There are lots of great ideas out there for how to keep scuba connections going while we're on lockdown. One of the positives to come out of this may be that there is a lasting legacy of remote meeting to engage scuba divers who can't always make it to club meetings. Your choice of activities will depend on the purpose of engagement. We're trying to bring our friends in the club together to enable people to meet and laugh. If you're doing an activity that brings strangers together then some of what we're doing probably won't work.

In additional to our online meet ups we are connecting with others in the dive industry, party by arranging talks, also by jumping onto other talks and webinars that are being run. We're catching up with our blogging and linking up the amazing dive operators and opportunities that we have in the UK. We're spreading the love by taking time to review our colleagues on social media, and on search engines such as Google.

We have buddied up with other scuba clubs and shops to offer a range of talks. Aquanauts and Amphibians are close by to us and we've so far had chats from Alex Griffin (PADI course director) and John Kean (author). We've Ian France (technical, cave and mine diver) coming up, and Aquanauts are putting on some more talks which we will happily piggy back on.

Here's a few of the other activities that we are enjoying to keep connected until we can blow bubbles.

Pub Quiz

An old favourite but one that can be bent to any group of people. I set up a PowerPoint with a five sets of five questions. I included dive areas in the UK to whet appetites for what we can do for trips next year and to raise awareness of the amazing opportunities on our own doorstep. A picture, with a couple of sentences was enough to get folks talking. The second round was UK marine life, then famous wrecks (both here and around the world), marine life around the world and technical/theory.

We used Zoom to "meet up" and it was easy for me to display the PowerPoint while people typed their entries on the chat feature. Our aim is to have a laugh so we just typed in and points were awarded randomly. 10 points for getting there first. -6 points for bad typing. 4 points for spelling... random assignation and points for the funniest incorrect answer.

You can of course add in prizes (I gave medal emojis!) and have the participants message you directly, but our goal is to meet up and laugh, which we definitely did!

Just A Minute

A big homage to BBC Radio 4. One participant is given a word via the private chat feature and they have to talk for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition (they're allowed to repeat the word or phrase that they have been given). If someone else thinks they have broken the rule then they can "buzz in" and the adjudicator awards the challenger a point, if they have challenged correctly, or a point to the speaker if it's an incorrect challenge. A correct challenge means the challenger takes on the topic. We are making our own noises for the buzzers. When the minute is up you then choose another participant to start the next round. This is a good way to include those who haven't been able to jump in and "buzz".

What/Who Am I?

One participant chooses (or is given) a scuba word or phrase. Others then ask questions via the chat feature that have a yes or no answer. People can guess, and the first person who guesses correctly either takes on the next round, or you can assign points.

Charades

Another classic and set up in a similar way to activities before where a participant is given (or chooses) a scuba related word or phrase and others have to guess what it is.

There are many other games that can be adapted. I'm a huge fan of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue so I take much inspiration from that. You can turn dive manuals into operas, or "Name That Dive Site" by playing a clip of a video. "Medical Complaints" can be funny: give a person a scuba complaint and they have a conversation with a "doctor" who questions them. Throw in some funny answers and questions and it's a laugh. If you're a ISIHAC listener (and have a few buddies that are too) then throw in a round of "Mornington Crescent" for a laugh.