Maty 2013
Ten year Anniversary 29th June 2013
The Planet Scuba open day is Saturday 29th June and I hope many of you are planning on coming down to join in the fun! For those of you interested in specific aspects here’s the weekend timetable for you to have a look at.
10am: - The day begins!
10am: - 5pm: Equipment: get your hands on the latest equipment.
11am: - Frances Dipper Talk about Marine Fishes book
12pm: - Ocean optics underwater photography work shop
2pm: - Blue 02 here to chat about holiday destinations
3pm: - Dave Jones Plastic Oceans talk
4pm: - Steve Prior Becoming an instructor’ presentation
5pm: - Raffle Prize draw & close
ALL DAY:
Great discounts on all PADI Courses from Planet Scuba Fantastic Kit Advice from Scubapro and Hollis, Mares
Blue 02 holiday destinations Course and general scuba advice Club information and UK diving
Raffle with great prizes Kids bouncy castle Face painting BBQ and Soft drinks
Hope to see you all on Saturday!
May 2013
To celebrate a decade of helping locals get the most out of diving Planet Scuba is inviting you to a party.
We have also invited some top names in the world of scuba diving equipment and training.
There will be loads of the latest gadgets and gizmos to play with as well as advice from some of the country's top professionals – so whether you are a complete novice or looking to move up a level there’s loads going on. Perhaps you want to get into underwater filming or photography, or maybe you fancy becoming a professional diving instructor; learn all about what’s needed on Saturday June 29 from 10am.
Owner and PADI instructor Stephen Manton said: “Our business has really got a lot to thank the people of Bishop’s Stortford for, so we’re hosting this party to show our gratitude. It promises to be a really fun and informative day and we’re firing up the bbq and inflating the bouncy castle as well. Diving brings so much pleasure to people both here and on holidays (which we also arrange); so come along and find out the joys of scuba.”
March 24 2013
Fantastic day at NEMO 33 Many thanks to Planet Scuba for organising it. Thanks also to Simon Heans for all the hard work. We all had a wonderful time with wonderful company. Thanks a million!
February 2013
More than 1,500 people, including many divers, took to the streets of London on Monday 25th February to rally for marine conservation zones.
The march led by Fish Fight's Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the Marine Conservation Society, BSAC and Sea Life, finished at Westminster. The procession crossing Westminster Bridge to Parliament included divers in full kit, giant lobsters and children in fishy fancy dress. It created a carnival atmosphere whilst delivering an important message - we need action now to protect our seas. A fully protected marine network of 127 zones is required.
The whole event was covered by Channel 4's Fish Fight programme, and was broadcast on Thursday 28th February.
Click on this text to edit it.
January 24, 2013
Fish Fight's Save Our Seas campaign is asking for:
The Fish Fight Charter
1. 127 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) along with other (Marine Protected Areas MPAs) in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to achieve
an Ecologically Coherent Network.
2. These MCZs should allow sustainable fishing that does not damage the sea floor such as sustainable levels of potting, static gear, angling and pelagic trawling.
3. However, bottom trawling, dredging and other destructive industries such as aggregate dredging and port development need to be stopped in MPAs, to ensure that fish spawning, nursery, breeding and feeding habitats are maintained or recovered alongside our fascinating marine biodiversity.
4. We also support some Marine Reserves, areas where no extractive or damaging activities are permitted to help ecosystem recovery..
Christmas Dinner
Sat 8 December 2012
For the costumes and staff 7pm Christmas Party! BAAN THITIYA 102 London Road Bishop’s Stortford
Always a great night! Come along and catch up with people you've dived with during the year and see who's won the coveted special diver awards this year!
October 2012
ScubaEarth™ site is now live for PADI Dive Shops
ScubaEarth™ – the new PADI scuba resource and social community is a robust, one-stop site for divers to research, plan and share dive experiences. ScubaEarth hosts everything scuba, from current weather and dive conditions to photos, videos and comments about dive locations, while placing PADI Dive Shops at the hub of this online activity. The ScubaEarth BETA site is now live for PADI Dive Shops and will be available for all individual PADI Pros and consumers in the coming weeks.
July 2012
WHALEFEST
An awesome anniversary
It was at Brighton back in 1982 that thirty nine governments attending the International Whaling Commission conference voted to suspend the hunting of whales. Thirty years on, WhaleFest 2012 will be at the very same building where that momentous vote was taken – the Hilton Brighton Metropole on the UK’s south coast – where a global-scale event is being organised to mark the occasion. http://www.whale-fest.com/
May 2012
Poseidon introduces its new family member, the Poseidon Tech at Rebreather Forum 3 in Orlando, Florida. The world’s first rebreather to have a fully automatic bailout system, the Poseidon Tech features a redundant back-up rebreather with fully automatic switching. In brief, you can say it’s two rebreathers in one
Marh 2012
Poseidon's New upgrade's
Poseidon are proud to announce that the first step has been achieved in accordance to plan - the firmware version 48 and
A simple battery change will allow you to upgrade your standard Poseidon MKVI. The 40M Yellow Battery allows dives to 40 metres with decompression. The 48M Blue Battery allows dives to 48 metres with decompression and also allows the use of trimix. (Read More)
February 2012
Diving Cylinder Inspections
From the start of February to the end of March at Planet Scuba we will be on hand offering free inspections all 3 and 7 litter cylinders for free. Please note that this is not a certified inspection.
This inspection offer has come about because there are cylinders out there that are in test and look ok, but when you fill them, they are leaking gas from places you really don't want them to be.
The valve will be removed and the Technician will show and explain to the diver what the inside of their cylinder is like before refitting the valve. A useful educational exercise,
the diver will then receive a free air fill sponsored by Scubapro.
January 2012
As we enter 2012 we are working to keep everybody up-to-date with what we are doing in the centre and in the water.
The shop is undergoing a minor face lift including, new walls, a door to the new up stairs and work to the counter. This is a progressive process that will include changes throughout the year. Jan – Feb will see the building of a new classroom that will make it a better learning experience for all of our courses including our upcoming Instructor Development Courses and First Aid At Work. Once completed we will then move onto improving and updating our cylinder testing work shop, this is scheduled to take place during April and May. Servicing of equipment will continue as normal during these improvements.
If you haven't visited the "Planet Scuba" Face Book page yet, then Click Here... or follow us on twitter:- Planetscuba1
December 2011
Poseidon have today released a new firmware upgrade to the Poseidon MKVI. This version is named 46P2 as it's the second patch of firmware version 46.
This patch has improved sensor monitoring and PO2 control and we recommend everyone diving the MKVI to download and install this firmware.
When diving the MKVI in waters with temperatures of 10°C (50F) and lower, we recommend that the diver do the following:
* Download and install firmware patch V46P2.
* Start the unit at the dive site to reduce the temperature difference between the O2 cell calibration (during the Pre Dive) and the O2 cell validation (during the dive).
* Do not use the top sponge. Only use the bottom sponge.
* If you doing more than one dive, ventilate the O2 cells between the dives.
Planet Scuba Service Center.
If you require additional assistance or have questions about this technical bulletin, please feel free to call Stephen at the shop 01279 466011
December 2011
Opening Hours
Hi all It has been a long year at the shop, we have decided that in order to maintain the level of service that our wonderful customers (that’s you) have come to expect and deserve we will have to change the days open, slightly. So please note that with effect from Saturday the 7th of January 2012 our new opening hours are as follows:
Mon: Closed
Tues: 10am-6pm
Wed: 10am-6pm
Thurs: 10am-5pm
Fri: 10am-5pm
Sat: 10am-5pm
Sun: By Appointment
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, Thank you for your continued support. We will see you soon
November 2011
PADI Staff Instructor
Attention all Instructors! As a seasoned and experienced Instructor you have wisdom and experience to share with the next generation of Scuba Instructors. As a Staff Instructor you will present topics in the IDC and help shape the next generation of Instructors, Assistant Instructors and Divemasters. We are running Part 1 of the Staff Instructor Course from the 24th-26th Febuary 2012(Inclusive) and the cost for the entire Staff Instructor course will be £300 excluding materials. Contact us for more information and the opportunity to further you knowledge and career options as a Padi Staff Instructor.
October 2011
STOP PRESS! The BBC special on the North Norfolk chalk reef will go out on the 10th of October. This will a regional showing (at the moment) with a network wide reshowing later almost certain - date obviously TBA!
Somewhere within the 30 mins of the program we have disgruntled fishermen, geologists arguing about terminology, presenters gurning manfully and staring at the sea as well as... diving around the arches off Sheringham, excited seaweed samplers, sponges threatening to be new to science, earnest pieces to camera (with and without glasses on!) and more underwater footage packed in than Secret Seas (they have promised!).
July 5 2011
Stephen set off for Southampton to start his course having already achieved the hyperbaric chamber operation and completed the course manual. The week started well putting up the tent and bear from tescos, the first morning was set out for the group it was going to be early starts and late nights just like the real would of working as a commercial diver gees they have never owned a dive centre, as with every course a small group was given the team talk, at the end of the first week and its been very hard, we are now a wear that the low visibility course will become very low vis course next week deep joy. Fist the weekend having the weekend to relax just forgot to tell the birds about the weekend next trip to tescos bear and ear plugs, a trip to west gate shopping centre lunch and a bear just like being on holiday my be just a bit over the top but working most weekends a day out shopping and having lunch is far few between.
May 11 2011
There’s a big splash on Oxford Street today as Selfridges - the world’s best department store, on the busiest shopping street - has been taken over for five weeks to help save our seas with Project Ocean.
The brainchild of Selfridges’ Creative Director Alannah Weston, Project Ocean sees the retail icon work in close cooperation with the Zoological Society of London to bring ocean issues to the masses and raise money for conservation projects.
Selfridges famous façade and window displays will be focused on fishy issues throughout the five weeks, with the tube’s advertising network saturated with Project Ocean promotion.
May 01 2011
Are you watching
BRITAINS SECRET SEAS
Did you see Britain’s Secret Seas on BBC2? What an amazing programme, with beautiful
images of how incredible the marine life is in the UK.
If you fancy seeing more of it for yourself, then why not come into the shop to find out about
the dives we have planned, whether it is at the coast or at one of the many inland dive sites?
Check out: britainsseceretseas.com
March 26, & 27, 2011
LONDON DIVE SHOW
Visit us at the London dive show in the TECHNICAL POOL see the benefits of rebreather diving.
We will have 2 units on the stand come along and try, We have some very special offers available only at the show so come along and see us.
March 5, 2011
Dry Dive
The Dry diving was fun experience nitrogen narcosis at 40m for the first time ? A recompression chamber is the perfect environment to test a diver’s ability at depth and simulate the diving experience in a safe and water-free environment. Tasks are performed by the divers to test the level of their impairment caused by narcosis. Dry diving is also designed to familiarise divers to the hyperbaric facilities available, the procedures, knowledge, problems and hazards associated with a recompression chamber, well done to all that took part.
January 24, 2011
FREE LIFETIME SERVICING
ON ALL REGULATORS PURCHASED AT PLANET SCUBA
TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY
• Excludes carriage and parts.
• Restricted to first owner
• Regulators must presented annually within 7 -14 days of date of purchase.
• Failure to present for servicing within the specified time will invalidate this offer.
• Proof of original purchase maybe requested.
January 4, 2011
At the recent EUROTEK conference, Liesbeth Liekens of Submerge Productions interviewed Mark Caney, VP, Rebreather Technologies, about the range of PADI rebreather courses that will be released later this year. You can see the full interview here.
December 20,2010
Divers have discovered the world's longest underwater chalk reef - off the coast of Norfolk.
The incredible 20 MILE chalk reef, which is teaming with colourful fish, plants and wildlife, has remained hidden under the North Sea for 300 million years.
The amazing natural phenomenon, which lies just half a mile from the shore, features massive two-metre high rock arches and deep gullies where the water has worn away the chalk.
The team of volunteer divers came across the remarkable rocky plain - a mere eight metres under the sea - when they were surveying the area.
December 1, 2010
CDWS has received instruction from the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) today at 1pm (1 December) that ALL diving and watersports activities in the Sharm el Sheikh area are to be suspended immediately, following reports of three shark attacks in the area.
The MoT announced that all beaches will be closed to the public and all watersports activities will be suspended until the end of the day tomorrow (2 December) across the whole of the Sharm el Sheikh coast. Diving boats already on sites at this present time are not required to return early from activities today (1 December). However, no more boats are allowed to leave from any of the jetties.
It has been reported that three Russian tourists have been attacked in three separate incidents in the last 24 hours in an area north of Naama Bay. The victims, one male and two females, are currently being treated in hospital.One of the injured is reported to be in a critical condition.
Officials from the South Sinai National Park have tracked down the shark in question - confirmed to be an adult oceanic white tip shark. The South Sinai National Park, led by head marine biologist Mohammed Salem, is currently attempting to capture the shark with the aim of releasing it back into the wild in a remote area in the Gulf of Suez. The chosen location will be in a safe distance from any tourist resorts in the Red Sea.
November 2010
PADI and the world’s major CCR manufacturers came together at the DEMA Show in Las Vegas, USA on 17th November to hear PADI’s vision of where rebreather technology may head in the future and to receive an outline of PADI’s new CCR programs due for release in 2011. The Meeting was chaired by Mark Caney - Vice President of Rebreather Technologies (PADI Technical Diving Division). PADI was also represented by other PADI Technical Diving Division Executives including; Terry Cummins (Director Market Development), Karl Shreeves (Director of Decompression Diving) and James Morgan (Director of Advanced Wreck Diving). Pascal Dietrich Technical Consultant at PADI Europe and Jeff Nadler of PADI Americas were also in attendance.
Over 30 executives representing the cream of the world’s CCR manufacturers including AP Diving, Diverite, Dräger, Hollis/Oceanic, KISS, Innerspace Systems, Micropore Inc, Poseidon, Shearwater, Silent Diving, Titan, Revo and VR Technology. One of the most exciting outcomes of the meeting was the decision by the manufacturers to form the Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA) to set a higher degree of cooperation amongst CCR manufacturers. It is intended that this group will also address manufacturing standards and some of the issues that will make their products more appealing to a greater audience.
August 2010
PADI’s Technical Diving Division, announced that PADI is planning to introduce its first rebreather courses to include closed circuit rebreathers next year. Mark Caney said that PADI will produce a range of rebreather courses covering the needs of recreational and technical divers, and that the first courses will become available next year. They will be supported by the usual high quality educational materials that PADI is well-known for..
July 2010
Scubapro Uwatec
WE'RE pleased to announce we will be able to offer the full range of quality product from Scubapro, Uwatec. Visit our shop to see the full range of Scubapro goodies!
Planet Scuba organises Rebreather Trys for Molecular Products Staff
Following the launch of SofnoDive 797 in 2008, Molecular Products have worked continuously to improve the manufacturing process of the single use canister. The product recall last year highlighted certain quality improvements to be made which have now been fully incorporated into the manufacturing process, resulting in an ultra safe, reliable canister for use in the Poseidon Cis Lunar MKVI Rebreather.
As the sole manufacturer of the fully portable, light weight canister, Molecular Products felt it was imperative to gain real-life experience of the product during use beneath the water. Employees from the Technical and Sales departments volunteered to take part in a ‘Try Dive' evening organised through collaboration with Poseidon UK, Jack Ingle Technical Diving and Planet Scuba. The employees were keen to dive in and experience for themselves benefits such as low dust and good taste characteristics.
At a local swimming pool the group, who had varying diving experience, were trained on using the Poseidon MKVI Rebreather. Jack Ingle and Steve Manton guided the group through the fitting of the equipment and importantly how to change from open to closed circuit breathing before entering the water. The group were soon confidently roaming the depth of the pool.
The feedback from the group after their ‘Try Dive' was extremely positive. Everyone commented on the ease of use of the rebreather and the low resistance the canister provides. ‘It was surprisingly easy to breathe and a very attractive option for divers of tomorrow.
December 2009
New Poseidon Dive Watch Range
Poseidon has introduced a new range of diving watches which include the Chrono, Date and Classic with each collection having a choice of bracelet, leather or black silicone strap. The choice doesn't stop there though, each version also comes in a choice of black, white and yellow faces!
The Poseidon Chrono Dive Watches are the top of the range with a Chronograph movement, rotating bezel, luminous hands and index for easy reading and can be used down to depths of 200 metres/660 feet. The Posedeidon Date Watches are slightly cheaper with Miyota 2115 day/date movement instead of Chronograph movement but has the same features as the Chrono. The Classic Poseison Dive Watches are the cheapest of the range which has Miyoto OS20 Chronograph movement but can only be used to depths of 100 metres/330 feet.
The bracelet versions are slightly more expensive than the leather versions, with the silicone strap being the cheapest available in the range.
Designed and created by it'seeze
