May - June 2011

Visit from Scuba Travel

Recently Lee Carter, the manager of specialist dive tour operator, Scuba Travel, came to visit Aqua-Marina accompanied by a couple who have many years of experience of diving with disabled people - Andy and Lydia Woods. Primarily they were here to inspect the facilities of the Mar y Sol Hotel which, in the event, wowed them. They also had a few dives with us, but unfortunately the conditions were not at their best and it was pretty tricky getting on the boat. Even on their last day when conditions were good but diving was not an option before flying, Madge took them up Mount Teide with passes booked for the peak - but it was too windy and the cable car was closed. Doh! Despite all that they are already investigating the possibility of a group trip so we must have done something right! Click here to read Lee's glowing trip report.

Doctor! Doctor!

We don't know what's going on with the guys here at the moment but we've had a run of health problems amongst staff and repeat customers, including a bizarre case of Ines being diagnosed with an old perforated eardrum injury that she is told will not heal. She cannot understand how she has apparently been diving like this for years - and has no intention of giving up either! Dave G, of most dives with AQM fame, also has a perforated eardrum and has been so sad to have been unable to dive for several weeks of his current trip - he keeps calling in but his face is getting longer and longer. Kev and Edith were here for a much anticipated holiday but poor Edith had her ankle in plaster and couldn't dive (but she made up for it with lots of shopping). Steve recently had a skin cancer spot removed from his ear (a warning call to all of us who are in the sun so much). And well, Ray's problems, trust me, you don't want to know!

Beach Clean up

We're spring cleaning ready for the summer! Together with our neighbouring dive centre our instructors made a dive of over an hour gathering rubbish dropped or blown into the water next to our beach. Not only is this important to us for aesthetic reasons, it is potentially a lifesaver, with much of the rubbish being plastic bags and fishing line which are such a hazard for turtles in particular. In the end they found less rubbish than expected and less than the last time we did this exercise, which is good news all round.

Diving and Gardening

Any gardening enthusiasts living in the South of England may be interested to hear about a rather unlikely exhibit at this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show to be held from 5th – 10th July. Keen diver and gardener Barry Chambers is presenting a design inspired by the poem ‘On the Sea’ by John Keats. His aim is to create an effect like a dramatic seascape with foam, spray and waves created by the planting. Whilst certain seascapes can look like underwater gardens, creating a garden to look like a seascape is not going to be so easy and we look forward to seeing the final result of this unusual project. Good luck Barry!