boat dives, these will be local sites as night passages will be restricted to just 3 miles from Falmouth.

Cylinder Testing

There has been a lot of talk and rumours spread around about our cylinder testing standards and IDEST. There is NO requirement for any cylinder testing centre to be a member of IDEST. The HSE guidelines state 'experienced or qualified', we have the qualifications, we also have the experience. As to having calibration certificates for thread gauges, torque wrench and test gauges, we welcome anyone to come and inspect them. We can also show you the full British Standards and manufacturers specifications we follow. In fact, the only recognised cylinder testing training centre in the UK, is not IDEST.

Pool

Since our filming of the Hotel Inspector at the Eden Lodge Hotel, we have been using their pool. It is roughly 10x4m and between 1-2m deep, great for training. If anyone wants to have

some private tuition, the pool only costs £15 per hour.

News

There is so much going on, lots of research and dives to follow up on the paperwork research we have been doing. No doubt we'll be on the TV again with some of our projects, not just on the Hotel Inspector.

Special Offers

Gear

We have been selling a lot of these Sopras Sub Grillo open heel (strap fins) fins in black, silver and yellow. At only £25 per pair, they are a bargain. The offer from the manufacturers ends soon, so if you fancy a pair, get in quick. They normally retail at £55. As usual, we will keep the price as low as we can, so they will be at £30 per pair after the current stock has been sold.

Beaver Atomic masks, just £25, that's £20 less than most local competitors. Buy a Beaver Atomic mask as well as a pair of Sopras Sub Grillo fins for just £45.

We also have Sopras Sub Grillo full foot fins for just £7.50 per pair.

Course Specials

SDI Computer Nitrox Online - Only £70! This is a dry course with online learning and then 10 minutes practical, testing gases and marking cylinders.