Archive for the ‘Scuba Diving’ Category
Ghost Fishing UK Winter Warmer 2020
Monday, January 13th, 2020
Join the Ghost Fishing UK team for a weekend of diving and socials at the National Diving & Activity Centre.
Included with your ticket:
• Saturday Social: Hog Roast & BBQ (Vegetarian options available)
• Guest Speakers, Q&A Forum
• Half Price Diving entry to NDAC
• Video screenings
• Bar, Band, raffle, auction, competitions and fundraisers
• ‘Try Ghost Fishing’ workshops – (24 spaces, terms apply)
Full details, terms and tickets available on the Ghost Fishing UK website here »
Ticket holders receive discounted diving entry at the gate. This is extra and payable on the day.
Please bring a copy of the email receipt with you (electronic version is fine).
Please note: Tickets are non refundable.
Date & Time
Sat 8th Feb 2020, 09:00 – Sun, 9th Feb 2020, 16:00
About Ghost Fishing
The problem of ghost fishing gear has reached public prominence over the past five years. It is a normal part of fishing that nets, shellfish traps and other equipment becomes lost. This is not a deliberate or careless act on behalf of the fishing community, simply a reality of a very harsh environment. The problem is that the lost gear continues to catch marine life. This has an undocumented effect on the local ecosystem, but is clearly undesirable in any sense. Animals are being needlessly killed.
Ghost Fishing was set up to try to remove this lost equipment from the marine environment. It is a challenging and difficult task. Ghost gear is typically entangled in reefs and wrecks, and its removal can be complicated. The technique involves attaching bags to the gear, which the diver fills with air, making them float. The divers then cut the gear free as close to the seabed as possible. Great care is needed to ensure that the diver does not become entangled with the equipment. This involves a high degree of teamwork, coordination and discipline.
FREE GO Diving Show Ticket Offer
Saturday, January 11th, 2020
Thanks to the guys at Scuba Diver Magazine we’ve a fantastic special offer for our customers.
Spend £50 at the National Diving & Activity Centre Dive Shop or on training from Scubaquest, between now and February 15th 2020, and you can claim a free ticket to GO Diving dive show.
GO Diving is a brand-new show – spearheaded by Scuba Diver Magazine and DeeperBlue.com, and implementing concepts and initiatives from the wider diving community – that is designed to be interesting and entertaining for existing divers while offering a world of possibilities to those keen to learn about all aspects of diving.
As an island nation, the UK has quality diving within a few hours commute of any household, and their goal is to get more people diving through education, inspiration, aspiration and participating!
• Listen to a talk from the legendary presenter Steve Backshall, Andy Torbet, Monty Halls, Miranda Krestovnikoff, Alex Mustard on the main stage
• See the latest gear from AP Diving, Apeks, Aqua Lung, Beuchat, Cressi, Finnsub, Fourth Element, Ocean Reef, Poseidon Diving Systems, Mares, Santi Diving Equipment, Scubapro, Shearwater, Suunto, Tusa, VSM Rebreathers, Waterproof, XDeep + MORE
• Talk training with PADI, SSI, RAID, SAA, NAUI
• Book a holiday with Scuba Travel, Dive Worldwide, Regal Dive, Aggressor Adventures, Diverse Travel, Great Escapes, Sportif
• Get information about destinations from the Bahamas, Malta, Honduras, Egypt, Grenada, Dominica, Belize tourism boards
• Try the 30m caving experience, or have a go on the new technical access to a dive site challenge (a.k.a the climbing wall)
Tickets also include FREE parking.
The GO Diving dive show takes place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Saturday 22nd and 23rd February.
*Terms and conditions apply, visit the Go Diving website to claim your tickets »
National Police Dive Exercise hosted at the National Diving and Activity Centre
Thursday, November 28th, 2019
Words by PC Finnegan
During September, Avon and Somerset Constabulary Underwater Search Unit hosted a National Police dive exercise at the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC). This was a great opportunity to work in partnership with other dive teams from around the country.
The exercise was attended by Underwater Search Units from Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police, Devon and Cornwall Police, Yorkshire and Humberside Police along with representatives from Northumbria Police, instructors from Police Scotland dive school, Health and Safety Executive and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DTSL).
The scenario was created to recover of bodies (mannequins), body parts and personal items placed around a variety of the many and diverse dive sites within the NDAC dive site. The exercise gave valuable learning for all involved and created new working partnerships, from the planning phase of the dive operation to the execution of the plans. There were also lectures at the site to Senior Investigating officers and Police Search Advisors around the roles of underwater search units along with demonstrations around new technology from DTSL.
It was an excellent sight to have 4 dive teams in the water at once, working together around multiple sites within the quarry. In the evening there was the obligatory social event, again hosted by the staff at NDAC incorporating dinner, a quiz, a well earnt beer and customary exchange of stories from the past year!
Our thanks go out to Darren and his team at NDAC for making this wonderful site available to us and assisting in the planning and implementation of an extremely successful exercise.
If you would like to host a training event or exercise at the National Diving & Activity Centre, please get in touch.
Christmas & New Year Opening Times 2019 / 2020
Tuesday, November 12th, 2019
Below are the 2019/20 Christmas and New Year opening times for the National Diving & Activity Centre (more…)
ScubaNight Dives November & December 2019
Tuesday, October 29th, 2019
The popular NDAC Night Dive dates are back.
Scuba Winter Opening Times & Changes to Opening Times During Winter Season
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019From 1st October we are operating our Winter Opening Times for Scuba Diving.
From the 1st November 2019 we will be making some changes to the opening times for Scuba Diving and the View Cafe Bar to reflect the quieter season.
Between November and the February Half-Term, we will close on Thursdays. During this time we will open Friday-Sunday.
Following the February half-term we will return to Thursday-Sunday opening until the end of October.
We will also continue to open on Bank Holiday Mondays.
Christmas dates are assessed each year depending on how the holidays fall. We expect to release the 2020 Christmas dates in November.
NDAC Scuba Winter Opening Times 2019/2020
01 October – 31 March inclusive
Monday: CLOSED (open Bank Holidays)
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: CLOSED
Thursday*: 0930 -1700 (*Closed 1st Nov until week after Feb Half-Term)
Friday: 0930 -1700
Saturday: 0800 – 1700
Sunday & Bank Holidays: 0800 – 1700
Clear of water by 1600
Infrastructure Works & Slipway Improvements
Thursday, August 22nd, 2019
We have been carrying out some infrastructure works at the National Diving & Activity Centre.
Twenty tonnes of concrete has been laid to extend the lake’s slipway and improve access to and from the water.
We request that visitors keep out of the coned areas until the concrete has dried fully.
We hope this improvement will help our divers access and egress the water a little more easily. Watch this space for further improvements.
Meet Bertie the Fish
Monday, June 17th, 2019
Meet Bertie, our latest attraction at the National Diving & Activity Centre.
Bertie is a Sturgeon fish and he’s been rescued from a small pond to live his life and explore our much larger pond!
National Diving & Activity Centre awarded 2019 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
The National Diving & Activity Centre in Chepstow has been awarded a 2019 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.
Because we’ve earned a Certificate of Excellence every year for the past five years, we’re also pleased to announce that The National Diving & Activity Centre (NDAC) has qualified for the Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame.
Karl Kruger at the Rebreather Reunion April 2019
Thursday, April 4th, 2019
We are pleased to announce our third guest speaker at Rebreather Reunion 2019 will be Karl Kruger
Karl Kruger had a military diving and technical diving career spanning three decades. Karl now runs his own dive school providing recreational and technical dive training with multiple training agencies.
Karl’s talk will be on the technical diving expeditions of South Africa – Submarines, Coelacanths & the Ghost Fleet Expeditions.
The Rebreather Reunion is a two day social gathering for like minded divers from all backgrounds and levels of diving experience.
Join us for a weekend of diving and socialising as well as live talks & presentations from our guest speakers.
