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

A PDF copy of this issue can also be downloaded at www.bsac.org/etalk/apr05talk.pdf.

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Heinke Trophy Winners

Kingston & Elmbridge Sub Aqua Club, Heinke Trophy Winners, will be hosting the 51st BSAC Annual General Meeting at their branch Clubhouse; King George V Car Park, Queen Mary Close (Off Hook Rise South), Tolworth, Surrey on 21st May 2005. It promises to be a fantastic day. The morning will be the AGM business with registration from 9.00am onwards and the AGM will commence at 10.00am finishing at 13.00 hours.

Fish and chip lunch

An optional fish and chip lunch can be ordered at registration at a cost of only £4. A variety of interesting presentations kindly organised by Kingston & Elmbridge will follow. RNLI will be presenting at 14.00 and at 14.45 there will be a MCS "Sea search presentation". To finish off the day's proceedings Tony Marshall will present the BSAC Golden Oldies a fabulous film collection, which go back years and are well worth a watch!

Riverboat Cruise

The evening entertainment will be a riverboat cruise on the "Kingston Belle" starting at 20.00 going right through until Midnight with a disco and finger buffet on board, at a cost of only £28.00 the evening promises to be great fun. For more information or to book tickets please contact John Rapley on rap@gearbulk.com

We do hope that many of you will come to the AGM and spend time with us and the branch members. It is always a fun event and a good opportunity to exchange diving stories.

If you are interested in attending then please contact the branch direct - speak to John Rapley, on 07843 529 187 or 0208 241 1830 or email him on rap@gearbulk.com

Alternatively contact Odette Baker at BSAC HQ where we can also take your ticket orders odetteb@bsac.com or 0151 350 6221.

BSAC World - there's something for everyone!

There truly was something for everyone at BSAC World at LIDS this year. For the first time LIDS featured BSAC World an integrated area featuring all aspects of the BSAC from Regional Coaches through to travel and insurance. With the Rebreather pool at its centre, BSAC World featured a host of informative and useful displays for members and non-members alike.

BSAC World had a fantastic impact at the show with more new members signing up at the show than ever before. Mary Tetley, Operations Manager for BSAC HQ commented "Having the full range of services on hand proved to be a real winner - we were able to give divers and non-divers alike the information they needed right there and then which helped them decide to become a member of the BSAC much more easily."

As mentioned in last month's BSAC Talk an update to the Branch Marketing Pack was launched at LIDS on 5th and 6th March 2005. The update features extensive reports on the use of the Branch Marketing Pack in branches and is also packed with more good ideas to attract more members to join BSAC branches. Each branch that has requested a copy of the Branch Marketing Pack has automatically been sent an update from Marcus Allen, Head of BSAC Communications Team.

Marcus (pictured right) commented - "I was delighted to be able to send out the update to the Branch Marketing Pack with such inspirational success stories, I'm looking forward to hearing more from branches who have utilised the pointers from the pack." If you have any feedback on the pack that you would like to share, please send it to Marcus at the following address; marcus.allen@bsac.com

Have you got a success story?

Please send your details by email to maryt@bsac.com or odetteb@bsac.com and your branch could be the next one featured - we look forward to hearing from you!

Have you got a copy?

If your branch has not already received a free copy of the Branch Marketing Pack, please complete the form online at www.bsac.org/services/branchmktgpk.htm, or contact membership services on 0151 350 6202/6203.

The NDC have recently issued clear and up-to-date guidance on Artificial Ventilation (AV) for both in-water and rescues and dry conditions. For full details please go to the Instructor's Resource Centre section on the BSAC website at http://www.bsac.com/legacyorg/techserv/irc/ircintro.htm.

The 'Safety First' Programme is designed to demonstrate how any diver can develop their own personal diving and safety skills. Divers participating in the 'Safety First' Programme are able to practice and 'fine-tune' their diving skills and ensure that they remain up to date before the start of the diving season, or after a break from active participation.

This Programme appeals to all divers - the hard-core enthusiast who dives all year round to the holiday diver who perhaps dives just once a year during their summer vacation. In all cases the intention is the same - allow all divers to ensure that they are 'dive-fit' and that they are practised in skills and techniques, and in doing so work towards the prevention of incidents.

For branches that want to stage this training, there is a free 'Safety First' toolkit that can be downloaded, containing all training materials and certifications at http://www.bsac.com/legacyorg/techserv/sfirst/sfintro.htm.

A member has recently advised BSAC HQ of a concern with these units.

The Medicines, Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of two incidents where dentists have received minor burns when the regulator ignited whilst they were turning the cylinder on. The MHRA believes that the design of these integral regulators is inappropriate for this use.

The units concerned are SOS Ltd and Medical Gas Services Ltd oxygen cylinders with an integral regulator, which were distributed by several suppliers as a source of oxygen for emergency use. It could be that some BSAC diving branches are in possession of such equipment.

This problem only affects cylinders with integral regulators from SOS Ltd, and from Medical Gas Services Ltd, who must not be confused with Medical Gas Solutions Ltd, who purchased the assets of SOS Ltd from the receivers.

SOS Ltd and Medical Gas Services Ltd are in liquidation; therefore there is no product support or customer records for these devices. As the extent of the problem is not known, all affected cylinders with integral regulators should no longer be used and should be disposed of appropriately. For more information, visit the MHRA website at: http://devices.mhra.gov.uk/mda/mdawebsitev2.nsf/webvwMDASafetyWarnings/656D75F4A1E06C4B80256F95002F88C1?OPEN

The Heinke Trophy, in the form of a shield with a silver sports diver motif, is the Club's premier award. It was donated to the BSAC in 1958 by the old established British diving firm of Heinke, which had been making high quality hard-hat diving equipment for many years. Although the company was later taken over by Siebe-Gorman, some of its original products continued to be made and are available from Collins & Chambers.

The Heinke Trophy is awarded to the branch judged to have done the most to further the interests of its members and those of the BSAC. Any entry submission should provide the adjudicating panel with all the information and documentation necessary to make a balanced judgement.

It is suggested that branches prepare and keep yearly records of their activities and achievements using the format of a Heinke Trophy entry. For a year of particularly high achievement, such records could quickly be brought together to form an entry for the Heinke Trophy Award.

An information sheet and entry slip is enclosed with this issue of BSAC Talk and branches are reminded that if they wish to enter for the 2006 award their application must be received before the end of December 2005. This then gives the entrants three months to put the final touches to their entry before the final submission date of 31st March 2006.

Early Summer is a great time to escape to the Red Sea before the crowds. As a BSAC Preferred Travel Partner, Regaldive are delighted to offer BSAC Members a saving of 8% off* early Summer bookings.

This offer applies to departures on or between the following dates:

HURGHADA, EL GOUNA AND SAFAGA - 6th May - 17th June 2005 (excl. 27th May)

SHARM, DAHAB AND NUWEIBA - 8th May - 26th June 2005 (excl. 29th May)

Remember you can also take advantage of our great value BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE DIVE OFFER on 4, 5 and 6 day dive packs on selected dates.

Divers can choose from a huge range of accommodation options including the 5-star luxury of the Intercontinental in Sharm, to family friendly resorts and everything in between. Flights are available to both Hurghada and Sharm from Gatwick and Manchester.

So don't delay - get your BSAC number at the ready and call Regaldive on 0870 2201 777 to book your early Summer getaway.

*These are limited offers, subject to availability and may be withdrawn without notice. 8% includes normal 5% discount. Conditions apply - please call Regaldive for details.

There is a new site on the web for Skill Development Courses (SDCs). Whether you are a Branch Officer, Instructor or just looking for a course, this site has everything you need to know about SDCs, from attending them to setting one up in-branch. It also has the facility to book your in-branch SDCs on-line.

So don't delay and visit the SDC Section of the website at http://www.bsac.com/legacyorg/techserv/sdc/index.html

If you need any further information, please contact Jenny on 0151 350 6259.

To receive a copy of the new British Sub Aqua Club Catalogue 2005, please call the shop on 0151 350 6222/224/225 or email shop@bsac.com.

The following fantastic new items are now in stock:

· New Diver's Kit Bag - New, hardwearing Diver's kit bag. Designed for transporting diving or snorkelling gear with durable plasticised mesh to allow water to drain from wet kit. Available in Pink or Black. Retail Price: £20.00 Members Price: £18.00.

· Pocket First Aid Mask - A vital piece of first Aid equipment, can be used either by attaching to an oxygen supply line or for casualty resuscitation, simple and hygienic to use with foldable cushioned mask, one way value and elastic head strap. Latex free. Members Price £9.95.

· Underwater Guide to Gibraltar - Phil Smith & Darren Fa. Members Price £15.25.

Just a reminder that we have an ideas box in the shop, if there any products you would like the BSAC Shop to stock, please email us your suggestions to shop@bsac.com or call us on 0151 350 6222/224/225.

Go to http://www.bsacshop.com for more details and other items of interest available from the BSAC Shop.

A comprehensive manual covering every aspect of seamanship a diver coxswain is ever likely to require. It covers boat terminology, knots, charts, weather, boat handling, engine basics, VHF operations and much more. There is also a detailed section about procedures to take in an emergency right up to and including being picked up by a SAR helicopter.

Illustrated with many detailed diagrams and colour photographs this book is a must for anyone who owns or drives a diving RIB.

Retail Price : £20.00 Members Price : £17.00

To reserve your copy now, please go to http://www.bsac.com/legacyorg/shop/manuals.htm.

Cave Diving Talk by Martin Robson

Billericay SAC are hosting a talk on Cave Diving by Martin Robson of Eau2 on Friday 8th April at 9pm at Mayflower School, Billericay, Essex. An Introduction to Cave Diving. Most people associate the thought of Cave Diving with small muddy holes..."underwater potholing"...but Cave Diving is a mainstream diving activity open to almost all but the very newest diver.

Martin will set out to explain how, where and perhaps why people go cave diving, what equipment is needed and how to get trained for the most amazing diving the world has to offer.

Martin has dived in caves all over the world and has explored some of the deepest caves in Europe. He is an IANTD Cave Instructor Trainer and a Cave Instructor for the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) and the National Speleological Society - Cave Dive Section (NSS-CDS). Tickets are £5 and are available by contacting events@bsac1620.co.uk or Jamie on 07795 510297.

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