Last night, the Prime Minister announced that Stage 4 of the UK Government’s roadmap out of lockdown would be delayed by four weeks. This announcement came after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the UK.

For our club, this means that our return to “normal,” which we had expected to happen next week, will need to wait until July. We will continue with our current limited activities until it is safe to resume normal club life.

Despite the current coronavirus restrictions, club life continues. Many of our members have returned to diving in local sites such as Stoney Cove and NDAC. We might hear different reports on the visibility each week, but we always hear good stories from divers who are glad to be back underwater.

Training for members continues as well. Some of our trainees have moved from online theory to outdoor practical lessons. In fact, some trainees may finish their qualifications right on time for the transition to Stage 4.

Club members have also worked hard to keep trips running. Some of our members recently returned from a weekend of diving at sea off the coast of Plymouth. Right now, several members are away diving in Northern Ireland – perhaps they are out to sea at this very moment! Later this month, club members travel up to Lochaline in Scotland for another trip. Other club members are already thinking about where in Britain to visit next, while some have already arranged for trips abroad: to Cyprus later this year and to Egypt next year.

For those who have approached our club to ask about joining us, whether to learn to dive or as a pre-qualified diver, we are unfortunately unable to take you on until we get to Stage 4, which should now be on the 19th of July. We appreciate that some of you have been waiting for several months, perhaps even since the start of the pandemic, to pay us a visit, and we are sorry that you must wait even longer. But we look forward to meeting you when it is safe for our club to meet again. We are happy to answer questions ahead of the end of the lockdown. Just send our club an email through the BSAC website or a message on Facebook and a committee member will respond.