About Us
Alpha Dive has over 40 members and was founded in 1986. It is affiliated to the Irish Underwater Council (Comhairle Fo Thuinn), which is affiliated to Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques (CMAS), the world-wide federation of national diving organisations.
Typical Activities
The club is very active in the Irish diving scene with a busy diving schedule and a great social scene. We hold an annual club holiday in Ireland and every few years we organise an overseas trip to places like The Red Sea or Lanzarote.
During the winter, the new committee is busy working on the next year’s diving and social calendars. Once the weather warms up, members can be found every Sunday heading for the waters on the sunny side of Lambay Island in Dublin Bay, or the blockhouse in Carlingford Lough or Collinstown Lake. We try and head off early on Sunday morning to launch the boats and dive before lunch. Going out to sea, we would be looking for offshore reefs or cliffs. In the summer, the club heads off to the seaside, especially for bank holiday weekends, often travelling to the west coast where the water is clear with visibility of 20 feet-plus sometimes possible.
Recruitment of new trainees.
Being a member of a CFT affiliated dive club has many advantages. “For a small investment in club membership, you get access to all the club has to offer including our dive boats and compressors, CFT insurance, experienced officers and members of the club, and local knowledge of dive sites.
To encourage new members to join, the club holds a ‘Try A Dive’ session at Kells Swimming Pool every winter. Booking is essential and anyone who wants to try out scuba-diving or snorkelling can contact us via Facebook, email or fill in our contact form.
Being a member of a dive club has many advantages. “For a small investment in club membership, you get access to all the club has to offer including our dive boats and compressors, CFT insurance, experienced officers and members of the club, and local knowledge of dive sites. If you want to learn to scuba dive at your own pace, and would like to join a group of like-minded individuals, then club diving may be just the ticket,”
Throughout the winter, the club trains every Sunday on water fitness. New trainees will also attend diving lectures where they will receive expert tuition from club training and diving officers.
Taking the Plunge
“The perfect day plunges us into water with seaweed swaying back and forth in the swell and the light reflecting the magnificent colours. “A short way off, we will see a cliff edge and the deep blue of the abyss. A final equipment check, another hand signal and we are away. We see pollock, like old gentlemen enjoying the sun, and mackerel darting back and forth like starlings in autumn. Another hand signal and we push off and start to descend the cliff. Like weightless spacemen, we would probably see a few crayfish – a crustacean similar to a lobster but red in colour and very much bigger, sitting on a ledge.”
“We arrive at the surface where the boat is waiting. We move to a second area off the cliff. It is then the turn of the second party. When they are finished, we tear back to land and the energetic ones arrange a refill of their cylinders for the afternoon. The sensible ones lie in the sun.”
Membership Fees
Annual Fee
Adult Members – €200 plus €110 insurance with CFT
Students (parents children) €55
Trainee pack –
Adult €160 In addition to the annual fee
Student €105 In addition to the annual fee
Charge per dive – €10 to cover boat maintenance and air refill