CDG Web Site

CDG News

Occasional items of news from the UK cave diving world, updated infrequently.

Annual Dinner & AGM

The details of the 2009 AGM can be found on the Notices page. It will be held in The Rectory in Llangattock on the 25th April with events starting at 2:00PM and the annual dinner will be from 19:00

New CDG Training Manual Released

The new edition of the training manual has been published and is on sale in the CDG on-line shop. You can purchase it with a credit card via PayPal or by cheque and it can be posted almost anywhere in the World.

Format: the book is soft bound, with 224 pages
4 Colour digital throughout
Size: B5
52 colour pictures and 14 illustrations.

Contributing Authors

This manual is based on the previous edition, extensively revised, extended and updated. That work and the contribution of new text has been carried out by:

David Brock, John Cordingley, Colin Hayward, Duncan Price, Rupert Skorupka, Rick Stanton, Mike Thomas, John Volanthen, Andrew Ward, Clive Westlake.

Chapters

• Chapter 1 The Cave Diving Group
• Chapter 2 Dive planning
• Chapter 3 Equipment and configuration
• Chapter 4 Core skills
• Chapter 5 Exploring and recording sumps
• Chapter 6 Specialist skills and equipment
• Chapter 7 Awareness of mixed gases
• Chapter 8 Rebreathers
• Chapter 9 Dry caving and the cave diver
• Chapter 10 Cave diving outside the UK
• Appendix 1: CDG Documentation
• Appendix 2: Accident analysis
• Appendix 3: Further reading
• Appendix 4: Emergency contacts

PayPal for the CDG Shop

It is now possible to pay by credit card for items from the CDG shop, this service is provided by the well known PayPal service. PayPal support should make it much easier to buy from the shop, expecially for overseas customers. Follow the link to the CDG shop from the front page of the Web site.

CDG Shop Announced

The new CDG Shop is now open! Members and non-members are welcome to the store. Browse to www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/Zen-CDG. The shop is a full-featured catalogue and shopping cart system. We are selling Sump Indexes, back issues of the Newsletter, and Newsletter subscriptions for non-members. (Membership already includes a subscription of course).
For now we have to ask for payment by cheque in pounds sterling, but hope to offer PayPal and credit card options soon.
CDG News 28/05/2006

Wookey Exposed- A film by Gavin Newman

Wookey Exposed- A film by Gavin Newman
Gavin's movie of the exploration of Wookey Hole has been widely praised for the graphic portrayal of the famous cave.
The movie is even more remarkable as it gave such an insight into the conditions at the 'end' of the sump that the focus of exploration changed and spctacular progress was made.
The movie has a web site at www.wookeyfilm.com and is available by mail order in case Santa did not put a copy in your stocking this year...
CDG News 20/12/2005

The Rez

The Rez
Details of a new dark (but clear air surface) diving environment can be found on their new website. Not affiliated with the CDG, an interesting new facility if you've had your fill of flooded quarries!

12th October 2004 - Membership card updated

A slight change has been made to the wording of the membership card to clarify the status of a qualified diver. The new cards will begin to be issued from November. If you need a card please send DOB, DOQ, section, and passport style photograph (if electronically limit to 60KB) to your section secretary. Old syle cards remain valid (see image further down this page). The other side of the card remains unchanged.

Cave Diving - The Movie!

A forthcoming movie promises to cast cave diving in the starring role as the hero battles fearsome monsters in the sumps of Rumania! More at www.scifi.com. CDG News hopes to bring you a review of this exciting release when it comes out in 2005.

Insurance for CDG members

CDG insurance is operational once again and all paid up diving members are covered for the year 2004 - 2005.

As you may or may not know,as of the 7.11.03. the BCRA insurance scheme became void.

This means that any site with which there is an access arrangement/agreement must be regarded as closed in the regard of cave diving activities. Wisely, I believe that the Somerset Section secretary, to keep good faith with the Wookey & Cheddar Managements, has already implemented a voluntary ban.

It also means that equipment loaned to members from their sections would not be covered in the case of an accident as the group does not have indemnity, if claimed against.

8th July 2003 New Newsletter Editor

Please wlecome our new Newsletter editor, Dave Ryall.

5th May 2003 A65 Closures Planned

It seems that there are major roadworks planned for the A65 in Gargrave, north of Skipton, this Summer. These may cause disruption for divers heading for the Dales by this route. There will be periods of single lane traffic, and also complete closures with a lengthy diversion for some periods. More details can be found at http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/area/17/works/a65_gargrave_march_03/01.htm

24th April 2003 Lot & Dordogne guide second edition

A new edition of Andrew Ward's popular Underwater Guide to the Lot & Dordogne has now been published. Featuring information on 21 major sites in the region the format is of a drawn survey of each site and text description. The descriptions principally cover the distance a committed tourist diver might achieve, with references to further research material for the explorer.

The guide is laser printed on 60 pages and includes a small selection of colour photographs of both below and above ground. Appendices give a useful English - French glossary, and information on local dive shops (few) and recompression facilities (fewer). There are also short notes of lesser sumps and a hanful of dry caves of interest.

No cave diving holiday to the area should set off without a copy. The guide can be obtained from:

Aven Publications
8 Abbywood park
Upper Stratton
Swindon
SN2 7HX
Tel 01793-828236
e-mail: icaver@aol.com
Cost: £9:50 including postage and packing.

15th February 2003 CDG Subscriptions

Special Notice for Members and Subscribers.

Members of The Four Sections should note that Subscriptions for 2003 were DUE on Jan 1st 2003

They should be paid to your Section Treasurers. The amount is £23 for Diving Membership and £15 for Non Diving Membership.
The Section Treasurers are;

Subscribers should send their yearly subscriptions ( £14 UK, £18 Overseas) to the Distribution Officer, Mrs A Buxton, 38, Maulden Road, Flitwick, Bedford, MK45 5BW Please enclose with your money your up to date mailing address and Tel No. or eMail address.

Those people who pay direct to the CDG bank at Cheddar please also send your details to the Dist. Officer as above.

31st January 2003 New ID Card on the way

The card will have a security embossed mark to make forgeries harder. The cost is £6 per member most sections are covering the cost (WS.NS,DS). I require a picture DOB,Section and date of qualifying (ball park will do). It also needs a member number I can go : WS0001, WS002 etc or maybe start at WS0200 ?. (The actual card will have darker print).This is the approved card and set with the card company therefore WYSIWYG.

4th April 2002 New Cave Diving Harness

Martyn Farr has drawn on years of experience to design and produce his own cave diver's harness. It uses the 'American' mounting system and is available from Martyn for 99 UKP (www.farrworld.co.uk)

1st February 2002 Llygad Llwchwr sump passed at last

Martyn Farr and a team of diggers have opened the final sump in Llygad Llwchwr, passing it after 10m to discover 200m of dry passage. Apparently there are plenty of leads which they are actively attacking.

Llygad Llwchwr is an important resurgence cave in the Western Brecon Beacons, the terminal sump has resisted all efforts for many years. Hopes are high for a major system that is known to take water from sinks as much as 7km away. Martyn has kindly provided some photographs of the team and new discovery:

For more information see Martyn's articles in Descent 164 and 165.