Laurence Andrews

Deeper, Darker and Scarier - PADI Tec45

When I started diving five years ago I never could have imagined that I would certify this far on the PADI tree. Passing my Tec45 has taken a lot of effort, the knowledge reviews and exams really do require some serious investment and the training and certification dives require confidence, practice and second-nature ability in the water. That’s... Read more

Diving the HMS M2

The Maldives were lovely, but there were no wrecks. It was time to do some real diving… The M2 is WW2 submarine with the unique feature of a hangar and her own sea plane, a kind of submersible aircraft carrier. She was one of three M-class submarines built for the Royal Navy and after the accidental sinking of her sister, the M1 she was pulled f... Read more

EuroTek2018 & Thai Cave Rescue

This was my first scuba-related conference and naturally I had no idea what to expect. The conference was without doubt, a top five highlight of 2018, an absolutely fantastic two day experience that surpassed any expectations I had. The show is in it’s tenth year and is scheduled every other year, being the tenth anniversary I understood it was... Read more

Marsa Alam, Egypt

Can’t get enough of that Red Sea diving! Shortly after getting home from Singapore I was heading east once again and couldn’t wait to get in the water. My previous trip to Egypt was on a Liveaboard, a week-long holiday on board a 26-berth yacht, it was great (I’ll get round to writing the blog at some point) but I wasn’t a huge fan of being conf... Read more

Passing PADI Tec40

The Tec40 cert has been on my scuba diving Christmas list for a while now and I’m pleased to say that with the help from Tony and Janine at Southern Scuba I now have the card (and the one-of-a-kind t-shirt!). Moving from recreational scuba diving to technical diving involves a big step up in ability, it’s a big challenge but is very rewarding. ... Read more

Quick trip to the Costa del Sol

Halfway through the year and time to catch a breath! A trip to Spain was the perfect opportunity to get some sunshine and relaxation time. We’d both been to the Costa del Sol before, Victoria many times more than I and can’t fault it, beautiful weather, delicious Spanish food and great places to visit. We couldn’t wait to get on that plane! W... Read more

March 2017 - The Missing Blogs

March was a much quieter month than the previous two, but the start of 2017’s scuba season. One of my annual goals was to gradually purchase all of my equipment for a Liveaboard diving trip to Egypt in September; I had before now been reluctant to buy too much to avoid getting things too quickly and then wishing I had purchased the more expensiv... Read more

Sidemount Diving

My dive count is currently at forty-six, I’m certainly still a beginner when it comes to diving and I feel the need to constantly remind myself of that. The feeling when on a dive is like nothing else I’ve experienced; for the duration of a dive you’re immersed in something immensely dangerous, with equipment that requires a great deal of skill ... Read more

Scuba Diving - Vobster Quay

Janine and Tony from Southern Scuba offered me the opportunity to come along to Vobster Quay last weekend. Vobster is a fresh water inland limestone quarry in Somerset, about a three hour drive from home. A perfect chance to get into the water and start diving after the Christmas. This was my first time I had been to Vobster and I was very im... Read more

The Land of Vikings - Iceland

It’s become somewhat of a tradition to take a holiday in December. So far it’s always somewhere noticeably warmer and where beer is considerably cheaper. This year we thought we would shake things up a little and do the polar opposite - go somewhere colder, where the beer is much more expensive.  Iceland is an eminently fascinating place, full ... Read more