THE COMMITEE

JOHN ADDISON

President

Founder Member, Diving 30 years. Number of dives: (Who's counting?)
Qualifications: Advanced Diver. Best Dive: The Falls of Lora, Scotland Worst dive: Stoney Cove in February (Freezing cold in a wetsuit.) Happy days!

STEVE HOPPER

Chair

Diving: Can't remember that long ago! Number of dives: Not enough! Qualification: Advanced Diver. Favourite dive sites: The Red Sea and Maldives. Best UK dive: Maen Melt, Porth Ysgaden and Plymouth.

ANDY SHENSTONE

Treasurer

Diving over 16 years. Number of dives: 1,000+ Qualification: Advanced Diver, Assistant Advanced Instructor, Full Face Mask, Open Water Instructor, Twinset / ADP instructor, Snorkel instructor and Diver Coxswain. I enjoy all types of diving with recent highlights being Croatia, Norway, the Outer Hebrides, the Scillies and the Azores. I am also the Chair of BSAC.

STEVE COLLINGWOOD

Diving Officer

Diving – 15 years with over 500 dives.
Qualification – Advanced Diver. CCR diver to 60m. Open water Instructor. Diver/Cox’n
I like all types of diving, reefs or wrecks. Best diving holiday was when I spent a whole week diving the HMS Hermes in Sri Lanka.
I have been spoilt, as I have done most of my diving in Cornwall and Devon!

KAREN GILLER

Welfare and Membership

I Joined the club in September 2017 after a try dive on holiday and I’ve never looked back. Currently I’m a qualified Sports Diver having done 40 dives and looking forward to continue to develop my skills with the club. Best dive site was wreck diving in Plymouth where I encountered an angler fish.

HELEN NIGHTINGALE

Secretary

Ocean Diver

NICK STEPHENSON

Training Officer

My SCUBA journey began early - my first dive at the age of 12 in 1984. A couple of years later, my Dad, a BSAC instructor started teaching me. I wasn't able to qualify but the spark for diving never left me. In 2020 I restarted, joined Vale Royal in 2023 gaining Sports Diver shortly after. I've since added several SDC's including sidemount and more recently ADP.

IAN BROWN

Boat Officer

Dive Leader, trimix, side mount.

DAVID SMITH

Social Secretary

Qualifications: Sports Diver, Diver Coxswain, Twinset Diver, ADP. Currently working towards Dive Leader. I’ve completed more than 145 dives. My very first dive was on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia back in 2005, although I didn’t start diving regularly until 2023. Since then, I’ve been actively involved in organising club dive trips—one of my favourites has to be Loch Fyne. I’m always looking for opportunities to develop my skills and grow within the club. To me, Vale Royal Sub Aqua Club is far more than just a club, it genuinely feels like a second family.