 Christian
& Lee
Both Reach The Top!
 Christian
Simpson and Lee Weaver have both just achieved the
Master Scuba Diver
rating - which is the highest non-professional rating in the
PADI system of diver education and a
diver classification which denotes superior
achievement.
They are to be congratulated on their
success and as 'Top Frogs' both Christian
and Lee now have pride of place in
Frog Squad's 'Hall of Fame'
New
Instructors
Bob
Burkinshaw and Mick Vickers have both been awarded the prestigious rating of
Assistant Instructor
 Frog Squad
welcomes Bob and Mick to its dedicated team of Instructors and congratulates
them on their well
deserved success. Both Instructors have worked
hard to meet the high standards set by both PADI
and Frog Squad
- ensuring that all divers can now benefit from their experience and professional
knowledge. As
Top Frogs
- Bob and Mick will continue to be
regularly involved in training and leading divers at all levels.
Tec
Deep Diver Courses
 PADI
offer the Tec Deep Diver course for divers
who wish to go beyond recreational diving limits (40m)
This qualifies divers to extend no
decompression dives, to make gas switches underwater and also complete
accelerated decompression dives - using air, enriched air and oxygen to a
maximum depth of 50 metres.
Frog Squad
are now offering these Tec Deep Diver courses with
immediate effect (September 2008)
Martin
Goes Professional
Martin
Stanton recently celebrated success by
completing his internship and has earned the prestigious rating of
PADI Divemaster Frog Squad
welcomes Martin to its dedicated team of PADI
Professionals and congratulates him on his well
deserved success. Martin has worked
hard to meet the high standards set by both PADI
and Frog Squad
- ensuring that all divers can now benefit from his experience and professional
knowledge. As a
Top Frog
- Martin will continue to be
regularly involved in training and leading divers at all levels.
Farne
Islands Summer Barbecue
Rachel
and Steve Tacey have kindly offered to run this years barbecue on Saturday 30th
August, during our trip to the Farne Islands, Northumberland.
The cost will be £5 per person for the food, which is payable as soon as
possible - and don't forget to bring your own
drinks! Hopefully the
weather will be just as good as last year and we can look forward to some
fantastic diving with the Seals - followed by a great barbecue!
Three
More Winners!
Paul Weldon
recently completed his Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty and was
entered into
PADI's free draw competition for 'Specialty
of the Month'
Even though there were many
divers who entered the competition
- Paul
won the top prize
and received a £100 voucher from PADI International
Limited. Entrants were not only
from the UK, but also
included Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - so it was a great achievement for both Paul and
Frog Squad
Paul will now be automatically entered into the
annual
PADI free draw competition to win a
further prize of a holiday to
the Red Sea - which was
won by our very own Neil Ford last year!
Adam
Morton also completed his Peak
Performance Buoyancy specialty during May and was entered into the
PADI free draw competition.
Amazingly, he was one
of only five individuals to win the runners-up prize and will receive a video
from PADI for the following month's
specialty.
As their Specialty
Instructor, Adie Nicholls also received a
prize from PADI to recognise his
professional training standards.
Incidentally,
this is the
tenth time
that members of
Frog Squad have
won prizes from PADI
- so
why not complete a
PADI Specialty
course this month and you too could be a winner!
The 2008 calendar for PADI Specialty of the Month
can be found on the
Specialty Diver page
Once again, well done to Paul,
Adam and Adie and thank you for your continued support.
Dive
Club Membership
Due to popular demand, Frog Squad
are introducing an official club membership
scheme - entitling members to various discounts and promotions.
Funds generated by the scheme
will be used to develop initiatives for the benefit of members and ensure that
you continue to receive the highest levels of service.
The scheme will be introduced
with immediate effect, with a lead in time of six weeks (1st September) for existing members of
the club.
Further details can be found on the
Dive Club page.
Diving
Holiday To Mexico (January 2009)
£1035 for two weeks in the
luxurious all inclusive resort at the Sandos Caracol Village Hotel
www.sandoshotels.com/en/caracol/descripcion.php
Departing from Birmingham at
08.00am Monday 5th January 2009 and arriving at Cancun, Mexico at 3.05pm
Returning to UK on 20th January 2009 at 08.00am
Luggage allowance for everyone is 20kgs - divers receive an additional 5kg on
production of their certification card
Well
Done Anna
Frog Squad
have just returned from a diving holiday to
Sharm El Sheikh in the Red Sea - where Anna
Simpson successfully completed her Junior Open Water
Diver
At the age of only 10 years - this makes Anna
the youngest person ever to qualify with Frog Squad
Anna originally started diving as a member of the
Seal Team until she was old enough to enrol on
the full diving course. She passed the course with flying colours and can now
join the rest of her diving family!
Mick
Goes Professional
Mick
Vickers recently celebrated success by
completing his internship and has earned the prestigious rating of
PADI Divemaster Frog Squad
welcomes Mick to its dedicated team of PADI
Professionals and congratulates him on his well
deserved success. Mick has worked
hard to meet the high standards set by both PADI
and Frog Squad
- ensuring that all divers can now benefit from his experience and professional
knowledge. As a
Top Frog
- Mick will continue to be
regularly involved in training and leading divers at all levels.
Frog
Hop On The Net
 Cheers
Capernwray!
"Divers
visiting Capernwray Dive Centre can now contribute to the underwater
environment simply
by supping a post-dive pint."
Sport Diver (May 2008)
In recognition of the partnership with
Frog Hop
and Capernwray Diving & Leisure Ltd (see below), our unique ale has now
'hopped' onto the website of Sport Diver -
The official magazine of the PADI Diving Society
Frog Squad
are delighted that Capernwray Dive Centre (Lancashire), are now stocking
our famous Frog Hop
ale and this is a great opportunity for divers to support
PADI's Project AWARE Foundation
Don't forget;
drink sensibly and don't drink and dive!
 Frog
Hop
Goes Up North
Frog Squad
would like to thank Capernwray Dive Centre in Lancashire, who are now stocking
our famous Frog Hop
ale. The bottled (500ml) version of the beer became available to divers for
the first time this month (May) and can be purchased from the 'Porthole'
restaurant and bar.
 A
proportion of the funds generated from the sale of all Frog Hop
ale is donated
to
PADI's Project AWARE Foundation
- which aims to conserve
underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.
This is a great opportunity for divers to support
Project AWARE after a great days diving - by simply enjoying a refreshing
bottle of Frog Hop!
So the next time you visit
Capernwray Dive Centre - you can also contribute to the environment by
supporting
Project AWARE
(Aquatic
World
Awareness, Responsibility
and Education)
- "Conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action"
Project
AWARE Kids - Art Contest
PADI and Project
AWARE are celebrating the underwater world with a full year of art
contests for children to win cool prizes for their artistic talents!
For further details, visit
www.projectaware.org/kids/html/artcontest.asp
Bob Goes Professional
Bob
Burkinshaw recently celebrated success by
completing his internship and has earned the prestigious rating of
PADI Divemaster Frog Squad
welcomes Bob to its dedicated team of PADI
Professionals and congratulates him on his well
deserved success. Bob has worked
hard to meet the high standards set by both PADI
and Frog Squad
- ensuring that all divers can now benefit from his experience and professional
knowledge. As a 'top frog'
- Bob will continue to be
regularly involved in training and leading divers at all levels.
Underwater
Photo Competition
 Digital
Underwater Photographer is April's
Specialty
of the Month and so Frog Squad
have launched the annual underwater photo
competition for it's members.
All entries must be received by 30th September
2008 - so you have plenty of time to take some fantastic shots at Capernwray,
Egypt, St. Abbs, Farne Islands or any other location you wish.
The overall winning picture will receive a
Frog Squad
gift voucher to the value of £30 and have
their image posted on the website.
This is an open category competition, so you
can enter photos of underwater wrecks, marine life or whatever you think might
be the winning shot!
Remember that good buoyancy control is crucial
for taking good photos underwater - so you may wish to consider taking the
Peak Performance Buoyancy or
Digital Underwater Photographer specialties to fine
tune your skills and improve your chances of capturing that winning shot.
Most of all, have fun and good luck!
Throughout
this year you can
enter the PADI free monthly draw
to win £100 or a trip to the Red Sea - simply
complete a Specialty Diver course in a specified
month.
Last year (2007) Val Yates completed her
Digital Underwater Photographer specialty and won
the top £100 prize.
Neil Ford was the
overall prize draw winner for the 2007 Master
Scuba Diver Challenge and won a fantastic diving holiday for two - to the
Red Sea!
With seven winners already in
the past two years -
the next
Frog Squad
diver to receive a prize
in 2008 could easily be you !
Emergency
Oxygen Provider
The former
'Oxygen First Aid' distinctive specialty has just been replaced by the new
Emergency Oxygen Provider specialty course.
The administration of
oxygen as soon as possible after incidents involving near drowning or decompression illness, significantly increases the chances of
the patient making a full recovery.
The Emergency Oxygen Provider
course is ideal
for lifeguards and anyone who spends their time close to water. It provides you
with the necessary skills to confidently and safely administer oxygen to an
injured person or diver.
 It
is invaluable for Rescue Divers or
Divemasters and covers the theory and
practice of Emergency Oxygen Provision for
diving related injuries involving
suspected decompression illness (DCI) including; decompression
sickness (the bends), barotraumas, arterial gas embolism and
near drowning incidents.
-
how to recognise dive injuries -
signs and symptoms of DCI -
the benefits of oxygen -
how
to respond with oxygen and provide immediate, effective first aid
All
training materials are included in the price of the course - £65
There are no prerequisites to take the course, as long as a person is old
enough to successfully complete all the stated performance requirements. The
skills integrate well with other courses designed to help divers in need
(e.g. Rescue Diver and Emergency First Response)
- but is also excellent for boat captains and lifeguards etc
Lucky
Seven - Neil Wins Top Prize!
PADI and Frog Squad
are proud to announce that
Neil Ford is the
overall prize draw winner for the 2007 Master
Scuba Diver Challenge and has won a fantastic diving holiday for two - to the
Red Sea! Even though there were many
divers who entered the competition, Neil was the only winner
of this top prize
from PADI International
Limited. Entrants were not
only from the UK, but
also
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, the Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - so this is a great achievement for both Neil and Frog Squad
Incidentally, this is the
seventh time that a member of
Frog
Squad has won a
prize from PADI - so
why not complete a
PADI Specialty
course this month and you too could be a winner! The 2008 calendar for PADI Specialty of the Month
can be found under the
Specialty Diver section
Tec
Deep Diver - Coming Soon!
PADI
offer the Tec Deep Diver course for divers
who wish to go beyond recreational diving limits (40m)
This qualifies divers to extend no
decompression dives, to make gas switches underwater and also complete
accelerated decompression dives - using air, enriched air and oxygen to a
maximum depth of 50 metres.
BSAC
Courses
To reflect our
BSAC Dive Training Centre
status, we have now added a new page to the website. The equivalent
PADI grades are shown alongside and you
now have a choice as to which training agency you prefer. There's nothing like
having a choice!
The
"Two Robbies"
Big
Rob (aka Ryan) and Little Rob (aka Claridge) are once again in the
limelight!
This time they are featured on the website
of the British Sub-Aqua Club under
the listings for BSAC Dive
Training
Centres - UK (drinking
Frog Hop
- again!)
See them at
http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/schools/frogsquad.htm
Worksop
Hospital Breast Cancer Unit Appeal
Following the 'Charity Week' hosted by
the Lock Keeper public house in Worksop -
Frog Squad
are pleased to announce that our team raised in excess of £200 for the
appeal.
Thank you to everyone who kindly
donated in an effort to raise funds for this worthy cause and charity.
 In
particular,
Frog Squad
would like to say a special big
thank you to Val Yates, Elaine Rigg and all the ladies from the
'coffee morning team' (Angie, Brenda, Hedy,
Jean, Mavis & Val) for all their kind assistance and
donation of raffle prizes - without which, this event would not have
been possible. You are all extremely generous and kind people with a
fantastic charitable spirit.
Thanks again - you're a bunch of
absolute stars!
Why
Has Frog Squad Now Linked With BSAC?
You may have read elsewhere, that we
have just been accredited as an officially recognised Dive
Training Centre by the British Sub-Aqua Club (Centre No.
0730) - which is a great achievement for
Frog Squad!
We have always welcomed divers and members from other training
organisations, because Frog Squad
like to offer opportunities for diving to everyone - we certainly
don't advocate a 'them and us' type approach or encourage 'splinter groups'
and 'exclusive cliques'!
At the end of the day, we are all
divers,
regardless of the training agency involved.
Previously, our BSAC trained divers had to seek out a BSAC Club in
order to continue with their BSAC training or 'convert' to
PADI -
which wasn't really addressing their needs and potentially could
create a division amongst divers.
In addition to all our usual PADI courses,
Frog Squad
are now authorised to train and certify BSAC Ocean Diver, Sports Diver
and Dive Leader grades, as well as several BSAC Skills Development
Courses!
You certainly wont see any changes at
Frog Squad
and it's very much 'business as usual' - it's just
that you now have a greater choice!
Ultimately, we are all divers and should continue to have fun diving - rather than
being concerned about the organisation who provided the training!
So, "Let's Make Bubbles" and enjoy diving!
BSAC
Dive Training Centre (N0. 0730)
 We
have just been accredited as an
officially recognised Dive
Training Centre
by the British Sub-Aqua Club. In
addition to all our usual PADI
courses, Frog Squad
are now authorised to train and
certify BSAC Ocean Diver,
Sports Diver and Dive Leader
grades.
Ultimately, we are all divers
regardless of the training agency involved. With Frog Squad
- you now have a choice!
Charity Week
'The
Lock Keeper' pub in Worksop are hosting a full charity week to
help raise funds for the breast cancer
unit at Kilton Hospital -
commencing on Monday 10th March. There will be various events throughout the
week, culminating in a fun-packed weekend for all the family.
Click here for further details.
Frog Squad
will be attending on
Saturday 15th March to help raise funds and will be offering the
following:
-
Raffle prize draw –
win try dive scuba experiences and runners-up can win a bottle of
Frog Hop
ale
-
“Guess The Frog” –
choose from a list of 42 names to guess the name of the Frog and win it
as a prize
-
Children’s Drawing
Competition – draw a frog and the best judged winner will get a prize
-
Scuba Quiz – the
winning entry will receive a food hamper with wine, chocolates, nuts etc
etc...
We would very much appreciate your support
in helping this worthy cause
Frog
Blog
The
Frog Blog
discussion board and forum is now live and
can
be accessed via the main navigation bar on the left
How to use
- Initially you will need to register as a user of the forum, using a valid
email address. You will then receive an email from
Frog Blog
confirming your selected Username and Password. Finally, you will need to follow the link (contained within the email)
in order to activate your account.
The forum will enhance the
website, making it more interactive for members and a useful tool to keep
actively diving!
Please feel free to use this
forum and discussion board to communicate with other
Frog Squad members.
You can post information about any dive trips or social events that you may be
planning or even post the details of any diving equipment that you may have for
sale etc...... Mr Frog
Treble
Top For Frog
Hop
This
month your favourite beer has 'hopped' into three diving related
publications!
In One - It is featured on page
23
of this months edition (February 2008) of
Sport Diver
magazine - the official magazine for
PADI's International Diving Society
 The 'Diving Society News' article, refers to our efforts in raising funds for
PADI's Project AWARE Foundation
-
which
is the dive industry’s
leading non-profit environmental organisation which works in partnership with
divers and water enthusiasts to combat the challenges facing underwater
environments.
Regular supporter, Rob
Claridge is again featured and can be seen sat at the bar with a refreshing pint
of
Frog Hop
In Two
- Coincidentally,
Frog Hop
also makes an appearance on page
22 of this months edition of
Diver magazine - under the 'Diver News' section
In Three -
Frog Hop
has even 'hopped'
onto the
official Project AWARE website:
www.projectaware.org/uk/english/support/froghopale.asp
So the next time
you relax to enjoy a
refreshing bottle of
Frog Hop,
you can be satisfied that you are also contributing to the environment
by supporting
Project AWARE
(Aquatic
World
Awareness,
Responsibility and
Education)
- "conserving
underwater environments through education, advocacy and action"
Val
is a Winner!
Val
Yates recently completed her Digital
Underwater Photographer specialty and was entered into
PADI's free draw competition for 'Specialty of the
Month'
Even though there were many
divers who entered the competition
-
Val won the top prize
and
received a £100 voucher from PADI International
Limited. Entrants were not
only from the UK, but
also included
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - so it was a great achievement for both
Val and Frog Squad
Val will now be automatically entered into the annual
PADI free draw competition to win a
further prize of a holiday to
the Red Sea - so watch
this space.
Incidentally, this is the
sixth time
that a member of Frog
Squad has won a
prize from PADI - so
why not complete a
PADI Specialty
course this month and you too could be a winner! The 2008 calendar for PADI Specialty of the Month
can be found under the
Specialty Diver section
Historical
Diving Society, Galway Arms
The Historical Diving Society has kindly
offered to give a presentation at the Galway Arms on
Tuesday 5 February
  The
Society exists to promote interest and awareness into the history of
underwater exploration. The Society encourages research and publication,
organises visits, conferences and exhibitions, and issues a regular
newsletter. The Society also supports those interested in the renovation
and use of classic diving equipment.
It will be an informative and interesting
trip back
in time with an exclusive look at the equipment used by the original
Navy divers and an opportunity to try on the kit - copper helmet, lead
boots etc. This is a great insight for those who are planning to visit
the Diver Training College in York on 2nd November (Hard Hat &
Recompression Chamber)
Frog
Hop In The News
Frog Hop
ale
made it into the Retford Times newspaper on Thursday 3rd January following its recent launch at the
Galway Arms in Retford.
 The Retford Times newspaper wrote;
"Regulars at the Galway Arms in
Retford tried out a new beer launched by a local diving club.
The Frog Squad Diving Club have
started their own beer for charity, 'Frog Hop' which had its debut at the
Galway Arms recently.
Pictured are Rob Claridge and Paul Mullins of Frog Squad and Tony Ford of the
Galway Arms, along with some regulars of the pub trying out the new beer".
Official
Press Launch - On Draught At The Galway Arms
Frog Hop
ale has just 'hopped'
into the Galway Arms (Retford) and is now available on draught. To
celebrate the event, Retford Times are following the launch and the
beer will again feature in the diving press early next year.
Remember; this is
a 'World First' - since no other diving organisation or
dive club on the planet (let alone Retford) actually have their own
ale. This definitely puts Retford on the map and the product has
already received publicity in several national diving magazines.
“The beer has been produced specially
to recognise our sport and although we all know that ‘drinking and
diving’ don’t mix; it’s a great way to relax and enjoy social
activities accompanied with some real ale.”
 The
ale became available for the very first time on draught in April 2007 and is
now available in 500ml bottles - so you will be able to enjoy your
Frog Hop
everywhere and at anytime!!!
It now has a brand new recipe, which has been cold filtered especially
for the 500ml bottled version and an ABV of 4.3% - making it even
better!
The beer
has now developed into an ‘environmental charity beer’ and a
proportion of the funds generated from the sale of all
Frog Hop
ale will be donated to
PADI's
Project AWARE Foundation
Frog
Hop Advertised in Sport Diver
Magazine
Your favourite beer has now 'hopped'
into the classified section of
Sport Diver
magazine - just in time for the festive season. It now has a brand new
recipe, which has been cold filtered especially for the 500ml bottled
version and an ABV of 4.3% - making it even better!
What
a great idea for Christmas gifts
and don't forget that 10%
of all proceeds from the sale of this beer will be donated to
PADI's Project AWARE Foundation
-
which
is the dive industry’s
leading non-profit environmental organisation which works in partnership with
divers and water enthusiasts to combat the challenges facing underwater
environments.
So the next time
you relax to enjoy a
refreshing bottle of
Frog Hop,
you can be satisfied that you are also contributing to the environment
by supporting
Project AWARE
(Aquatic
World
Awareness,
Responsibility and
Education)
- "conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and
action"
Famous
Again!
 Frog Squad
has done it again with national fame!
We
are featured in this months edition (December 2007) of
Sport Diver
magazine - the official magazine for
PADI's International Diving Society
Photos of club
members can be found on pages
58 and
59 - where we get an excellent write up
about our team. There's even a letter from Barry Parkes on page 35 (Never
Too Old To Dive) and
Frog Hop
ale is advertised on page101 under the classified section - just in time
for the festive season!
If you've never
purchased a dive magazine before - then this months edition is
definitely for you!
Martin
Stanton is a Winner!
Martin completed his
Dry Suit Diver specialty during
October and
was entered into the free draw competition as part of
PADI's "Specialty of the Month". Even though there were many applicants from the UK,
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - Martin was one of only five individuals to
win the runners-up prize and will receive a video from
PADI for the
Enriched Air Diver.
"Well done and congratulations Martin"
John
Hancock
is a Winner!
John completed his
Wreck Diver specialty during August and
was entered into the free draw competition as part of
PADI's "Specialty of the Month"
. Even though there were many applicants from the UK,
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - John was one of only five individuals to
win the runners-up prize and will receive a video from
PADI for the National Geographic Diver.
"Well done and congratulations John"
New
Pub - Galway Arms
Following the sudden and unannounced
closure of the Rum Runner, our new regular meeting point will be the
Galway Arms on Bridgegate, Retford. This is an excellent pub with
reasonably priced drinks served in a friendly, warm and welcoming
atmosphere.
It would appear that the manager at the
Rum Runner, has done a bit of a 'runner' back to Birmingham -
leaving Frog Squad
to simply 'hop' around the
corner!
Oxygen
First Aid
Frog Squad
are pleased to announce the addition of this new training programme to
our current list of Specialty courses
available.
The Oxygen First
Aid
course will give you the necessary skills to confidently and safely
administer oxygen to an injured person or diver. The administration of
oxygen as soon as possible after diving related injuries involving any
form of decompression illness, significantly increases the chances of
the patient making a full recovery.
This course is invaluable for Rescue Divers
or Divemasters and covers the theory and
practice of Oxygen First Aid
Barry Reaches
The
Top!
Barry Parkes recently became a
Frog Squad
Master Scuba Diver
- This is a fantastic achievement and is
the highest non-professional scuba diver rating in the
PADI system of diver education, which
denotes proficiency in a variety of dive environments.
As a 'Top Frog',
Barry now has pride of place in
Frog Squad's 'Hall of Fame'
Frog
Hop Supports Project AWARE
A
proportion of the funds generated from the sale of all Frog Hop
ale will be donated to
PADI's Project AWARE Foundation
which aims to conserve
underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.
The
Project AWARE Foundation
is the dive industry’s
leading non-profit environmental organisation which works in partnership with
divers and water enthusiasts to combat the challenges facing underwater
environments.
So the next time you relax to
enjoy a refreshing pint
of Frog Hop,
you can be satisfied in the knowledge that you are contributing to the
environment by supporting
Project AWARE
(Aquatic
World
Awareness, Responsibility
and Education)
- "conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action"
Deep
Diver & Wreck Diver - PADI Specialty of the Month
We will run
two of the most popular Specialty Diver courses
over summer to link with PADI Specialty of the Month
The
Deep Diver Specialty in July enables you to explore the
depths to a maximum of 40 metres and links well with the
Wreck Diver Specialty in August - where you will learn
how to safely penetrate the 'treasures' of the deep.
By
completing either of these Specialty Diver courses
in the specified month, you can
enter the PADI free monthly draw
to win £100 or a trip to the Red Sea. Last year, both Rob Claridge and Richard Gladman were winners and
appeared in the Retford Times newspaper to recognise their achievements. Oli
Farrington has already been the first Frog Squad winner in 2007 - so it could
quite easily be you next !
The 2007 calendar for PADI Specialty of the Month
can be found under the
Specialty Diver section
Big
Rob Goes Professional
Rob Ryan
recently celebrated success by
completing his internship and has earned the rating of
PADI Divemaster Frog Squad
welcomes Rob to its dedicated team of PADI
Professionals and congratulates him on his well deserved success. Rob has worked
hard to meet the high standards set by both PADI
and Frog Squad
- ensuring that all divers can now benefit from his experience and professional
knowledge. As a 'top frog'
Rob will continue to be
regularly involved in training and leading divers at all levels.
Frog
Hop In 'Sport Diver' Magazine - June 2007
 Once
again, our ale has 'hopped'
into the national press!
The
official
magazine of PADI’s
International Diving Society has just published an excellent promotional
article about
Frog Hop ale in the
latest edition of their magazine.
Frog Hop is now available in
500ml bottles - so you won't be out of your depth with this crystal clear,
light golden ale which is brewed and bottled exclusively for Frog Squad Diving
Ltd and divers throughout the UK.
Frog
Hop In 'Diver' Magazine - May 2007
The latest edition
of 'Diver' magazine makes reference to our ale under their regular 'Beachcomber'
feature (page 26)
"Beachcomber often draws the attention of the British
diving community to the fact that divers are becoming a more and more
important segment of the international community. But the latest piece
of news about British divers can have no equal in the status stakes.
Briefly, my Retford Leak tells me that local diving club the Frog Squad
is to have a special beer brewed by the nearby Milestone Brewery in
recognition of its diving . At first this new ale will be available only
on draught locally, but there are plans for bottles of "Frog Hop" ale to
be circulated to the diving community throughout the UK. Frog Squad
members are saying that this special divers' beer is a world first, and
that no other dive club or training agency has ever had an ale brewed
specially to recognise the importance of diving. If anybody knows
otherwise, I'm sure you will let me know. Beachcomber looks forward to
saying "cheers" to all divers over a pint of Frog Hop! He lives in hope
that there will also soon be a pint of foam-capped Beachcomber available
from the pumps of every pub close to the British coastline"
Frog
In A Bottle
Now available in 500ml bottles - you won't be
out of your depth with this crystal clear, light golden ale which is brewed
and bottled exclusively for Frog Squad Diving Ltd and divers throughout the
UK.
Contact Frog Squad
to order your supply of Frog Hop
and don' forget - no drinking and diving!
Frog
Hop Is Front Page News
Frog Hop
ale
made it onto the front page of the Retford Times newspaper on Thursday 12
April following its recent launch at the Rum Runner pub in Retford. A front
page photograph also features two of
Frog Squad's
most experienced members (Rob Claridge and Rob Ryan) both enjoying the ale.
These
'famous celebrities' are now very keen to offer their signed autographs (in
your diver log books of course!)
The Retford Times newspaper wrote;
 A
RETFORD-based diving club is the first of its kind to launch its own ale.'
Frog Hop' has been specially commissioned by Retford's Frog Squad club.
Produced by Milestone Brewery at Cromwell, the ale is initially only available
on draught at the Rum Runner (Wharf Road), where the group holds its meetings.
But there are plans for bottled beers, and to circulate the ale across the
wider diving community throughout the UK.
"It's a world first - no other dive club or diver training agency has ever had
an ale brewed specifically to recognise diving," said a spokesperson for the
club.
Frog Hop
was also featured in the Doncaster
Free Press on Thursday 05 April
Press
Release - "Frog Hop" has arrived!
Milestone Brewery (located only 15
miles south of Retford) were commissioned to produce an ale
specifically for Frog Squad
and the diving community. This
is actually a 'World First' - since no other diving
organisation or club on the planet
(let alone Retford)
actually have their own ale.
 Frog
Squad
members recently visited the brewery to celebrate its official release
and had the privilege of being the first people in the world to taste
Frog Hop
- which is a very refreshing
light golden ale made with a subtle hint of local honey, giving way to
a clean bitter finish.
Following
its successful launch, Frog Squad
are pleased to announce that Frog Hop
is now available on draught at the Rum Runner pub in Retford.
The
ale will soon be available
for purchase in bottles - so you will be able to enjoy your
Frog Hop
ale everywhere and at anytime!!!
 "Follow the Frog and Hop in"
®
Oli
is a Winner!
Oliver
Farrington recently completed his Digital
Underwater Photographer course and was entered into
PADI's free draw competition for 'Specialty of the
Month'
Even though there were many
divers who entered the competition
- Oli was the only winner and
received a £100 voucher from PADI International
Limited. Entrants were not
only from the UK, but
also included
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - so it was a great achievement for both
Oli and Frog Squad
Oli will now be automatically entered into the annual
PADI free draw competition to win a
further prize of a holiday to
the Red Sea - so watch
this space.
Incidentally, this is the
third time that a member of Frog
Squad has won a
prize from PADI - so
why not complete a
PADI Specialty
course this month and you too could be a winner! The 2007 calendar for PADI Specialty of the Month
can be found under the
Specialty Diver section
Steve makes the Grade
Steve Hall (one of Frog Squad's
Assistant Instructors) recently celebrated success by passing his
Instructor Examination with flying colours. Steve has now been awarded
the prestigious rating of PADI Open Water Scuba
Instructor (OWSI) - As a 'top frog' Steve will be
regularly training and leading divers at all levels.
Master
SEAL
Anna SIMPSON
is only 8 years of age but has already
qualified as a
PADI Seal. She is now completing
a series of "Specialty Aqua Missions" and working towards her
PADI Master Seal.
As Anna gains further diving experience, she will be well prepared to
enrol on the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course when she reaches
her 10th birthday - joining the rest of her diving family
Rob is a Winner - twice over!
Robert CLARIDGE recently became the first
Frog Squad
Master Scuba Diver
- This is a fantastic achievement and is
the highest non-professional scuba diver rating in the
PADI system of diver education and
denotes proficiency in a variety of dive environments.
But the good news doesn't just stop there ......
Rob also completed his Wreck Diver
Specialty during August and as part of
PADI's "Specialty of the Month"
was entered into the free draw competition. Even though there were many
applicants from the UK,
Cyprus, Republic of Ireland, Middle East, Greece,
Eastern Europe, Malta,
Africa
and all
republics of the former USSR - Rob was the only winner and
received a £100 voucher from PADI International
Limited
Richard makes it a double success!
Richard also completed his Wreck
Diver Specialty during August and was entered into the
PADI free draw competition.
Amazingly, he was one
of only five individuals to win the runners-up prize and will receive a
video from PADI for the following
month's specialty - National Geographic Diver.
* Article
appeared in the "Retford Times" newspaper (page 9) on Thursday 26
October 2006
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