Meet the Team – Our Committee and Instructors

Our elected committee meet regularly to ensure that the club remains active, operates within BSAC’s guidelines, and fulfils the needs of members. 

Many other members play an important role within the club such as our Dive Leaders who take responsibility for organising individual dive meets, and our wonderful instructors who ensure that all who wish to, continue to learn and progress their qualifications.  

Those who have chosen to appear on our website are featured below, in no particular order.     

Marie Whittaker  
Diving Officer and Instructor

Marie Whittaker

I began diving in 2012, when my husband and I learnt to dive on our honeymoon in the Maldives. Having that as my first experience of diving was amazing and for a year or so I couldn’t imagine diving in the cold, dark UK waters.

Here we are now, many years on and now UK diving is a huge part of my life, with Lunesdale Sub Aqua Club being the centre of it all.

I am very pleased to take on the role of Diving Officer this year, following in the footsteps of many previous DO’s who have helped to develop a great little club with a good balance between safe diving, developing our members and most importantly enjoying our Diving. I look forward to continuing the process.


Nigel Watson.  Instructor

Nigel Watson
I learnt to dive with BSAC in 1999 by attending my local club branch.  I found support within that club invaluable; training was methodical and at a pace which suited my learning.  There was always someone available to take me through the various skills and I quickly came to implicitly trust my instructors, a number of whom became long standing friends.  For me, not having loads of money at the time, the BSAC Club training provided excellent value for money.

My passion is diving wrecks and I tailored my diving in that direction by completing an Advanced Trimix course.

In 2019 I decided perhaps it was time I gave something back to BSAC and I qualified as an instructor.

Cameron Stoneley
Chairman, and Membership Officer

I first dived in Malta as a teenager and finally joined the club in 2023 to get qualified and get out diving more. I’m now a qualified Ocean Diver and I’m starting my Sports Diver training through the club. I’m particularly interested in Wreck Diving, but mainly I’m keen for any trip that gets me out and under the water.


James Henshaw
Boat, Equipment Officer, and Instructor

James Henshaw

I have been member of Lunesdale 138 since 1997 and became assistance equipment officer from the start. I have held a few posts within the club including boat officer then equipment officer and diving officer. I am presently boat and equipment officer.

I started to learn to dive will BSAC in summer of 1997 at the time the BSAC first level of training was novice 1 and novice 2 today it is ocean diver.  I am presently an advanced diver, open water instructor and boat handling instructor.

I enjoy teaching the boat handling; this gives access to hole new world beyond the skills learned as a diver.

Having skills learned to be able to navigate to a shipwreck and dive out at sea is a real pleasure and is a skill I enjoy even today.
I have really enjoyed my diving throughout the UK and abroad, I had some fantastic diving trips and dived some great shipwrecks also I have made some good friends within Lunesdale and within the diving community over the years and we keep in touch to this day.


Adrian Willan
Instructor 

Adrian and Debbie Willan

My first introduction to diving was a try dive on our wedding anniversary holiday in the warm clear waters of Rhodes that was in 2014 and we have never looked back ….

Myself and my wife joined Lunesdale Divers in 2015 as PADI A.O.W. divers.  Years on we have now progressed to deeper, darker, colder diving in the UK and we’re both still very involved with the club.


Anne Elliott
Secretary

Anne Elliott

I’m qualified as a Dive Leader.  I have been a member of Lunesdale Divers for about 9 years, and have dived in some fantastic locations over that time.

My favourite diving area is St Abbs in southern Scotland, as the scenery and wildlife there is wonderful.


Alf Yates
Treasurer and Instructor

Alf Yates

I’ve been diving for many years and been an Instructor since 2003. I really enjoy seeing trainees develop their diving skills and become confident and safe divers.

I have been a member of the Lunesdale Club since 2019. I was attracted to the club because it offers the opportunity to dive with friends in a wide variety of locations, both locally, in the UK and abroad. One of the attractions of Lunesdale Club was its commitment to going diving safely and supporting all its members with training to develop their skills to enable them to extend their confidence and diving skills.

I’ve been lucky to dive all over the world. Its hard to choose a favourite dive location but for me diving off the west coast of Ireland was fantastic for the sheer variety of dives and superb visibility. Wrecks, sea-life, drifts and caves. My single most memorable dive was in the west of Scotland near the island of Coll which involved diving alongside a massive Basking Shark in gin clear water.


Cath Lee.  Communications

Cath

I joined the club in 2019, but have been diving for much longer.  For the few years immediately prior to that, my diving had been restricted to just holidays abroad, so I was pleased to take up the opportunity of some refresher training for UK diving from the wonderful instructors at Lunesdale Divers.

Since then I’ve enjoyed the many aspects of ‘club life’, especially the opportunity to dive at many different sites with like-minded people. My favourite dive sites tend to be shallow, pretty reefs with an abundance of marine life.