Many of you will know Fred Lockwood, one of our Club Members and Master Scuba Diver. Fred recently published his first novel and it's all about diving!
The press release and a link to the YouTube trailer are shown below.
Congratulations Fred.
Title: Total Loss
Author: Fred Lockwood
ISBN: 9781784651022
Genre: Thriller / Suspense / Adventure
Price: £9.99
Video Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgXQ8YJ7JJw
Imprint: Vanguard Press
Press Release: Pegasus Publishers are pleased to announce the publication of Total Loss by Fred Lockwood, available to order from bookshops or direct from the publisher.
From Textbooks to Novel
It’s not often that a university professor abandons academia in favour of writing a novel. However, this is precisely what Emeritus Professor Fred Lockwood has done.
Total Loss traces the lives of three groups of people before they intersect dramatically when an ageing freighter sinks off the coast of Kenya. A routine marine inspection of the wreck by the fledgling Marine Salvage & Investigation Company, established by Jack Collier and Sandro Calovarlo, brings them together. The Sacranie brothers and sister, who own the vessel and have cargo on board, risk their secret being uncovered. Soloman Mbano, a powerful underworld figure in East Africa, is desperate to salvage valuable merchandise he is transporting and to do so at any cost.
The action above and below water is relentless. Total Loss takes you from Liverpool to Dar es Saalam, from Dubai to Delhi, from the depths of the Atlantic to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
About the author
Dr Fred Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Learning and Teaching, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is also a PADI Master Scuba Diver.
His career in higher education involved consultancies within over 100 universities in more than thirty countries. He has travelled extensively and dived in the waters of Central America and Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands.
Once a keen runner and squash player he is now an equally keen cyclist, walker and skier. He lives in a small village in Northamptonshire with his wife Beryl.
Purchase and Contact
Copies of Total Loss can be purchased direct from the publisher by visiting our website at www.pegasuspublishers.com or by calling 01223 370012.

For a limited period, Apeks & Aqualung are running a Regulator Trade-in Deal. Trade in any set of Regs, any make, any model and in any condition and receive an equivalent set of Apeks or Aqualung Regs of your choice with a massive 40% off RRP!
This doesn’t include Tek3s, Sidemount Sets or the Black Sapphire set but does include consoles if your trade-in set has a console.
See www.apeksdiving.com/uk or www.aqualung.com/uk for more details and terms & conditions.
If you have a Reg Set or First & Second stage you want to trade in, bring it in to DIVE Northampton and we can sort everything out for you.

Andy Hillier
01604 586156
07979 598740
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Good news for those of you that do more than just dive and manage to find time to run, swim, trek, ski, mountain bike, orienteer, climb or just go for a walk in the wild...

I'm pleased to announce that we are now selling the full range of Suunto Sport & Activity Watches and accessories. We are selling these in store and through a new website www.activenorthampton.co.uk .

While we don't have every unit and colour combination in stock, we are stocking the "Big 5" of the Core, Ambit3 Run, Ambit3 Sport, Ambit3 Peak and Traverse.

So pop in for a chat and chance to see the products.
​
Andy Hillier
ACTIVE Northampton
01604 586156
www.activenorthampton.co.uk

Well folks, our intrepid explorers are off again! This time round, Lou and Stuff are off to fabulous Costa Rica in April next year.

Costa Rica ("rich coast" in Spanish), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 4.5 million, of whom nearly a quarter live in the metropolitan area of the capital and largest city, San José. Because Costa Rica is located between 8 and 12 degrees north of the Equator, the climate is tropical year round. Costa Rica's seasons are defined by how much rain falls during a particular period. The year can be split into two periods, the dry season known to the residents as summer, and the rainy season, known locally as winter. The "summer" or dry season goes from December to April, and "winter" or rainy season goes from May to November. Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals, with many varieties being indigenous to the country.

They are organising a 2 week trip with a 7 night tour of the North, coupled with a 7 night stay at the Riu Guanacaste, and diving can be arranged during the beach part of the holiday.  This is an excellent opportunity for both divers and non-divers to visit a country rich in cultural heritage and diversity.

Flying in to San Jose on the 4th April 2016, the tour starts visiting The Pacific Coast, Rain Forest, Arenal Volcano, and Towns of the North (Rincon de la Vieja, Sarapiqui and Tortuguero). During our tour, we also get to experience River Tubing and Horse Riding, relaxing at The Hot Spring (Tabacon), a guided walk through the Rainforest (on the hanging bridges) and a boat trip around the canals of Tortuguero. We then head to the hotel Riu Guanacaste on the Pacific coast for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

The board basis of this holiday is Bed and Breakfast for the tour part, and an all-inclusive basis at the beach hotel. The current price of the trip is £2,371.95 per person based on 2 people sharing which includes flights, airport taxes, the tours, hotels and the board basis mentioned above.  

One of the best things about diving off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica is encounters with the big stuff!  It's not unusual to see whales and dolphins on the trip out to your dive site, you might even get to see them while you're diving! Diving is available at a cost of $410 ( about £210) for a 10 dive package with Scubacaribe (who are based at the hotel), but there are some other packages and options available on their website. We have contacted them already, but once we know how many people are interested in the trip we can go back to them to see what discounts they can do for us.  We can confirm at this point that there are no night dives available.

 Please let Richard and/or Lou know a.s.a.p if you are interested so they can get the ball moving. You can contact them on holmesandlloyd@yahoo.co.uk or through me at the shop.

Andy Hillier 
01604 586156
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Bill Johnson, one of our Community Members, has organised a trip to Sri Lanka in June of 2016.

The WW2 aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was sunk off Sri Lanka by the Japanrese in 1942 and lies on her side,  reached at 44m,  on a 54m sea bed. Because of politics and conflict it has only become available to dive in the past 3 or 4 years and is still pristine.

Bill has organised 6 days diving on the Hermes, starting 26th June 2016, with a small group of wreckies that he dives with when he's in New Zealand. There are a few remaining spaces. The cost of US$ 2,095 (about £1,400) will include transfers to and from Colombo airport across the island to Batticaloa, where you will be based, basic twin room bed and breakfast accommodation plus unlimited air fills and O2. Helium will be charged extra if required. This is for 2 dives per day x 6 days. A third lightweight dive at very low cost can probably be arranged each day if there is a demand. Divers are responsible for organising their own flights to and from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Facilities and consumables are available for both Open Circuit and Rebreathers.

For more information, take a look at: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNQI2zEYTvY

https://picasaweb.google.com/118343039486425882607/HMSHermesSriLankaTechnicalWreckDiveApril2010FullAlbum

If you are interested and want to know more, contact Bill on bill.j@talktalk.net

Andy Hillier
 
01604 586156
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Poseidon has officially launched a new website dedicated to Rebreathers
 
Poseidon are excited to announce that our new website dedicated to rebreathers, http://www2.poseidon.com/e/34852/2015-02-16/3g4h13/147268936 has officially been launched.

To date, there has not been an effective online resource for learning all about rebreathers. This has made it really challenging for a diver interested in becoming a rebreather diver to find helpful and practical information. Poseidon has just solved this problem by creating a website dedicated to answering the key questions people have about rebreather diving:
1. What is a Rebreather? Covers the basic aspects of what a rebreather is and how it works, as well as the differences between types of rebreathers.
2. How do I become a Rebreather Diver? Goes into detail about the steps to becoming a rebreather diver whether you are already an open circuit diver or have never dived before. 
3. Where can I go Rebreather diving? Contains a Rebreather Center Locator map for you to easily contact the Rebreather Center closest to you, and talks about the services Rebreather Centers have to offer.  
Additionally, the site goes into detail about the Poseidon SE7EN and what sets it apart from other rebreathers, and provides specialized support and resources for MKVI and SE7EN divers.

It’s that time of year again when we start to think about traditional Christmas things like... Parties! Yup, time to start pulling out the glad-rags and booking baby-sitters and taxis.

Every year we try to listen to what people want to do and come up with something. This year's brief was more tricky - we were asked for somewhere we could all hang around drinking and chatting, a bit of music for the old 'Handbag Shuffle', a chance to dress up a bit but most of all, keep it cheap. So what are we going to do? Easy, we're partying at the Cripps!

It's the DIVE Northampton Vicars & Tarts Christmas Party.
 
So what's the plan? We've got a buffet, including vegetarian and dessert options so that no-one gets hungry. There will be music to take us towards the witching hour. For those that like to dress up, the Theme is Vicars & Tarts so the guys can all follow Stuff's example and get shopping online for their costume and high heels. We've also organised some festive Real Ale to help get things going.

Anyway, the details: This year we are using the Stanley Hill Room at the Cripps. The party is on Friday 12th December and kick-off is 7:30pm. You all know where the Cripps is so finding it should be easy, there is a car park for those that will be driving and we are close enough to the centre of town that those with the stamina can head off into town afterwards. As usual, we will have a Raffle to raise money for the RNLI. If anyone has a Raffle Prize they’d like to contribute, feel free!
Tickets will be available from the shop and we’ve aimed to keep things nice and cheap this year and we’re only charging £10 for the evening. We are limited to 80 or so in the room so please don’t delay if you want to be sure of your spot!

I really hope as many of you as possible will want to come along – these events are always great fun and there are usually some interesting stories floating around afterwards.

Yo Ho Ho and all that.
 
Andy Hillier
 
01604 586156
07979 598740
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Brenda Marshall, the Publicity Officer for the Rushden and District Photographic Society, would like to let you all know about the talk that they are having on 2nd December. 

Leigh Bishop has been to their club before and he is a fascinating speaker, not only about underwater photography but also about shipwreck diving. His talk is be entitled ‘Out of Africa - Vanishing warships’ .

The numbers in their hall will is strictly limited and tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis after their members have been allocated seats. It is therefore important to book if you wish to go.

To book seats, please contact Brenda on bren.marshall@btinternet.com or via their website http://www.rdps.co.uk/LeighBishop.html

Andy Hillier
 
01604 586156
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Suunto have launched their 2014 Christmas Special Offer. Get a discount or even a Free Transmitter when you buy any air-integrated Suunto Computer...