It was a chilly New Years Eve morning when eight Arden Divers and friends scraped the ice from their cars to set off to Stoney Cove for the final dive of the year. As I motored around the Coventry bypass the sun was rising and it was clear it was going to be a gorgeous day to mark the end of Arden Divers’ inaugural year. Even if it was likely to be warmer in the water than out!
The visibility was absolutely fantastic, and combined with the bright sunlight it made for some stunning dives to cap what’s certainly been an eventful year for Arden Divers. We were treated to rarely seen views of the whole length of the Stanegarth, of ducks diving on the ledge, and reminded just how close so many of the attractions at Stoney are to each other. And, of course, there were lots of opportunities to try out our diving related Christmas presents.
After diving we gathered in Nemos to warm up and reflect on what has been a really great inaugural year for Arden Divers. Only formed in April, we’ve had a fabulous programme of diving this year, heading to Swanage, Sharm el Sheikh, Pembrokeshire, St Abbs and the Maldives, and joining our neighbours Solihull Divers on a rather windy trip to Plymouth. We’ve celebrated some huge milestones, from Steph’s 100th dive to Chris’s 1,000th and many more. And thanks to Sophie and Will, we’ve even named a turtle!
It’s been a fabulous year. Bye bye 2025! Here’s to a fantastic 2026 full of magical underwater adventures!
