On arrival the weather was a bit cloudy and overcast but the sheltered bay area off Playa Chica provided a great environment to get dived in for the year. The mornings mostly consisted of diving directly from the beach with a boat dive in the afternoons.

There was plenty to see in the Atlantic waters, including some huge groupers (one of which was tame), octopus, cuttlefish, jellyfish, barracuda and beautiful red sea horses. As a trainee Sports Diver, my favourite dive by far had to be my first ever night dive which we did in the bay. As soon as we’d descended to the bottom my torch lit up an amazing common stingray surrounded by huge arrow crabs far bigger than the ones we’d seen in the daytime. It was amazing to watch the plankton swarm around our torches when we held them still, and our guide even managed to find a sea horse for us to marvel at. It really was a great introduction to night diving.

We needn’t have worried about the weather either – from the second day onwards it was glorious sunshine with the mercury surging to the high twenties and low thirties every day. This made for lots of inter-dive snoozing on the beach and post dive beers in the sun. Our evenings were full of fun – the Safari guys were very welcoming whenever we hit their affiliated Chill Bar just up the road and were happy to recommend places to (over) eat. The best restaurant we found was Bozena’s – a small Polish place in the Old Town where the homemade food really was great.

We were all sad to head home when the week was over – I’ll definitely be looking to do something similar to get dived in next year!

After an interesting lesson on the boat’s controls and engines on the slip down at Island Gardens, Ocean Diver Andrew launched the boat into the water. We then split into two groups, with my sub- team heading to the local pub to confuse ourselves over navigation techniques and…worse still…to tie ourselves in knots, literally!!! After a lot of tea, laughter and a dawning realisation that the bowline and I would never be friends, it was our turn to get on the river.

We all had chance to have a go at handling the boat with lots of exercises aimed at picking up divers from the water and “man overboard” drills. The highlight for me was driving the boat through the Thames Barrier and right out underneath the M25! As well as warming up with a large glass of wine in the pub afterwards of course….it’s certainly not warm even out of the water at this time of the year!

We did two pool dives, one in the morning and one after lunch (which was quite a spectacle itself – hats off to the fantastic Thai chef!).

The NEMO veterans were pleased to find some new toys to play with – particularly popular was the smart car which had been sunk to about 10 metres….until we all realised it was on camera with a screen projecting our fun and games onto the wall outside….

We were sad to leave NEMO, but soon cheered ourselves up with some tasty Belgian cuisine (and good sampling of the local Kwak beer, of course!)

The next day some of us (not naming any names) carried on with the beer sampling theme, while the rest took in some of the city’s sights and wandered around museums before heading home.

A good time was had by all – here’s to another NEMO trip some time next winter!!

One of the 30 winners will be further selected to win the Jonathan Crusher award, and this will be announced at the London International Dive Show on 31st March – we all think Cédric would be a very deserving winner, especially those of us that knew Jonathan.  Fingers crossed…

No less enthusiastic were our existing members, with plenty of helping hands on site to prepare kit and assist the instructors. Everyone was briefed and busy having fun in the pool by 8.30pm!

For most of our try-divers it was their first experience under water and the feedback was really positive, with a real buzz in the air when we all convened for drinks afterwards in our local pub, the Harcourt Arms!

“This was the first time I’d been in a swimming pool since I was a kid, it was great!” commented one of the participants.

Another was already a strong advocate of the club “I’m going to bring my boyfriend and my sister’s husband along to the next event!”

The momentum from Tuesday night has already got the members thinking about the next try-dive night, so if you are reading this and are interested in experiencing what it’s like to scuba dive then please do get in touch through the form on the website!

After an early breakfast we all assembled at the spanking new Portland Marina where the Olympics 2012 sailing events are being hosted. There were nine of us on the trip, 3 girls and six blokes and the diving experience ranged from divers with hundreds of dives in their log to two Sports Diver trainees and finally me, a trainee Ocean Diver.

I was amazed at the massive size of the Club’s RIB and the way there was plenty of room for all our kit and our goody bags. The power of the two out board engines meant we were soon out of Portland Harbour and round to our first dive site. Cedric, our dive manager for the trip had chosen a wreck called “The Dredger as our first dive”.

Once I had taken on enough weight and got under water I managed to follow my instructor on my first offshore dive. Though not yet familiar with marine life, I did see a group of pollock, a spotted wrasse and plenty of fan worms and something I was informed afterwards was a nudibranch.

After stopping for an air fill and then lunch at the Aqua Hotel Café we set off at break neck speed for the Lullworth Banks, about a mile out from the coast. I was very impressed with the scallops and meaty crabs that our experienced divers brought up from the seabed and would clearly provide a delicious meal later on. I did my second training dive in the late afternoon sunshine before we set off back home for a welcome shower.

“The Boat That Rocks” is the new place in town as far as Portland is concerned and I can imagine that during Olympic sailing week the restaurant will be packed out. All nine of us sat down to a well-deserved evening meal with excellent food and service.

Sunday’s weather was rougher, but that did not stop me from successfully completing my last dive of my Ocean Diver Course… I have done it! My weekend in Portland was unforgettable.

The Summer Isles were a really great introduction to the joys of UK diving, dispelling all the stereotypes of poor visibility and endless kelp! Beautiful, clear (if not slightly chilly) waters with so much to see.

I was particularly impressed with my first ever wreck dive “The Fairweather” which was covered with beautiful anenomes and teeming with fish life. The inside of the wreck was pretty well intact which made it really interesting to explore.

Life on the surface was also good fun thanks to Richard, our skipper – spotting paupoises, whales and seals along our way and stopping to fish for mackerel, cooked and enjoyed fresh on the boat for lunch!

I joined the club’s Scottish trip in August 2011 at the very last minute. After a day of travelling we arrived at Dundonnell and a week of dives started the next day.

The scenery was amazing as you might expect from the Highlands. For the most part, the weather was typically Scottish too, but we had a few sunnier days with calm water. The dives were very good; the most special for me were the Fairweather V and a hunt for langoustines.

The trip was particularly remarkable for me as I finished my Sports Diver training there, but what made it really special were the people, especially my dive buddies. As I only joined the trip a few days before departure, sorting out logistics was not easy but everyone wanted to help, and both me and my equipment made it safely.

It was also a rewarding experience to dive with various members of the club who were all aware of my limited experience and were really supportive. Finally I must mention fishing between dives (great fun!), the delicious dinners and the laughs we shared! Overall it was a fantastic week!

BBC2’s Britain’s Secret Seas is a stunning new series (due to be broadcast from 8th May at 8pm*) that uncovers the dramatic, inspiring and at times surprising marine environment that surrounds the British Isles.

Over four weeks presenter and BSAC scuba diver Paul Rose, marine biologist Tooni Mahto and archaeologist Frank Pope reveal that the seas around Britain are as every bit as colourful and extraordinary as the oceans around the world.

From seals, dolphins and basking sharks to reefs, wrecks, fascinating history and curious night-time predators – our small island is home to a vast array of underwater treasures just waiting to be discovered.

Britain’s Secret Seas will broadcast on BBC2 at 8pm from Sunday, 8th May*

*transmission date could be subject to change

I went scuba diving in mid November to Gran Canaria. The weather was cooling down but that meant 26 degrees when the sun was out (which was most of the 3 days I spent there), and the water temperature was 21 degrees. The Canary Islands have good weather all year round and there are many dive sites to choose from.

I used BSAC’s website to gain information on dive centres and then compared them. They all charge around 30 euros per dive (that includes cylinder and weight belt) and 10 euros for full equipment hire. I picked the one that was closest to my accommodation – Davy Jones Diving. They were really good at quickly replying to my emails with lots of details, and they were really nice people as well so I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

I did 4 dives over a weekend during which I saw an angel shark, stingrays, octopuses, morays, lots of trumpet fish, barracudas, damselfish, tuna, arrow crab, bream and many others whose name I don’t know! The underwater landscape was varied and interesting too.

I must say that entering and exiting the water was a bit tricky (sharp rocks and waves) but nothing unmanageable. Going to the Canary Islands after season has the advantage that tickets are cheap. I paid £65 for Ryanair return tickets; accommodation is cheaper too than in mid season and it’s a good escape from the dark and cold!