Page 8 - Bugle Spring 2024

1 RIFLES
SUN, SEA AND SAND
the Dhekelia Water Sports Centre (DWSC)
Paddleboarding at sunset
With the first season now drawing to a close, the 1 RIFLES DWSC team are up and running. It started prior to Christmas 2022, when the OC asked for volunteers to run the DWSC, separate to their day jobs as Riflemen. Since then, we have trained a group of twelve NCOs and Riflemen, over a total of 94 courses, to deliver a massive part of the Cyprus sell.
Service personnel and families are taking the opportunities that can’t be provided back in the UK, where swapping the cold British weather for the turquoise Mediterranean waters provides a way to try something new and develop new skills into new hobbies.
In 2023, the team have seen thousands of novices newly energised in wakeboarding, windsurfing, paddle boarding and water-skiing. Whilst the beach has been a place of education, relaxation; a place to unwind with a drink in hand looking over the Med, normally exclusive to a luxury resort. The families have had talks from the Team’s conservation
experts and learnt about how the DWSC look
after the beach and provide a safe place for
turtles to hatch and start their own journeys.
The Turtle Beach Bar has seen its fair share of heart ache in the rugby World Cup and the Premier League. The team hope to create a space for everyone to come and enjoy, this means a lot of hard work will continue to be put into the bar and the sports equipment. Whether you want to get away from the Block or find a safe space for your kids to play it’s a space for everyone to enjoy.
Rfn Rowe, DWSC
Wakeboarding on a Wednesday afternoon
Turtle Beach
8 RIFLES The Bugle
Service personnel and families are taking the opportunities that can’t be provided back in the UK