Suunto produce a limited edition range of colours for the D4i Novo that is only available in the Asia / Far East market. As a special one-off, Suunto UK are allowing us to order these colours. This offer will expire at 5:00pm on Wednesday 25th May. After this, the computers will no longer be available to order and this option will not be repeated. The colours are Ocean, Sakura and Sun.
 
So, if you want to order a Suunto D4i Novo in any of the colours shown and get your hands on a very unusual colour, you must get your order to me by 5:00pm Wednesday 25th May. The unit cost is the same as a standard D4i Novo at £414.99 and Club Discount will also apply, meaning that for Club Members, these will come out at £373.49. You can of course order a transmitter to go with the D4i but there are no special discounts available from Suunto for this. We will however offer Club Members a one-off 20% discount on any transmitter ordered with one of these units.
 
All the best
 
Andy Hillier
 
01604 586156
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

Suunto & Mares are both revamping their range of Dive Computers. Some are getting a facelift, some are new. As a result, we’ve got a few computers that we are selling off at bargain prices to clear stock for the new units. Once these are gone, that’s it. These prices are a one-off so this is strictly a first-come, first-served deal.
 
Mares Nemo Wide
CLICK for info
 
Current Price          £249.99
Sale Price              £169.99
 
Mares Puck Pro
CLICK for info
 
Current Price          £189.99
Sale Price              £124.99
 
Suunto Vyper Air
CLICK for info
 
Current Price          £314.99
Sale Price              £249.99
 
Suunto Vyper
CLICK for info
 
Current Price          £219.99
Sale Price              £164.99

All the best

Andy Hillier
01604 586156

We’ve been asked to organise a PADI Self-Reliant Diver Course and with the weather and the water warming up now, it’s time to get something scheduled. With more and more Dive Centres accepting this qualification and the increased popularity of underwater photography, this is an ideal chance to gain a qualification that will allow you to spend the time needed to get the perfect photo, without the Dive Guide getting stroppy.
 
PADI Self-Reliant Diver Specialty.
 
Developed for those divers who anticipate that in-water problems will have to be sorted out by themselves, the purpose of the Self-Reliant Diver specialty course is to recognise and accept the role of the buddy system and its contributions to diver safety while identifying and developing self-reliance and independence while diving. Often referred to as a Solo Diving Course, this Course will equip you with the tools necessary to look after yourself. There are two reasons for an experienced diver to take the Self-Reliant diver course:
•          To develop the skills of planning and carrying out dives without a partner when preferred or necessary.
•          To sharpen skills of diving self-reliance, making the diver a stronger partner in a dive pair or team.
 
This course identifies when diving alone may be applicable and the need to compensate for those situations, including dive planning, life support system readiness, adaptive training, equipment and responsibility. This course is an introduction to self-reliant diving that helps student divers develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary to rely on themselves first, whether or not they are diving with a partner, including:
•          The value and application of the buddy system.
•          The philosophy of, and motivation for, diving without a partner.
•          Potential risks of diving alone, and how to manage those risks.
•          The value of equipment redundancy and what back-up equipment is needed.
•          Dive planning and gas management.
 
Prerequisites - You must:
• Be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or hold a qualifying certification from another organization)
• Have a minimum of 100 logged dives
• Be at least 18 years old
 
The Course has a recommended Course Hours of 18 hours, includes one theory development session on a Sunday, an optional pool session and has a minimum Open Water Training requirement of three dives over one day on a Sunday at Stoney. We can only take limited numbers on this exciting new course so please contact me at the shop if you are interested.
 
This course costs £175 and Club Members get their usual 10% discount.
 
Numbers will be strictly limited so please get touch if you are interested and I can get a schedule agreed to suit everyone.
 
Andy Hillier
01604 586156

We have been advised by Trilogy, the Cripps Management, that there is now a new company running the parking and enforcement at the hospital which includes the Cripps main car park. They are far more vigilant then the last company and are issuing plenty of tickets at £80 a time.
 
Everyone must display is a 50p ticket which is available from the machine by the entrance door and a Trilogy Parking Permit which you get from the centre staff.  The permits are free and are valid for a year.
 
Make sure you renew your permit when it expires.
 
All the best
  
Andy Hillier
 
01604 586156
07979 598740
www.divenorthampton.co.uk

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