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Meet Our Club: Kilmarnock Sub Aqua Club (KSAC)
Want to join a dive club? In this series, we take a look at grassroots diving and find out what’s happening on the club scene in the UK and around the world…
What is the name of your club?
Kilmarnock Sub Aqua Club (KSAC)
Where is your club based?
Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, but we dive mainly in the west coast sea lochs of Loch Long and Loch Fyne as well as in the Clyde using our club boat based at Largs Yacht Haven.
Club affiliations (i.e. BSAC, PADI, SAA, etc.)
Scottish Sub Aqua Club (ScotSAC)
Where and when do you meet?
Every Monday night at the Galleon Leisure Centre in Kilmarnock from 20:00 to 22:00.
How do you respond to the challenge of recruiting new members?
We’ve made a really effort over the past few years to improve our social media presence using Facebook and Instagram. We’ve used it to show pictures of our dive days as well as photos of the marine life taken by club members during our dives. This has proven to be a big hit and seen our numbers increased over time.
On top of all that we have all the kit a new diver needs (minus dry suits), so no rental or hefty purchases are needed to get started.
What facilities and resources does the club use/have?
We’re really luck in the club to have a great relationship with the Galleon Leisure Centre where we have access to storage, allowing us to have several sets of club kit (except dry suits) new members can use, as well as a full 4 whip compressor meaning we can provide our own air fills. To compliment our “big” compressor, we also have a mobile one as well which means we can take it away on longer trips where access to air fills might be limited allowing us to explore areas that might not be as well “supplied”.
As well as that we also have our own club boat that is kept at Largs Yacht Haven that allows us easy access to some of the incredible diving found in the Clyde.
What sort of diving do you do, and where?
Most of our shore diving is done in and around the sea lochs of Loch Long and Loch Fyne. These dives offer a range of adventures from trainee friendly shallow reef dives, to deeper more challenging dives.
With the club boat we also do a lot of our diving off the west coast of Scotland in the Clyde. This gives us access to some incredible wall dives, wreck dives and again nicer shallower scenic dives for trainees.
Do you organise any club trips abroad, and if so, where?
Over the years we have organised various club trips from Gozo/Malta to our most recent trip to Egypt. Its an opportunity for club members to experience incredible dives we might not normally do with people we know.
On top of that we regularly organise “weekend” trips here in Scotland to places like Lochaline or Kinlochbervie. They might not be as exotic as Egypt, but the trips are always thoroughly enjoyed and gives club members a chance to experience new dives here at home.
We regularly arrange day trips too to places like St Abbs, Eyemouth and the Farnes Islands which are always a hit with club members.
Does your club have any special interests such as conservation, special projects, etc?
We’ve been involved in the “Save Our Seas” project over the years.
One of our club members Lauren who was studying for her marine biology degree carried out a survey of some of our local dives sites, looking into diver impact on the seabed.
As well as this another of members Ross has worked with BBC Scotland as part of their social media platform, BBC the Social, to write, record and produce several short videos about diving here in Scotland and some of the environmental impact felt by our seas. These have included looking at the effect of dredging, impact of marine protected areas on Arran, blue carbon and plastic pollution.
Several members are also qualified Seasearch Observers reporting on sea bed and marine life conditions in our area.
Does your club have any claims to fame or any particularly interesting stories… or members?
One of our members Ross has worked with BBC Scotland as part of their social media platform, BBC the Social, to write, record and produce eleven short videos about diving here in Scotland. These have included looking at the effect of dredging, impact of marine protected areas on Arran, blue carbon and plastic pollution. As well as, this he has also covered general topics around diving and some of our forgotten history surrounding the various wrecks that can be found off our coastline.
What are the club’s plans for the future?
At the moment our main aim is to continue diving, having fun and introducing as many new people to our underwater world as we possibly can.
Where can people find out more about your club?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kilmarnocksubaquaclub/
Finally… if you could sum up your club in just one sentence, what would it be?
KSAC is a friendly, welcoming club, with a wealth of diving experience who have one thing in common… their shared love of the Sea, Marine Life, and Adventure.
As National Safe Boating Week approaches, Save the Manatee® Club is urging boaters, and anyone that enjoys Florida’s waterways, to respect and protect the defenseless manatees that inhabit our shared waterways. From May 18 to 24, leading up to Memorial Day Weekend, the campaign aims to raise awareness about recreational boating safety and the importance of safeguarding imperiled manatees during the summer boating season. This week also emphasizes the importance of encouraging boaters to enroll in a boating safety course.
Manatees are semi-migratory marine mammals that are commonly found in shallow estuaries, bays, rivers, canals, and coastal areas throughout Florida and neighboring states. With some manatees venturing as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts, collisions between these gentle giants and watercraft have become distressingly frequent. Boat propellers and high-speed collisions pose significant threats to manatees, often resulting in severe injuries or even death.
Save the Manatee Club is calling on all water enthusiasts to follow essential manatee safety tips to ensure the well-being of the imperiled manatee:
- Obey Speed Zone Signs: Familiarize yourself with and adhere to posted speed limits to prevent collisions with manatees.
- Reduce Glare with Polarized Sunglasses: Wear polarized sunglasses to enhance visibility and spot manatees below the water’s surface.
- Recognize Manatee Signs: Learn to identify signs of manatees in the area, such as swirls or flat spots on the water caused by their movements.
- Respect Manatee Sanctuaries: Keep a safe distance from posted manatee sanctuaries and avoid pursuing or harassing these marine mammals, as it is illegal and can disrupt their natural behaviors.
- Report Distressed Manatees: In Florida, promptly report distressed, injured, tagged, or orphaned manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Outside of Florida, report sightings to the appropriate state agency or rescue organization. A list of agencies to contact is available at savethemanatee.org/report.
- Protect Seagrass Beds: Avoid boating over seagrass beds and shallow areas where manatees may be feeding. Stick to deep water channels while remaining vigilant, as manatees also utilize these channels during their travels.
- Dispose of Fishing Line Responsibly: Anglers should properly dispose of or recycle used fishing line to prevent entanglement hazards for manatees.
“Each year, National Safe Boating Week provides an excellent reminder for all of us to be aware that we share our waterways with vulnerable manatees,” emphasized Patrick Rose, Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “With the recent Unusual Mortality Event on Florida’s East Coast claiming an alarming number of manatees’ lives, it is more crucial than ever to prevent preventable deaths caused by watercraft collisions. By following manatee-safe boating guidelines, such as obeying speed zones and remaining vigilant for manatees, everyone on the water can contribute to the protection of these gentle giants.”
Save the Manatee Club offers a range of free materials to help safeguard manatees and raise awareness about manatee-safe boating practices. Shoreline property owners and park or marina managers can order aluminum dock signs to alert others about the presence of manatees in their areas. Boaters and paddlers can request packets containing a safety tips card, a waterproof boat banner, and a decal to display on their vessels, providing the number to report manatees in distress. To view and request these materials, visit savethemanatee.org/resources. Save the Manatee Club will also be hosting a live webinar for National Safe Boating Week on Tuesday, May 21st at 6pm EST. To register, visit savethemanatee.org/register.
Shells of the World: A Natural History by M.G. Harasewych
Shells of the world is a guide to the world of marine, shelled molluscs. And what a varied and interesting world it is. Some of my favourite things to find on a dive are detailed in this book, including disco clams (or Electric File Clams as they are correctly names), the cephalopods, giant clams and sea hares. There are also many on my wish list, top of which is the Nautilus.
Each chapter provides a detailed description of the species, along with beautiful images. You can dive deeper and discover where they live, both with global distribution and the habitat they prefer. Learn about their diet, reproduction and diversity.
Having dipped in and out of this lovely book over the past few weeks, it has inspired me to learn more about this group of animals that we see on most divers, wherever we are in the world. Some of the shells are incredibly intricate and beautiful. I have always agreed with never collecting, or touching, marine life. The description of a certain set of cone shells should be a warning to those that are happy to pick up marine life! One of the cone shells has a local name called the cigarette snail. Why? Because once the venom is in your system from this animal, you only have time to smoke one cigarette before the affects of the venom are fatal!
What the publisher says:
Mollusks are invertebrate animals with a remarkable natural history and a rich fossil record, and their shells are prized for their breathtaking variety and exquisite beauty. Shells of the World provides a wide-ranging look at the incredible diversity of marine mollusks. An informative introduction outlines the lineages covered, followed by a directory section, split into classes, that profiles a broad selection of different taxa to give a sense of their sheer numbers and variety.
- Features hundreds of beautiful color photos, depicting both the live animals and their shells
- Discusses mollusk evolution, anatomy, life cycles, behavior, and ecology
- Describes unique characteristics, distribution, habitat, and size
- Provides valuable insights into the conservation of the world’s marine mollusks
- Ideal for malacologists and shell collectors everywhere
About the Author:
M. G. Harasewych is research zoologist emeritus and former curator in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he is the author (with Fabio Moretzsohn) of The Book of Shells: A Life-Size Guide to Identifying and Classifying Six Hundred Seashells.
Book Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Hardcover
Price: £25
ISBN: 9780691248271
Published: 9th April, 2024
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