To start the dive trips off this year we will be heading for The Coronation Wreck site. This is a protected wreck site, which can only be dived with a licence from the licence holders. Somerset Divers is a sponsor for the team who are researching the wreck. This is a man of war ship which sank in 1691 with most of the 500 crew, for more details go tohttp://www.somersetdivers.co.uk/the-coronation-wreck.htm

This will be a weekend of diving from Top Gun, a local dive boat, helping to check out the magnetometer hits that the research team would like to identify. There are about 100 hits but we will try and check out just a few, will it be an item of treasure, a lost cannon, a personal item from one of the crew, or a piece of scrap metal dumped from one of the many thousands of ships that have passed by over the years.

Dive 1 - will be on the Coronation Wreck main site where you will see some of the many cannons that are on the sea bed.

Dive 2 - divers will work in teams of 3 or 4 to check out the mag hits. Having identified the item you will record the details, maybe photograph it, then conduct a search of maybe 20m around the object, recording all finds.

An over night stay in Plymouth (not included in the price), may be a couple of beers.
Day 2 and Dive 3 - Again working in groups of 3 or 4.
Dive 4 - can be a choice depending on the finds made. Further mag hits or a swim back to the main site from the best mag hits to see what can be seen.

This will be a strictly no take weekend as regards finds, we will be joined by members of the project team who will give us direction. There will be no guided dives, each diver will need 2 tanks and DSMB. Accommodation must be booked separately at each divers expense, suggest B&B at The Mountbatten Centre, but bear in mind the trip may be cancelled due to weather.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

Extend the weekend a bit and come down to Weymouth onboard the very comfortable Divetime. A large yellow catamarran. 2 dives, a wreck of your choice and a drift.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water, with a DSMB and 2 tanks.

I will be on board with another Instructor, so if you would like a guided dive no problem, no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

We are back for a third year with Rocket out of Poole, the service has always been good from Trevor and his father. From the bacon butty whilst loading the boat to the fresh mackeral caught by us and put straight on the BBQ at lunchtime, thats before we even start on the diving. A wreck dive usually in the 25 - 30 m range followed by a drift. Should there be time we may even get to go after the seahorses again, one day I will find them.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water with a DSMB and 2 tanks.

I will be on board with another instructor so if you require a guided dive, no problem, no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

This is the first trip of the year to dive with the seals out on Lundy Island, this has proved an incredibly popular trip over the last couple of years. We have been treated not only to the seals coming to play and nibbling our fins but dolphins bow riding the boat and even once a passing whale, have a look at the previous trip reports.

But remember these are wild animals and I cannot gaurantee they will want to play

We will be leaving Ilfracombe onboard Obsession 1, at about 9am, back at about 5pm, the trip to the Island takes about 1 1/2 hours, we will find the seals and then get kitted up for 2 dives with them. You only need to be an Open Water Diver or even a snorkeller. Diving is best in the 5m area and leave the rest to the seals. Bring a camera if you can, I hope you will not be dissappointed.

I will be onboard with another instructor so if you would like a guided dive, no problem, no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

The trip is full but I have an option of booking the 2 days before this one, so keep sending in your interest. This year the trip to Newquay could be a bit special, this is the peak time for basking sharks coming up passed the Cornish Coast.

So the plan is to travel down on the friday for B&B with Atlantic Divers, for those who have been before you will know they have excellent B&B in 2 bunkhouse chalets. Up early saturday for 2 dives on their superb catamaran, usually a wreck and drift dives, lunch is supplied. Back for B&B and no doubt a couple of beers and then the same again on sunday and home.

Now if we get lucky the basking sharks will be coming by, so the diving plans will change and it will be off to snorkel with the giants. Travel back sunday evening.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water with 2 tanks and DSMB.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

Now as a lot of divers know this is a difficult wreck to get on due to some fast running tides in the area, so I have hopefully got the tide times right, we just need the weather.

The M2 is a submarine that sank in 1932 in Lyme Bay whilst on a training exercise with all 60 crew. For full details have a look athttp://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159473/wreck_tour_5_the_m2.html

We will be diving from Divetime, a very comfortable catamaran. You will need to be qualified to dive to 35m, it can be a difficult dive so you will need to be confident. I will be onboard with another instructor should you want an accompanied dive, no problem, no extra charge.

If you want to get your Deep Diver qualification beforehand just email me, this will qualify you to dive to 40m.

The second dive will be a shallower wreck or drift, the choice will be yours.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

Back again for a real favourite, 2 dives with the seals out at Lundy Island. We will be leaving Ilfracombe at about 9am, 1 1/2hours trip out there onboard Obsession 1. When we find the seals we will kit up and get in to play. Remember these are wild animals and they choose whether they want to come and nibble your fins. Last year we were treated not only to plenty of interaction with the seals, but dolphins bow riding the boat and a whale passing in the distance.

You will need to be an Open Water Diver with 2 tanks and DSMB. The diving is easy but I will be onboard with another Instructor so if you want a guided dive, no problem and no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

I've set this one up with a view of accommodating our younger divers who are restricted to school holidays. Mind you it is not going to be a floating creche, you will need to be able to look after yourselves on board or be accompanied by a paying adult. 2 dives with the seals out at Lundy Island. We will be leaving Ilfracombe at about 9am, 1 1/2hours trip out there onboard Obsession 2, a very comfortable catamaran. When we find the seals we will kit up and get in to play. Remember these are wild animals and they choose whether they want to come and nibble your fins. Last year we were treated not only to plenty of interaction with the seals, but dolphins bow riding the boat and a whale passing in the distance.

You will need to be an Open Water Diver with 2 tanks and DSMB. The diving is easy but I will be onboard with another Instructor so if you want a guided dive, no problem and no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

The second trip of the year to Poole on board Rocket. 2 dives, one wreck and a drift, with the usual bacon butty starter as we load up, possibly fresh mackerel on the BBQ for lunch if you catch them. All being well another search for the seahorses around Poole Bay, one day I will get that elusive photo.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water with 2 tanks and DSMB, again I will be on board with another instructor so if you want a guided dive, no problem and no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

2 dives with the seals out at Lundy Island. We will be leaving Ilfracombe at about 9am, 1 1/2hours trip out there onboard Obsession 2, a very comfortable catamaran. When we find the seals we will kit up and get in to play. Remember these are wild animals and they choose whether they want to come and nibble your fins. Last year we were treated not only to plenty of interaction with the seals, but dolphins bow riding the boat and a whale passing in the distance.

You will need to be an Open Water Diver with 2 tanks and DSMB. The diving is easy but I will be onboard with another Instructor so if you want a guided dive, no problem and no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

The last trip of the year to Poole on board Rocket. 2 dives, one wreck and a drift, with the usual bacon butty starter as we load up, possibly fresh mackerel on the BBQ for lunch if you catch them. All being well another search for the seahorses around Poole Bay, one day I will get that elusive photo.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water with 2 tanks and DSMB, again I will be on board with another instructor so if you want a guided dive, no problem and no extra charge.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

Back on Divetime for the last planned dive of 2012. 2 dives, a wreck and a drift of your choice. I will be on board with another Instructor so guided dives, no problem and no extra charge.

You will need to be Advanced Open Water with a DSMB and 2 tanks.

If you require kit hire for the trip I have several sets at £35 for full kit for the day plus £3.50 per air fill.

This is strictly first come first served, so email me back at somersetdivers@hotmail.co.uk

Following the excellent trips to dive with the sharks in the Red Sea, I am now looking ahead to 2012 to book a similar trip. I would like to be able to secure the whole boat again so I need to be quick to ensure this. I have reserved Blue Horizon and can hold this for just 1 month until 12th October.

Some details of the trip, we fly from Gatwick to Hurghada and with just a 10 minute transfer we board the boat. We set off on the route named as Simply The Best, this means that we avoid all the day boats and keep to the outer dive sites. We will be treated to a talk everyday from the resident shark expert Elke on how to react with the sharks about and the way they are being killed for shark fining and the like. We have previously been treated to close up and exciting encounters with Oceanic White Tip, Silky, Hammerhead and Thresher sharks. The crew are excellent always willing to help and the food is always plentiful and of a good standard. The cost of the trip is £1249 each. This includes all your diving, food, soft drinks, transfers and flights. It does not cover alcohol. There are 26 places on the boat, as a booking agent for Blue O2, if I book 10 people on I receive 1 free place, 20 people 2 free places. These places I will put back in to reduce the cost of the trip which will bring it down to about £1150. A deposit of £313 is required on booking.

You will need to be a PADI Advanced Diver or equivalent with 50 logged dives, but as any of those who went this year the diving is not too difficult and the guides on the boat are always ready to join you should you need their assistance.

To find out more about Blue O2 go tohttp://www.blueotwo.com/Schedules-and-Prices-Liveaboards-Egypt . If you would like to find out more about the trip email me.

As I have said there are only 26 places, book early to ensure your place they will go fast again.