The first week of the new year was a productive one for several of the lazy seals, with the first ever Dive Camp NZ going off without a hitch.

A great cross-section of divers were represented, with personal bests ranging from 20m to 65m and a range of goals for the week to boot. The weather turned up the heat on the surface for almost the whole time, with the thermometer reaching high enough for the desert road to start melting! Luckily none of us quite got to that stage, though most are sporting some very 'interesting' tan lines! The temperatures unfortunately didn't extend all the way to the bottom of the lake, with a fairly hefty thermocline at 10-15m dropping several degrees off the surface temp of 19C. Luckily the sun shone brightly to warm us up between dives and with a little inflatable to get into, anyone that got chilly could just get out of the water.

The diving itself went very well, with everyone coming away with something. Ruth, Jarod, Timon and I all achieved new personal bests, while Suzy reaquainted herself with depth and Marcus & Kathryn practiced relaxing during their dives and getting comfortable with depth. Kerian & Mike, both staying in Taupo, made it out with us for some diving of their own and the ever-present Fran & family were there with tempting beers in the afternoon sun. Non-diving time was spent reading, napping, swimming in the lake and dry sessions. Everybody learnt something new for their lung and body stretching sessions, with different approaches to out-of-water training shared by all.

The accomodation and food were excellent, with the bach providing plenty of rooms & beds, plus great social areas. Everybody mucked in for cooking and cleaning, making the time as painless as possible. A big thanks to 'Camp Mum' Kathryn, who makes these things happen. Hopefully next year will continue with dive camp, in which case I recommend it divers of all abilities!