The
Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club has been in existence for more
than 50 years and currently has members from all over South
Wales and even further afield.
We meet every Monday
night at the Llantrisant Leisure Centre where we hold
our pool training from 7.30pm 'til 8.30pm then after this
we meet on Level 3 in the leisure centre for a short club
meeting. Following this we go to a local pub to round off
the evening.
We do most of our UK based diving
off the Pembrokeshire Coast
in West Wales. We have two club boats comprising two 6.5 metre
RIBs which are kept in West Wales.
Our list of diving events for the current season is published
on the Dive Schedule Page.
We
are always ready to welcome new members whether they are complete
beginners or qualified divers.
We offer a comprehensive diver training programme to our members.
This includes the attainment of internationally recognised
diving qualifications. Our club members are trained by a team
of enthusiastic, experienced divers so that they become both
competent and safe divers with qualifications that reflect
the high standards of both the Sub Aqua Association (SAA)
and the World Underwater Federation (CMAS). Details of the
prgramme can be found on our Training
Page.
Refresher training sessions for members who are already qualified
divers ensure that good practices are maintained, safety being
the paramount consideration.
We
also offer courses within the SAA structure for members to
develop their practical and theoretical skills. Individuals
are encouraged to achieve qualifications in oxygen administration,
boat handling, VHF radio operation, first aid, diver rescue,
underwater photography and many others.
As well as being active in
the UK we also run trips all over the world to dive in some
of the most beautiful and exotic locations on the globe and
to experience the wonders of some of the magnificent coral
reefs of the world. Locations include; The Red Sea,
The Great Barrier Reef,
The Maldives,
South East Asia,
Cocos
Island,
The Caribbean, Cuba,
Florida and East Africa. Some photographs from our various
diving trips can be seen in the scrolling image above.
In
2010, 2014 & 2016 our club was presented with the Sub-Aqua
Association "Golden Club Award" for outstanding
achievement during the year. This award was presented to our
club Diving Officer at the various SAA AGMs
If you are already a member of another diving organisation
and would like to become a member of our club you would be
more than welcome. We can easily cross over any existing qualifications
you may have to SAA equivalents.
For more information on crossing
over Click Here
An
old member from years ago |
Brief History
The club was founded
in 1960 as the "Underwater Spartans" and is now one of the
oldest established sub-aqua clubs in Wales.
Training was initially held in an outdoor pool but then moved
to Guildford Crescent swimming pool in Cardiff and then finally
to the pool at Llantrisant Leisure Centre in Mid. Glamorgan.
The club transferred to Tonyrefail for a short period but
was relaunched as Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club in 1982.
When
the club was originally founded it was affiliated to the British
Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) but
in 1983 the club left BSAC to become a member of the Sub Aqua
Association (SAA), an organization
comprised of independent sub-aqua clubs in the UK.
Today the club meets regularly every Monday evening at Llantrisant
Leisure Centre pool for training and then on level 3 to provide
a social dimension.
The
Bomber
In 1991
Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club made national news when members
of the club found the submerged remains of a WW2 Wellington
Bomber.
On September 21st 1991 a group of four divers were diving
near Marloes Bay off the Pembrokeshire coast when they came
across the submerged wreckage of an aeroplane.
After extensive research, the aircraft was identified as a
Wellington Bomber from RAF 304 Squadron which had crashed
soon after takeoff during a mission on 3rd August 1942 claiming
the lives of all six members of the Polish crew.
During
subsequent dives, the area was extensively surveyed and searched
for further wreckage.
The machine guns and propellers were then raised and brought
ashore in an operation involving over thirty divers over a
series of weekends. They have since been restored to something
approaching their original condition.
On 15th July 1993 the Polish Sailing Ship Iscra was docked
in Newcastle upon Tyne. A ceremony was held aboard involving
representatives of the Polish Military and War Veterans Association
where one of the propellers and a machine gun were donated
to the Polish government.
The relics have since been taken to Poland and installed in
the Military Museum in Warsaw where a plaque was installed
acknowledging the efforts of Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club in
recovering and donating the relics to the Polish people.
Today, a propeller and one of the Browning 303 machine guns
from the aircraft can be seen in the ATC museum in Abergavenny,
South Wales.
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