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.  The club currently has a Lead Instructor and six Open Water Instructors. 

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

Greame Robson.  General Committee Member

Graeme RobsonI started diving as a 40th birthday present from my wife Lesley.

I’ve made some great friends and met some interesting people during the last 20 years in Lunesdale and that’s what diving is all about.

My favourite dive site is Scapa Flow but my favourite dive is in the Red Sea on the Thistlegorm as it links back to my home town of Sunderland.


Marie Whittaker.  Treasurer, Membership 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 10 years on and now UK sea, loch, and lake diving are second nature with challenging wrecks, beautiful walls, Farne Island seals and great club trips a key part of my life. 

Outside of diving, I also enjoy long walks with our border collie, gardening, reading and catching up with our grown up family.


Nigel Watson.  Instructor
Nigel WatsonI 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.

Rob Hewitt.  Diving Officer and Instructor

Rob Hewitt. Diving Officer
I’d wanted to learn to dive for years, but when I was younger, none of my friends were interested.  I remember a lads holiday to Tenerife where the local dive centre came round offering try dives in the pool.  I jumped at the chance, but the thought of a night off the beer to be up early for a dive lesson the next day put my mates off. (I later learned that a pint is much better AFTER a good dive!).  Years later a friend from work asked me if I’d be interested in giving diving another try, and I said yes!

So now, I’m the club’s Diving Officer, Instructor, and working towards my Advanced Diver award.

You can learn to dive with other organisations, you will pay for tuition and they will qualify you. But you can’t beat BSAC if you want to be part of a club that keeps you in touch with people who share your interest of the underwater world.  Its true what BSAC says, its all about diving with friends…


Adrian and Debbie Willan.  Instructor and Social Events Organiser Adrian and Debbie Willan
Our 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 ….

We joined Lunesdale in 2015 as PADI A.O.W. divers.  Years on we have now progressed to deeper, darker, colder diving in the UK.

Adrian is a club instructor.  

Debbie is a dive leader and club social/event organiser, planning dive trips both home and abroad, as well as social events such as the Annual Awards night.


Chris Thompson. Boat and Equipment Officer

I’ve always been fascinated by history and shipwrecks so diving was a natural hobby! I also like caving and messing around with boats, land rovers, rebreathers and anything else.

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 really 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.


Anne Elliott.  Secretary
Anne Elliott
I’m qualified as a Sports Diver. I have been a member of Lunesdale Divers for about 6 years and have dived 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.  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.