Octagon Divers Time-line
Ever wondered how Octagon started, how long it’s been going or how it has developed? Here’s a brief, very subjective, history (Courtesy of Rosy).
April 1989
Basford Hall College ran an evening class in Scuba Diving, with pool training at Ken Martin baths and classroom training in a local school.
July 1989
Five of the students (including me – now the only remaining founder member) with their instructor and a friend from the Loughborough University sub-aqua club, decided to apply to BSAC to start a new branch. The branch was called Octagon Marine Divers – Octagon because there were seven members (it’s a long story!)
August 1989
First dives in Stoney Cove.
Committee established, by-laws agreed.
September 1989
A trip to St. Abbs with the Loughborough club.
A new evening class began – students included Ian Monk and Dave Woodward.
1990 – 1993
Octagon Marine Divers inevitable lost the Marine.
More evening classes. New students included Ken Mel and Ian Monkhouse, Donna Hurst, John Davison, Fran Smith, Annie McFarlane (now Beard) and Geraint and Chris Owen. Membership creeping up to around 20.
We bought an aluminium landing craft for £1,500. Barely sea worthy and very difficult to get in and out of, it was never the less our first boat and added a new dimension to branch dives.
April 1993
Tensions had been rising for some time with disputes between those who saw Octagon as a club and those who needed to make a living from it. Sadly, at an EGM in April the branch divided – we kept our name but lost our pool slot which was retained by Neil Green’s organisation, MSC diving.
A move to Northern Baths where we continued to attract new members and our bank balance gradually grew.
Our first DO as an independent branch was Ian Monk.
1994
Enough money in the bank to consider buying a RIB. While I [Rosy(?)] handled our application to The Foundation for Sport and the Arts (resulting in a in a grant of £9,500), four of the lads (Dave Woodward, David Heath, Ian Monk and John Davison) went to the London boat show. They managed to acquire £16,000 worth of boat and equipment for just over £12,000 plus our old engine (the boat had already been scrapped).
Unfortunately RIBS and engines don’t come with instruction books, and so began a very long and eventful education! Since then the RIB has been all over Britain, on diving trips, boat handling courses and even to offer safety cover to a water skiing race and we can fairly say that we now have several very experienced and competent boat handlers in the branch.
1994-1997
Membership continued to grow and leveled out at around 40. During this time many of the club regulars joined including Janet, Steve G., Sean, Andy B., Rebecca, Bob, Fozo, Mick, Gary, Kev, Trevor, Steve W., Billy and Martin, giving the branch the stability it needed and bringing new blood to the committee.
1995
Octagon has seen many romances over the years and happily1995 saw our first marriage when Fran Smith became Fran Monk.
October 1997
The branch won a holiday for 10 to the Red Sea at the NEC dive show.
February 1998
18 lucky members went to the Red Sea, sharing the cost of the 8 between them.
Summer 1998
Northern baths was closed down. After a brief sojourn at Noel Street baths we were offered our present slot at John Carroll.
We were also awarded a further grant from The Foundation for Sport and the Arts, which was used to buy new equipment for training purposes.
1999-the present
Membership has continued to increase with around 50 members now. Recent new members include Nic and Tony, Helen and Andy S., Kate and Nigel and Lloyd all of whom have thrown themselves into club activities with a vengeance.
Well, that’s it, a potted history of Octagon. Sorry if I haven’t mentioned some people by name or if I’ve missed events that you remember. I wonder who will be writing this in another 13 years and what they will have to report? One thing is certain - Octagon is well and truly established as a club we can all be proud of.