We really hope that you enjoy this copy of BSAC Talk. If you have any comments regarding this issue, please let us know by email at maryt@bsac.com

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EXCITING NEWS - PROJECT NEPTUNE NOW 'LIVE'

Phase one of Project Neptune went live as of 31st January 2006.

This particular phase concerns the contact management and membership side of the system. We are now processing live memberships in Neptune and HQ is getting used to operating with Neptune for changes to members details.

Phase 2 Events is scheduled to commence on February 8th and will run for approximately 10 weeks.

Watch this column each month as we report on progression and development.

Chris Horan
BSAC Project Neptune Project Manager

A new title to reflect the HQ Team's role

The 'Technical Department' at BSAC HQ has been a source of advice and guidance on many aspects of diving, particularly aspects that were considered to be 'technical'. With the advent of 'technical diving' the title is now somewhat of a misnomer.

The Team deals with all matters and enquiries on diver training, instructor development, ITS bookings, SDC registrations and Coaching Scheme. The Team also liaises with other diver training and government agencies on all diving related matters.

As part of the recent department restructure and to reflect the wider range of activities that the team covers, it has been decided to change the title of the department to:

Diver Resources Team Members:

You will all be aware that Project Neptune is now in its first exciting stage and went live on January 31st 2006. As part of this phase 1, we are trying to update branch records wherever possible.

Does your branch have a Welfare Officer? If so, please let us know. You can email Mary Tetley at maryt@bsac.com with any updates. If you are a new or current Welfare Office, please take the time to familiarise both yourself and your Branch with the BSAC Welfare Policy. This can be found on http://www.bsac.com/legacyorg/techserv/welfare/welfareintro.htm or alternatively email maryt@bsac.com and we will send you a hard copy.

We plan to publish a Welfare column each month in BSAC Talk to keep you all updated with this particular topic but in the meantime if you have any queries you can speak to us at anytime.

Any queries, contact Mary Tetley the BSAC Welfare Officer maryt@bsac.com.

A date for all your diaries, April 1st & 2nd 2006.

The London International Dive Show (LIDS), sponsored by the British Sub Aqua Club and run by Dive Shows Ltd will be taking place in Excel , London.

The show offers ALL divers something of interest; holiday companies, diving manufacturers, seminars, try dive pools and the BSAC's very own Rebreather Pool where divers can have a go with the most up to date Rebreather equipment, under the expert tuition of qualified BSAC Instructors.

Visit BSAC World
LIDS 2006 will, for the second year, feature BSAC World. You can find out everything you want about the BSAC and have the total BSAC Experience! The usual BSAC stand will be at the show, with helpful staff on hand to offer diving advice, and deal with any queries.

The BSAC will also be actively encouraging divers who have trained with other agencies to go diving with the BSAC and experience the unique friendly, social Branches of the BSAC.


Try A Rebreather Dive
Alongside the BSAC stand BSAC World will feature the Rebreather pool. Once you have experienced a Rebreather dive you can talk to one of our Technical Rebreather Advisors who will be on the BSAC Stand and discuss how you can progress Rebreather diving with the BSAC.

There's More!
On top of this, if your Branch is struggling with Marketing then come to the BSAC's Branch Doctor stand. You will find first hand advice on how to build your Branch Membership numbers and what Marketing advice and support is available to all Branches completely free of charge from the BSAC.

Insurance
Worried about insurance? Dive Master, the BSAC's insurance company will be in BSAC World too. You can ask them questions and have discussions about insurance, travel, equipment etc. Why not take the opportunity of signing up with Beneficial Bank , BSAC's affinity card? You can apply for the card at the show and receive your free gift to take away with you.

Travel Club
The BSAC Preferred Travel Partners (PTPs) will also be available for booking holidays. Do take the time to look at the amazing special offers the BSAC PTPs will be offering to ALL BSAC Members. You could save more than your annual Membership fee in one booking!

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LIDS 2006 SHOW PREVIEW

This year's London International Dive Show will be a feast for existing divers and newcomers alike. More than 250 companies will be lining up at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre on 1 and 2 April to show off the latest kit, holidays, training options, dive leisure wear, and much, much more. So, regardless of whether you have many years of experience under your belt or have just taken up the sport, LIDS 2006 will be one of the most important dates in your diving calendar.

With a whole year of fantastic diving ahead of you, LIDS is the perfect place to update and replace your old kit, catch up with the latest products to hit the market and keep abreast of diving courses on offer from, among others, BSAC and PADI.

And, if you're stuck for dive holiday ideas, a wealth of destinations will be represented at the show, with holidays that range from the exotic to the adventurous and from the magical to the mysterious.

If all of this is not enough, when you've had your fill of shopping on the exhibition floor you can dip into a programme of presentations being given by some of the sport's biggest names.

Due to popular demand, Liquid Motion Films will be showing two of its Award-winning films at the show. The Perfect Reef and Talking with Fishes were shown to packed audiences at Dive 2005 and they will be starting the programme each day.

The presentation by Leigh Bishop and Teresa Telus is for anyone who loves big shipwrecks. These well-travelled technical divers will take you on a virtual underwater tour of famous wrecks such as the Lusitania, the gold ships Egypt, Laurentic and Titanic's sister ship Britannic.

Rick Stanton will be talking about two current cave-diving projects - his recent dive in Wookey Hole in Somerset which gained him the British cave diving depth record of 90m in June 2005 and his dives in the Cogol de Veci, a large resurgence cave in the Dolomite region of Northern Italy. Both projects were technically complicated and used all of the latest diving technologies such as rebreathers and scooters.

The secrets of giant sharks will be uncovered by film-maker John Boyle who will be premiering his latest film at LIDS 2006. The film uncovers the secret lives of two of the planet's biggest fish - the whale shark and the basking shark - as well as other sea creatures such as the Great White and Yellow Fin Tuna.

Monty Halls' hugely popular TV programme 'The Great Ocean Adventure' wowed audiences both on the screen and at Dive 2005. This marine biologist and explorer has discovered sunken cities off India, tracked down prehistoric remains in underwater cave systems in South Africa and, in his spare time, was voted 'Superhuman' in a reality TV contest. Nowadays he is as at home on the small screen as underwater and at LIDS 2006 he will be taking to the stage to talk about the making of his amazing ocean adventures TV programme.

If adventure is your bag then Richard Lundgren's sessions are a must. Richard is one of the sport's most highly respected technical divers and he has hunted Spanish galleons in the Caribbean and has carried out the longest cave dive ever done in Scandinavia in Arctic conditions. At LIDS 2006 he will be talking about his work surveying locating and diving wrecks of all ages found in excellent states of preservation in the clear waters of the Baltic.

The Waterfront Rooms, in which all of the presentations will take place, are conveniently close to the exhibition halls. All presentations are free of charge to show visitors, but it's a good idea to get to the presentation rooms early to avoid disappointment. To see the presentation programme in full visit http://www.diveshows.co.uk.

There will also be the popular Try Dive and Rebreather pools; a display of the top 25 diving products as voted by readers of Diver Magazine and Divernet; and the Historical Diving Society's fascinating take on our diving heritage.

Win …. Win …. Win ….
Forget the National Lottery, you could win the holiday of a lifetime this year simply by visiting LIDS 2006 - and the odds are far better.

If you have enough buddies (or a big family) and can book more than eight tickets to the show either online or via the ticket hotline, you will automatically be entered into a draw to win your entire group a trip on the spectacular Grand Sea Serpent liveaboard.

This brand new Red Sea Liveaboard was launched in April 2005 and boasts some of the most luxurious accommodation on water. The trip will be organized by Tony Backhurst Travel.

And if you do book your tickets online - however many -you will also be entered into the Drysuit Draw. Two of you stand to win Procean drysuits, worth £545 each.

How to book
To reserve your tickets for LIDS 2006, which is organised by Diver Group in association with the British Sub-Aqua Club, go to http://www.diveshows.co.uk or call the ticket hotline, 0208 977 9878.

Tickets cost £7.50 if booked in advance and £10.50 on the door (children £2). Visitors booking in advance will also be able to collect a free Show Guide worth £2 (one per ticket order) on arrival.

So much to see and do
It's only right that you should at least have a chance to get wet at LIDS 2006, and that's why the popular Try Dive and BSAC Rebreather Pools are at the heart of every Show.

At the Rebreather Pool you can find out whether no-bubble diving is for you and at the same time experience some of the different models on offer. A team of experts from BSAC will be on hand to help and advise you, so if you have any questions this is the place to have them answered.

Both pools are free of charge to visitors, but they are always oversubscribed so early booking when you arrive at the show is recommended to avoid disappointment.

If you enjoy a stroll into the past, and dipping into diving memorabilia, the Historical Diving Society's feature will be well worth a visit. But if it's more contemporary kit that interests you, make sure to include on your schedule the Top 25 Products stand.

Two training agencies have their own sections of the Show - the BSAC and PADI. And if you're thinking about your holidays - just follow the sound of steel drums to the Caribbean Village.

Exhibitor seminars
Exhibitor seminars are always very popular, and this year's programme will include not only some of the hottest diving destinations but also technical sessions that will get you right up to scratch with recent advances.

Emperor Divers is hosting a session about new underwater photographic adventures, and Scuba Tours Worldwide's presentation will feature Rob Bryning's liveaboard expeditions in the Cocos and Galapagos Islands.

Jack Ingle will be making a welcome return with his ever-popular kit configuration sessions each day, while Steve Murray and William Ong of the ITDA group will gaze into the crystal ball to pronounce on the future of diving.

Exhibitors List

A P Valves Aggressor Fleet Alan James Photography Ambient Pressure Diving/Inspiration Analox Group Andark Diving & Watersports Aqua-Marina Dive Centre (Tenerife) AquaMarine Diving - Bali Aquapress Diving Books Arctic Circle Dive Centre Audaxpro Bag Mania The Bahamas Tourist Office Barclaycard Barra Lodge Mozambique Bauer Compressors/Divex Beaver Sports Blackwave Blue Can Do Ltd Blue Marlin Dive Indonesia Blue Planet Liveaboards Blue-O2 Bonaire Dutch Caribbean (BONHATA) Bonaire Fun Travel Bonaire Hospitality Group British Divers Marine Life Rescue The British Society of Underwater Photographers (B British Sub-Aqua Club British Virgin Islands Tourist Board BSAC Branch Doctor (Image Wizard) BSAC Heinke Trophy Winners BSAC Rebreather Display BSAC Regional Coaches BSAC Travel Club Bucaneer Divers Cameras Underwater Cantamar Sports Lodge/Baja Diving Services The Cartoonery Catfish Dive and Safari Cayman Islands Dept of Tourism Central Compressor Consultants ClubSub Collins & Chambers Curacao Tourist Board Custom Divers Cydive Cyprus Tourism Organisation Daka Europe DAN Europe Services (UK) Ltd

Deep Blue Dive Centre Deep Impressions Deep Outdoors Denney Diving Diamond Diving Digital Distribution (GB) Ltd Dirty Divers Dive Adventures Dive in 2 Pembrokeshire Dive In Cyprus Dive Master Insurance Dive Provo Dive Sportif Dive Tortola Dive Worldwide Dive-logs.com DiveCadi DiveDude Diver Magazine Diver's Paradise Divernet.com Divers Warehouse DNA Divewear Dominica Nature Island of the Caribbean DUI e Pursuits.com Egyptian State Tourist Office Emperor Divers Environmental Investigation Agency Estacion Nautica Mar Menor Euro Divers Worldwide European Diving Centre Fid. de Promoción Turística de Cozumel Fish and Friends Dahab Forty 4 Diving Equipment Four Palms - Logbookstamps Fourth Element Dive Wear Fuji Global Vision International Go Dive/G D Training Go North! Goldenjoy Dive Gozo Aqua Sports Greenaway Marine Grenada Board of Tourism Health & Safety Executive Historical Diving Society Horvath & Leone

HWTMA (Hampshire&Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeol Inmo Diver's Home International Technical Diving Agency (ITDA UK) Kent Tooling & Components (Diving Products) Lighthouse Diving London Diving Chamber London Hyperbaric Medicine London School of Diving Longwood Holidays Lumb Bros Lumbalumba Diving Manado M & M Diving Technology Maldives Scuba Tours Malta Tourist Office Marine Conservation Society Maritime & Coastguard Agency MarKat Mencap Nautilus New Zealand Dive Experiences NiteRider Dive Lights International O'Three Ocean Blue Divers Ocean Dive Explorers Ocean Images Ocean Quest (Canada) Odyssea Divers Oonasdivers Otter Watersports Pa-Pa Designs PADI International Peter Hughes Diving Philippines Department of Tourism Pictures by Tony White & Linda Dunk Pro Dive International (USA) Procean Procella ProDivers Maldives Radix Sports Ralf Tech UK RCH Red Sea Boats Co Red Sea Diving College Reef Jewelry Regaldive Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Board The Rising Sun Dive Center Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Sea Safety Safari Diver Ltd School of Marine Science and Technology

Scuba + Outdoor Pursuits Centre Scuba En Cuba The Scuba Holiday (Specialised Dive Tours) Scuba Industries Trade Association (SITA) Scuba Safaris Scuba Time Scuba Tours Worldwide Scuba Trust SDS Watersports Sea Bees Diving Seac Sub Seamasters Seasearch Seastar Watersports Shark Bay Films The Shark Trust Silver Crescent Skytrak Travel Snooba Travel Splashsports Services Sport Diver Magazine St Lucia Tourist Board Stoney Cove Marine Trials Submarine Manufacturing and Products SubSee Taurus TDi SDi (UK) Tobago Dive Experience Tony Backhurst Scuba Centre Tourism Malaysia Triton Scuba TUSA Under Pressure The Underwater Centre Underwater World Publications Vandagraph Wakatobi Waterproof Wetsuits Werner Lau Diving Centers West Wales Divers Westfield Sub Aqua and Marine Insurance Whites Wittering Divers Zeagle (UK)

For a full programme of free exhibitor seminars visit http://www.diveshows.co.uk.

So start your diving adventure with BSAC World at LIDS - we'll see you there!

There's no better place to get the 2006 diving season off to a flying start than at the London International Dive Show. Taking place on 1/2 April at ExCeL in London's Docklands, the show will be packed full of the very latest dive kit, clothing, boats, holidays, training options and much, much more.

This year the BSAC and the show organisers are offering BSAC branches and clubs an opportunity to run competitions to win free tickets to the show. If you have a club newsletter or ezine, and are prepared to run a competition and information in this about LIDS 2006, you will be given two pairs of free tickets to the event to offer to your members.

All you need to do is send a copy of your latest newsletter to Liz Scriven either by post or email and the first 20 branches to do this will be offered the free ticket competition.

Liz's email is liz.scrivenpr@ntlworld.com and her address is LSPR Ltd, 35 Heathside, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9TD. If you want to discuss the competition or any other show ideas with Liz you can call her on 020 8398 3327.

Dive Ireland 2006 is the first ever all-Ireland Dive conference. It will be held on 25th & 26th February 2006 in the Ramada Hotel in Belfast.

The aim of the conference is to bring divers together from all agencies to promote scuba diving in Ireland as a sport for everyone.

The conference will feature high profile speakers and practical workshops that will cater for all levels of diver interest including; photography, wreck diving, overseas diving, mixed gas and technical diving.

Two of the largest agencies in Ireland will be at the conference; BSAC and the Irish Underwater Council (CFT) and the BSAC will hold their first regional meeting with newly appointed Regional Coach for Ireland, Greg Hanna.

For more details about the conference visit www.diveirelandshow.com or email Gary Mulhall at info@diveirelandshow.com or call him on 07775 577090.

We all need to spice up our lives from time to time with a dose of warm sun, blue skies and tropical seas, and what better place to do that than the Spice Islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique! These islands make up one of the most intriguing and beautiful groups in the Caribbean and truly offer something for everyone, whether your taste is for 5 star luxury, beachside guest house or fabulous self catering villas. Lively or leisurely, whether you're looking for sports, diving, culture, natural delights, super dining or just relaxing on the multitude of sandy beaches, you can find it here.

The diving is amongst the best in the Caribbean and includes an unusual number of wrecks including the "Titanic of the Caribbean", Bianca C.. There are enough wrecks to dive a different one every day of the holiday, including some for experienced divers only. Grenada not only has wrecks but superb pristine reefs teeming with marine life of all sizes. During the winter months you can even experience humpback whales.

During 2006 BSAC Travel Club are running a very special promotion with the Grenada Tourist Association http://www.grenadagrenadines.com which will not only publicise the many attractions to the diver of visiting Grenada, but also give two lucky people the chance to do so for two whole weeks - including flights, fabulous accommodation on Grenada and Carriacou, and full diving - all free of charge!

Full details of the prize and lots more information about idyllic Grenada and its islands can be found on the Travel Club website at http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/where/grenada2.htm

Our competition which will run throughout 2006, is open to everyone who is subscribed to BSAC Traveller, our bi-monthly dive travel e-letter and you can register (it's free!) right now by visiting http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/traveller/subscribe.htm . The competition will be found in every BSAC Traveller for the rest of the year and involves answering three questions about Grenada and Carriacou correctly. The next BSAC Traveller will be out in early February.

Dive Worldwide Ltd has moved to:

Long Barn South, Sutton Manor Farm, Bishop's Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 0AA

Tel: 0845 130 6980 (Calls charged at local rate)

Take the plunge into Dive Worldwide's 2006 programme of innovative diving adventures, providing quality, bespoke, individual, family and group, dive holidays around the globe.

As well as lots of new hotels, resorts and lodges, expanded dive options are available in Southern Belize, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, together with Rowley Shoal in Australia and Kosrae in Micronesia.

Completely new destinations include Montserrat, Cape Verde Islands, Solomon Islands, Mauritius, Turks & Caicos and Cayman Islands. Staying in the water, new specialist liveaboards include the MV Kairos - offering explorations in the Mozambique Channel off the coast of Tanzania featuring research on Whale Sharks. Elsewhere, Bikini Atoll has its first liveaboard - the MV Oleanda will travel to Kwajalein and Rongelap also in the Marshall Islands. Though not strictly diving, there are few better opportunities for cetacean encounters than those to be had snorkelling with Humpbacks in Ruruta, Tahiti - also new for 2006. For special interest groups a number of holidays focussing on underwater photography and videography are included, featuring workshops and masterclasses with acknowledged professionals in the field.

Examples of two suggested packages to new destinations include:-

Montserrat - 7-nights - £1,159 - Departs January to March 2006

Rising like a 'Phoenix from the ashes' - a series of volcanic eruptions in the 1990's proved ultimately, to be no setback for Montserrat's marine environment. An exclusion zone was imposed for many years, and without human intervention the ecosystem has thrived and is now healthier than ever.

The cost includes international flights on Virgin Atlantic, Winair flights Antigua to Montserrat, current taxes and fuel surcharges, transfers, 7-nights accommodation at the Vue Pointe Hotel plus 10-dive package.

Cape Verde Archipelago - 7-nights - £999 - Departs Throughout 2006

400 km off the coast of West Africa, with only 9 of the 15 islands inhabited, tourism is in its infancy. From base on the island of Sal divers have the chance to discover something completely different.

The cost includes scheduled flights with TAP via Lisbon, transfers, 4* hotel accommodation with breakfast and a 10-dive package. Upgrade to half board for just £99 p/p.

Call today to find out more and claim your exclusive BSAC Member discount.

The BSAC Travel Club Photographic Award offer some truly tempting prizes for this year's winners, quite apart from the pleasure of seeing your photograph published as one of our monthly Great Shots. The winner of the Newcomer's Category will win £300 of camera equipment courtesy of Cameras Underwater - a great way to begin a serious interest in underwater photography.

The winner of our Open Category is set to win a fantastic diving holiday for two people on the spice islands of Grenada and Carriacou. Visit http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/photography/awardentry.htm for more details.

DELMAR DIVERS VALENTINE'S BALL

Delmar Divers would like to announce the first of their annual inter-club Valentine's Ball. This will be taking place on February 18th at 7:30 at The Electricity Sports & Social Club, Aylestone Road, Leicester. This is open to anyone interested in Diving but we would particularly welcome other branches to attend with a view to working more closely together. The parking is FREE the liquids are cheap & the tickets only cost £3:00. For more information please contact Richard on 07813 984899.

MARINE FISH AND INVERTEBRATES OF NORTHERN EUROPE RRP £39.99, Special BSAC Members Price £29.99 Foreward by Prof David Bellamy OBE., BSc., PhD., Hon: FLS., DSc., D.Univ., C.Biol. President of The Conservation Foundation, Coral Cay Conservation, The marine Conservation Society of Australia and The Galapagos Conservation Trust. "Based on sound science and wreathed with real life pictures this superb book not only allows you to name their names but to understand the roles each creature plays in the balance of marine life. Our genesis, via the not so simple sponges through the sea squirts to the fishes and beyond are all there waiting for you to discover."
SNORKEL BASEBALL HAT & T-SHIRTS Snorkel Baseball hat, one size fits all. Special offer price £3.50. Snorkel T-shirts available in Child sizes. 3 FOR THE PRICE OF 2 P&P Free on Childs Snorkel T-Shirts! Price Adults £6.95: Childs £5.95
SPORT DIVING Long regarded as the leading text on sport diving, this is the essential reference source for all divers. Everything you need to know to progress up to Sport Diver, clearly explained and illustrated. Price : £10.00
SIGNED LIFEBOAT PRINT - BRITISH DIVER In November 1980, the BSAC/RNLI Lifeboat Appeal Fund was started. The members of the British Sub Aqua Club raised money in a variety of ways both individually and in groups. By early 1982, there was sufficient in the fund to purchase a 21ft Inshore Lifeboat. In July 1983, the lifeboat - named "British Diver" was commissioned and commenced operation from the Whitstable RNLI station. An artist member of the crew, Brian Bishop, produced an oil painting of the boat in action and presented it to the BSAC. It had been decided to produce a limited edition of signed reproductions of the painting and the BSAC/RNLI Fund will benefit from each print sold. £3.50 (inc p& p).

Q. How do I obtain a replacement Qualification Book when I have lost ruined, or had mine stolen?

A. The member should first apply to their Branch for a replacement. The Branch DO or Membership Secretary should apply to the BSAC Mailshop for a new QRB, explaining the loss and giving the name and membership number of the member who requires the replacement. The BSAC Mailshop will enter the name and membership number on page 1 before despatching the QRB to the Branch. Any costs are to be met by the member.

If you know friend or colleague who may like to receive this monthly bulletin, please ask them to visit www.bsac.org/etalk, where they can subscribe online.