​Well it’s been an interesting 15 months or so but hopefully things will start to get back to normal over the coming weeks or months. Back in January 2020, we brought in our usual stock of new Regs for the Dive School. We managed to use them for one course in February and then they went into storage during the pandemic. We still have to replace them after 12 months and with the prospect of us being able to restart training soon, we’ve now brought in our new 2021 sets. As a result, we are selling off the 2020 reg sets, many of which have never been used, and those that have, will only have been used for a few weeks.

So... our regular School/Club kit sell-off is back. We were so pleased with them last year and in 2019; we’ve gone for the same again this year! The kit has either never been used or only been used in the pool or Stoney Cove. If you want the kit servicing before you take it away, we are offering a big discount for this - a £59.95 fixed price for the Reg set.
 
For the last 2 years, we’ve gone for the fantastic new Apeks XL4+ Regulator sets which means we are now able to offer these to you at a fantastic price. These are the latest version of the XL4+ range and not to be confused with the original XL4 regulator which doesn’t have the same features. They are fully cold-water rated (we’ve used them through the winter at Stoney Cove and they’ve been brilliant) and come with 2 High Pressure ports meaning you can have a gauge and transmitter. Combined with the lightweight, flexible hoses, these are not just great for the cold water, they also make a truly fantastic travel set.

The Reg Sets (Full Apeks XL4+ First & Second Stage set in DIN with the Apeks XL4 Octo and Apeks SPG) for £269.95, up about £20 on last year but with dive equipment generally being 20% or 30% more expensive post Brexit & COVID, this is so much of a steal I don’t even want to think about it! These retail for nearly £700 for the Reg, Octo and Console. You are therefore getting these with over £400 off retail or a discount of about 60%. They don’t come with an LPI hose, but if you want one, I’ll throw in a new one for £15. They may not come with the DIN cap, the first people in get their pick!
These are available to Club & Community Members and friends on a first-come, first-served basis and I’ll be offering what’s left of them to everyone else from the end of the week. There are only 12 sets left so people will need to be quick!

If you want one or more holding for you, drop me an email or a call and we’ll put them to one side.

I'm off on holiday so from Saturday 22nd May until Tuesday 1st June the shop will be shut. The good news is that as the pool will be open again from 6th June, the shop will be open on Sundays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm before the pool session...

The Club Pool sessions will be restarting on Sunday 6th June. For the current time, the pool sessions will be Sundays only and they will run from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.

Spaces are limited to 20 divers maximum so if you want to pre-book, you can do so by phoning the shop on 01604 586156 or sending an email to andy@divenorthampton.co.uk.

​Welcome back to you all!

At last, we are back open again and ready to get you all diving. From Tuesday 13th April, the shop will be open again with Retail and Servicing pretty much back to normal. Cylinder Testing is taking longer than usual and getting stock from those Manufacturers based in the EU is almost impossibl;e but we're doing our best. For more information, visit www.divenorthampton.co.uk/coronavirus 

We've already launched our Mares offer and we can now extend this to Apeks and Aqua Lung. Shopping Local is vitally important to the future of specialist retailers so we've come up with something that only applies when you come in to shop.

To try to tempt you away from all things online like Amazon or eBay, we've managed to extend our very special offer...

All Apeks and Aqua Lung products purchased or ordered before Christmas, provided they are in stock here at the shop or in the UK Warehouse, will get a stunning 20% discount off RRP. This applies to all Apeks and Aqua Lung equipment, from Regulators and Consoles to Computers and Wetsuits purchased from the shop, not online.

Yet another reason to come on in and grab yourself a Christmas Bargain!

Let's be honest, it's been a tough year for all of us. Weve got Christmas coming up and only a few short weeks to get organised. Shopping Local is vitally important to the future of specialist retailers so we've come up with something that only applies when you come in to shop.

To try to tempt you away from all things online like Amazon or eBay, we've managed to organise a very special offer...

All Mares products purchased or ordered before Christmas will get a stunning 20% discount off RRP. This applies to all Mares equipment, from Dive Computers to Wetsuits purchased from the shop, not online.

So come on in and grab yourself a Christmas Bargain!

In line with the recent announcement from the Government, the shop is now Open under Tier 2 restrictions.

For those who are self-isolating or can't get in to the shop, buying online through our Website using home delivery or Click & Collect is still  available. Please visit https://www.ns-a.co.uk/DIVENorthampton/  to access the online store. 

Services available now during Tier 2 Restrictions

Retails sales, are now fully available as usual. Come on in and start stocking up for Christmas, a long overdue holiday or just getting a few dives in!

Air Fills & Oxygen Fills. We can again offer our full range of air, oxygen, nitrox, helium, heliox and trimix services. You can bring your cylinders in to the shop for filling. You will usually need to leave your cylinder with us and we will give you an indication when it will be ready for collection. We will try to do this within an hour but it may be next working day depending on your requirements. 

For servicing, you can bring your equipment in to the Centre for servicing. You will be asked to leave the equipment with us and we will contact you when it is ready for collection or give you a collection date when you drop it off. There will be an additional £5 per item cleaning / disinfection fee on top of the standard service cost for BCDs. Servicing is available for BCDs, Regulators and Computers/Watches as these are completed in-house by our team. Cylinder Testing and Dry Suit repairs are currently still available but the turnaround will be slower than normal whilst the Testing Team get back up and running.

Training and courses. Unfortunately, the restrictions imposed by Lockdown and then our local Tier status mean that training is still not available. It is now likely that this will remain the case until the new year at the earliest.

Visiting the Centre will require a certain number of changes and restrictions in order to safeguard everyone's health. Simple measures can easily help us protect you and others from communicable diseases. Please assist us by following these commonly accepted and recommended practices with regards to the COVID-19.

Principally, access to the Centre will be limited to qualifying customers only. We will be operating a one out, one in policy with only one customer (or household group) allowed in the Centre at a time and if possible, please leave the kids at home.

Following the recent policy change from the UK Government, Face Masks / Coverings must be worn by customers when entering the Shop.

The UKDMC (UK Diving Medical Committee) has been working on a simple way for a divers to carry out a self-assessment of their risk based on simple questions about their medical history. This document was approved by the UKDMC on the 14th June and will be published to the market later this week. There are recommendations for what actions to take based on the risk level.

​Download the Scorecard below...

​Visiting the shop will require a certain number of changes and restrictions in order to safeguard everyone's health. Simple measures can easily help us protect you and others from communicable diseases. Please assist us by following these commonly accepted and recommended practices with regards to the COVID-19.

Principally, access to the Training Center will be limited to customers only. We will be operating a one out, one in policy with only one customer (or household group) allowed in the Centre at a time and if possible, please leave the kids at home.

Please note, if you suffer from any of the symptoms related to COVID-19, we kindly ask that you refrain from approaching the Training Center:
Fever, Cough, Tiredness or muscle pain, Respiratory problems, Sore throats, Lung infections, Headaches, Loss of taste, Loss of smell or Diarrhea. Additionally, if you have recently returned from travel or been in contact with a potentially infected individual, please follow the self-isolation guidelines and/or arrange to be tested before entering the Training Center.

When paying, please keep behind the yellow lines. Cash, card and contactless payment is acceptable.

Hand sanitiser is available in the Centre. Please feel free to use it.

Our recommendations:
• If vulnerable or unable to guarantee social distancing, wear a "protective face mask" around other people and in enclosed areas, covering your nose and mouth.
• Stay a safe distance of 2 metres/6 feet away from other people.
• Avoid shaking hands or hugging when greeting people.
• If you need to sneeze or cough, use the bend of your arm or into a tissue and then properly dispose of the tissue in a bin.
• If exposed to possibly infected surfaces, blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing, avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose. Immediately, either wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser.

Services available now

For servicing, you may now bring your equipment in to the Centre. You will be asked to leave the equipment with us and we will contact you when it is ready for collection or give you a collection date when you drop it off. There will be an additional £5 per item cleaning / disinfection fee on top of the standard service cost. Servicing is available for BCDs, Regulators and Computers/Watches as these are completed in-house by our team. Cylinder Testing and Dry Suit repairs are now available but the turnaround will be slower than normal whilst the Testing Team get back up and running.

For sales, our Shop is back up and running and ready to welcome you back. There is no facility for trying on wetsuits or drysuits at the present time. If buying these items, you will be given the opportunity to take things home and try them on there. If the size is wrong, you will be able to bring your item back and exchange it for the correct size.

Kit Hire, is now available. You will need to contact us in advance by phone or email to tell us what kit you need and when you plan to collect it. We will get everything ready for you to collect and ensure it is clean and disinfected. When collecting, you will be asked to check all of the kit and sign for it, including a declaration regarding your health. When returning the kit, we will check it and you will sign a further declaration regarding your health and we will thoroughly clean and disinfect it. There is an additional £5 per item cleaning / disinfection fee on top of the standard Hire charge. For eligible Club Members, the £5 per item cleaning / disinfection fee is all that is payable. 

Training however remains affected. In order to meet the requirements for Social Distancing and following the closure of the pool, we have been forced to postpone all training and Club pool sessions until July at the earliest. The Government has not indicated when Lockdown easing may be implemented for pools and leisure facilities so we are simply forced to wait until they announce a change. Any courses that have been booked will be re-scheduled once the restrictions have been lifted and we have an idea of what options are available. To ensure that no one misses out on their course, the usual 6 month expiry date from the date of booking for courses has been extended to 6 months following the lifting of the Lockdown restrictions that allow us to access the pool and the Open Water facilities.

That being said, things are changing rapidly so we advise everyone to check the website at regular intervals to check for any updates and get the latest information.

In line with current medical advice, we would also ask that all people who meet the criteria for self-isolation or are in the high-risk categories to stay at home.

Revised opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm

Finally, we would like to express the hope that everyone manages to cope through these troubling times. If we can help, please let us know how and we'll do the best we can to assist you.

All the team
DIVE Northampton