Assistant Instructors in the making

Wednesday evening and we got everything going starting out with the course overview and the discussion on the benefits and virtues of PADI. I don't know about the students but I have to say I am ready and eager to get started on the course in earnest on Saturday morning.

The course opening and initial discussions are always good fun. Amongst the participants we have one person who will have done all his courses with Orca and it does make me feel very proud that we have helped him get to this level and to see the results of his efforts.

We also had a couple of BSAC observers in the classroom which does make for interesting discussions when you are talking about the virtues of PADI.

There was a fairly typical mixture of reasons given as to what had started Gill, James and Amanda off as divers but my best one for the night was when Steve told us that he had taken up diving because he couldn't swim. Logical when you think about it...........

After the overview and some fruitful discussions about what attributes make a good diver it was off to the deep pool to run a skill circuit. I am delighted to report that the standards in general were excellent.

All about tomorrow now.

100m and all is well

Gozo was the destination last week with Module 3 Inspiration Trimix TDI qualification the goal. The good news was that travelling with Air Malta makes all the difference in terms of sports luggage. On previous trips to the Maltese islands I have felt like a victim of the Ryan Air rudeness and unhelpfullness campaign. Air Malta were brilliant with an additional sports baggage allowance for divers of 32kg. In short this meant the Rebreather plus enough sofnolime for the week could all be flown without fuss or hassle. Air Malta you deserve the plug.The course has been coming for some time and in the end it worked out more economical to go to Gozo than to ge to Stoney Cove for the weekend. Perhaps a touch warmer too with both air and water temperature at 20C.

The three years that I have had the Rebreather seem to have shot past though there were still some nerves as I headed to the airport to meet up with the others. Getting over to Gozo was a bit of a trek but fortunately all five units arrived in one piece and with just a bit of setting up it was on with the course in earnest.

Our first dive after some theory on Monday morning was to be on air diluent down to 50m. Expecting to be narked and ready to go

with our two side slung stage tanks we all

entered the water at the Inland Sea. By the time we had swum through the opening in the cliffs on down to 50m there is no doubt that me and the others were truly narked. Kaf had a fit of the giggles and

I almost made a complete mess of one of the rebreather drills.

On Tuesday after yet more theory we changed gasses this time introducing some helium and

headed off to a site called middle finger. Another shore dive with some serious deep diving possibilities. Unfortunately Paul discovered a leak in his drysuit and much to his frustration but good judgement he called his dive. It was down to Kaf and eye together with Andy and Pete which gave us one on one supervision. On our way to 72m we stopped at the previous days maximum depth. The difference was amazing. I had always been told this was the case, though even I had not

expected it to be so noticeable. We carried on to our bottom depth at 72m and my head remained totally clear and the whole dive was very comfortable.

Then Andy started throwing 'what if' problems at us to test our understanding and ability to cope with problems. Things like what do you do if you run out of O2 at 100m and what do you do if your computer packs up at 100m? Very daunting as you realise that if these things happened at the end of the dive you wouldn't have sufficient gas to get to the surface if you opted to switch to open circuit. I am pleased to say there are answers but it really does make you think as well as recognise the need to understand what your kit can do and how to run it.

On Wednesday the plan was to dive both HMS Stubborn and the Imperial Eagle. The S class British submarine lies in 55m and is intact albeit that a number of fittings were removed before she was sunk in 1946 as part of sonar training. The Imperial is somewhat shallower but looked like a good option for a second dive to enable us to practice skills.

Having got kitted up it was too late when we realised that our skipper, Tony was next to clueless.

Hanging around as he looked for the wreck was painful. Eventually Andy got in to go and have a look. On his direction we followed him down when he put his SMB up. As instructed I raced down the line to check my cells function. Worked a treat too.

Trouble was we had missed the wreck, the shot line was dragging in the sand and despite 25m viz there was no sign of the submarine. Feeling pretty disappointed we surfaced and realised that the skippers faffing about had also cost us the second dive. Not a memorable day.

On Thursday we went back to Middle Finger with gasses suitable to go to 100m and an intention

of going to 85m first and seeing

how we felt. The day was much calmer and this time we all got in the water as per the plan. At 85m the decision to press on to 100m was an easy one. This took us to the bottom of the impressive middle finger pinnacle. At 20m we did a diluent flush to change gases to a 36% nitrox mix and it was fascinating to watch the decompression obligation tumble by 17 minutes.

The decompression stop at 6m was long enough. Paul encountered another challenge as he lost some buoyancy and had to wedge himself into the rocks. As he lay face down he was ceremonially decorated in a covering of seaweed. Such a shame the camera can't come with me on these dives as it would have made a great shot.

That was it, a great week, excellent company and lots of learning. Next season it starts to get serious with the first dive planned for the mighty Moldavia. Can't wait!

Meanwhile watch out for some Technical courses coming to Orca in the new year.

SMB Diver

I have to confess to not being a big fan of Gildenburgh Water. This is mostly because the visibility is usually awful amongst other things. So on Saturday morning with lashings of rain and strong winds blowing I was not expecting a lot as I picked Gill up far too early in the morning.

We should have realised that fortune was on our side as we swept up the M11 having taken the back route rather than the M25 as the radio announced the M25 had been shut. Bad weather causing accidents. Both Gill and I wondered what on earth we were doing, but such is the draw of diving.

Gildenburgh offered no respite when we arrived. Luke warm tea, howling wind and waves on the water. When John and Lesley arrived I took care to warn them that given the conditions and the normal state of affairs at Gildenburgh the viz was likely to be really poor.

How wrong I was......... a good 10 metres viz and the best I have ever seen in the brick pit. Wow, we could see the whole length of the bus, we could spot it from the platform. We could see the lorry from the bus. I was gobsmacked and delighted.

Enough of that because you couldn't ignore the surface conditions were nothing less than bleak. In fact I was most definitely more comfortable in the water.


The order of the day was SMB Diver specialty. As usual we had already had a fair run at SMB

deployment in the 6m pool at the Film Studios so all that was left was planning the dive and making sure that communications were going to be understood. This is so important when you are working with a buddy to let of DSMBs.

The first dive is all about attached deployment. With plenty of DSMB on board and feeling like a Christmas tree we all headed of for a pleasurable dive. Normally I tell people to keep hold of the lines as we swim between the various attractions. It was good enough not to have to do that and it made such a change to be able to see all the fish.

Having toured around we stopped at the lorry so that Lesley and John could deploy two SMBs each. Both using an auto inflate as well as a traditional inflated version.

For the second dive the stakes changed as it was time to practice mid water deployment. Always a little more challenging. Undertaking a task and trying to keep buoyancy is never an easy task. By focusing on a set point it does become easier. As always we experimented with a couple of techniques. Once again everyone realised that the large reel is so much easier to use than the little small ones that most divers tend to carry. I swear by it, especially in the UK where there is the chance for cold hands.

With eight successfully launched DSMB's enough was enough and it was time to head off but I am very confident that both Les and John will be proficient at the vital skill of deploying and using SMB'.

Busy with life, diving is a blessing!

Since my last blog I must confess life has been pedal to the metal. Work has had to take the driving seat and it has been great fun too. The big event was our National Conference at the end of the month during which we presented an awesome proposition to the team. Big splash time though there can be no doubt the hard work is only just beginning.

No diving in the sea or in any quarries for a couple of weeks so it all seems quite. Anyway it is getting cold and I really do miss the sun and warmth. The dark afternoons just have no fascination for me.

But, whilst I have been run off my feet I have managed to keep my hand in both in Bristol and in Essex and I am pleased to report I am getting in the water proper this weekend.

In Essex my sanity has come from Open Water training with Liam and Corbin. Both great young lads with oodles of personality and a joy to instruct. Corbin has already completed a SEAL Team so moving onto Open Water training is fairly straightforward. Once again demonstrating the benefits of the younger diver programmes.

With Corbin comes his aunt Vicky our latest trainee DM. All our DM's are so very different and Vicky just makes me smile. She is going to be such a good DM because she is so down to earth and approachable. What I really love is that Corbin is already at such a good standard the relationship between the two is jovial and slightly competitive. Love it!

In Bristol I have had more Open Water, one on one with another really capable lass called Steph. It is like a breath of fresh air when you get students that get the skills so easily and when you have work pressures going to the pool and just unwinding with great people really is the business.

Last Tuesday I managed to catch one of our pool sessions in the Deep pool at Basildon. Order of the day was the SMB pool session ready for the Open Water session tomorrow. I lost count in the end though I am sure we let off about 24 DSMB testing out various techniques and using a variety of DSMB's. Should mean we have a good run at it in the morning.

Rescue Course all change

Those who read my blog on a regular basis will know that one of my favourite courses to run is the Rescue Course. We started another one this Tuesday which Andy is leading so I know it will be a great course. This time it will be different as the latest PADI Training update pronounced changes to the course requirements.

I can remember the last significant change which meant being able to conduct the Open Water section on one day amongst other things. Now the Open Water section has been shortened from four to two scenarios. On the face of it the move makes a lot of sense. If I were choosing which scenarios to keep because I only wanted two it would be the missing diver and the unconscious diver at the surface too.

No more spurious badly gashed legs indicated by labels underwater then!

The rationale given by PADI for the change is also sound:
This scenario refinement further and more clearly defines the separation between development and assessment. During the 10 rescue exercises, divers are developing – learning how to perform rescue components in a skill-building approach. The scenarios are an evaluation of skills learned in the development phase, similar to the IDC development/ IE (assessment) process. Scenarios focus on student divers role-playing and being appropriately responsive to realistic diving emergencies– demonstrating that they have mastered their newly acquired skills.

All is good and very rationale though I will continue to believe that a greater range of scenarios run over two days does add something different. The truth is I always love the bonding and teamwork that emerges when you put students through their paces on the Open water section. I am therefore concerned that this element may get lost with the possibility of just two scenarios even if they are the right ones to take.

It does also increase the importance of the pool work and to give students great value a real emphasis on the skill development and sessions must be in place.

As Andy starts the rescue course one of the things he and the students will appreciate is that they are in the deep pool. This pool has real advantages when it comes to practicing lifts and I believe that we end up with students that are exceptionally good at controlled lifts as a result.

The first session is the one that often get spun through quickly and I know that you just can't do that. Revision of the basic skills from the Open Water course is not just a race through to get to the new skills. Too often I have found that students don't have the basics from which to build.
Tonight Andy will run through all the basics with emphasis on weight belt dumping. It needs to be an automatic response for the distressed diver on the surface and I for one am distressed by reading every year about another diver who made the surface but then sunk below the waves and lost their lives.

So to the point shortening the Open Water scenario requirements must not and cannot lead to a lessening of the experience for the student. At Orca we are offering our students option of a two day Open water section. The first will now be scenario practice and could well include some of the scenarios now dropped. The second day will then be the formal assessment and run exactly as per the new directive.

This means the group doing the rescue get to bond and start to get the team working benefit. I believe this will be offering great value and I also think that even if the team all worked through the ten scenarios in the pool together they will find this of benefit.

I can#t wait to see how our latest Rescue students turn out.

Enjoy the course, love your diving!

Try Dives all day!

Some Saturdays are busier than others and yesterdays is up at the top for non stop stuff. With half term upon us in Essex and most of the local schools having had the previous Friday off too the Orca team took to two local pools and provided an endless stream of try dives. In the morning the team, organised by Gary, spent time at James Hornsby school offering try dives and then from 1pm we were the guests at South Woodham Liesure centre.

During the afternoon and early evening we had six separate sessions for different groups. The sessions started with children and juniors before moving on to parent and child and family group sessions. Last of all we had the sessions for just adults.

As is often the cases the participants ranged in their reactions to the first experience of diving underwater. Some get straight in and take to it all naturally so the biggest effort is in actually slowing them down as they race off like rockets from the moment the kit is on. Others need to deal with nerves and take a little bit more time and attention to get going.

The team is well versed in dealing with all types of challenges as well as those with handicaps because both myself and Gary are IAHD Instructors. The people putting in the hard work throughout the day were James, Gill, Nick and Mel while Amanda covered the Academy.

Gill our most recently qualified Divemaster and now Discover Scuba Leader did an absolutely outstanding job as she was the only member of the team who stayed in the water for every single session. Probably won't need a bath for weeks after all that water.

Meanwhile Nick our trainee Divemaster took the opportunity to complete one of his required stamina swims which proved such hard work he had to get out of the pool early and go off to a family do.

Personally I lost count of the number of people we saw but the paperwork is mounted up back at the Academy ready to process and it does look like quite a big pile.

I still love watching people get under the water for the first time and it was very obvious listening to the chat in the changing rooms that everyone had a really good time. Once again the frisbee was very popular as our new divers played with it during every session quickly adapting to the underwater experience whilst concentrating on the whirling disc.

I am sure we will also be seeing a number of those who had such fun coming back to us to start an Open Water Course or to join our active PADI SEAL Team.

Orca started out doing some big events offering try dives with our largest being the International Scout Jamboree. We should be pretty good at it by now but it still gives me immense pleasure to see the team in action. Making sure everyone that turns up ends up in the right kit with fins and mask that fit and with air in the tank takes some organisation.

It certainly makes me realise what a great team we have got and how amazingly hard Gary has worked to get this sort of event running. I still love nothing better than introducing people to our sport but I know I couldn't do it without the people around me so on this occasion I want to take the opportunity on my behalf and on behalf of all the participants to say an enormous thank you to Gary and the rest of the team.

PS The are loads more photographs on the Orca Facebook site.

Back to Stoney Cove

It certainly felt like slipping back in time on Saturday morning as we joined the line of cars waiting to get into Stoney Cove at unmentionable o'clock in the morning. Having travelled up on Friday night and arrived at past midnight I have to admit to some level of tiredness. At least we were welcomed at the hotel with a drink from the bar.

The mad dash up was because as always I needed to do some instruction on Open Water before going up. Session four which all went well and it should now be plain sailing to finish the course next week.

We were also staying in a new hotel, nearer to Stoney and somewhat different. It was such a good idea to try somewhere new because I have to admit the place we used to use has pretty much lost its appeal.

Dave and I were the only ones to get up at stupid o'clock because Mel had booked a space. I don't go with paying the extra for a worse parking spot myself and find very little reason to lounge around in bed. Anyway it gave me a chance to catch up on some reading.

Numbers were down in terms of students but between Mel and myself coupled with our desire to provide good instructional diving we still had plenty to do.

On Saturday I started with a deep dive as part of the Advanced course taking Lauren and Andrew gently down the road. Vis was awful to say the least and Stoney was about as crowded as you may expect. All went off well with both students taking considerably longing completing their timed task than on the surface.

Meanwhile Mel was getting on with an Open Water dive and a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive.

The day was over too quickly as it happened but we did manage to get on the new wreck sunk in September on our last dive. The Defiant is fairly easy to locate from the stern of the Stanegarth. On a bearing of 130 she lies almost directly astern but in the vis could be easy to miss. Fortunately we didn't but it was a close call.

The Defiant looks good though she is a little tight for penetration so a certain amount of care is required. It is a shame the vis was so poor because I would have liked to have got some good shots; but at least I could make out the name.

Sunday was much the same. very crowded and poor vis. I had a burning desire to find a Pike to show the students and managed this on the second dive. Unfortunately I did not get the Lauren, Vicky and Dave in a good enough position to see, though we managed to find another in the gloom under the pub.

Our last dive proved to be the most interesting as we once again went for the defiant. This time with somebody else leading we managed a miss. Using my instincts I tried and failed to get us back on track and in the end having only succeeded in finding minis I had to head for the cliff face. Instead of the Defiant we ended up exploring the Wessex and the Commer van.

On the way back we found Bill clinging to the DC-10 with Olly keeping him down. His loss of buoyancy turned out to be due to a dropped weight pocket. Thankfully Olly was on the money as a buddy and Bill managed a perfectly safe ascent.

All in all a good weekend including a catch up with some old friends with reminiscing about old times and acquaintances.

Keep diving......

Cleaning the River

It's that time of year once again and members of the Orca team with friends set off to see what rubbish they could retrieve from the Chelmer in the middle of Chelmsford town centre. As usual Gary masterminded the operation getting everyone to the centre early and making sure all had a good time as they found a variable haul of yuk.

The weather was just about spot on as the recent rain held off and we had a pleasant autumnal day. That meant the crowds gathered as the passed over the bridge near Argos spotting the bubbles moving up and down through the water below.

I must confess that I did not get in the water myself but I was there is spirit. I am told that the visibility is actually ok and that there are plenty of fish in the water too. To be fair I could see the fish as I watched from the pavement.

The haul this year included the same range of shopping trolleys, plates glasses and general rubbish. One handbag and several pieces of scrap metal and drainpipe were also recovered.

Having spent all morning with divers the Mayor and his good lady happened along to encourage all and to provide a photo opportunity. I tried but failed to tempt him into the water, on the basis that I hadn't got in, that seemed fair.

I do promise that I will get in next year and not just take pictures from the side but it is a great thing that so many people jump in to do their bit including Lewis who came back from University in Brighton just for the clean up.

Well done to James, Michaela, Gillian, Mel, Steve, Gary, Lauren, Barry, Andy, Lewis and all the others.

Just in case the instructing seemed slow

As ever I have been involved in all sorts of courses over the last couple of weeks though undaunted I still can't wait until the next one. To be honest I am really looking forward to teaching the wreck specialty if no other reason that I have such a passion for the subject myself.

That all start with a presentation in the classroom at the weekend and completes with the open water dives at Stoney Cove and I can't wait to get on the new wreck the Defiant. It will be a real explore for me as well as the students.

Meanwhile the list of activities continues to grow. I recently completed another Equipment course and was delighted to see several returnee student who came for a repeat having done the course previously. The more the merrier and especially as I managed to get my grotty old Mares mask lovingly cleaned once again. Makes me think that I should book to run this course at least twice a year so that all my kit gets a regular going over.

I still love the variety of questions that come from running this course. This time round we spent quite some time on dry suits. One topic was the location of a dry suit dump valve. To cuff or shoulder that is the question. Personally I have always preferred a cuff dump. It is was what I learned to use and so now it feels comfortable. I have mine placed under the wrist to assist with my photography. Others prefer shoulder dumps for similar reasons, it is simply what they've been taught with and got used to. The important thing is that it all works so when you want to dump so to speak. you are certain that you have.

My own suit came with a shoulder dump and I had it changed. It does mean that under the carefully placed patch there is a big hole that will always be there but only I know that. I was intrigued to learn that despite having been on a dry suit course somebody else I have been speaking to recently had no idea of the options at all but then she also went on to confess that in open water she had not been asked to complete any skills. This type of thing really does worry me and I wonder how some Instructors can get away with such sloppy and poor standards.

In addition to the Equipment course I have been fortunate enough to start working with another two Divemaster students and once again I threw the into the deep end on the exam front so they are both underway with clean first time passes in Physics.

Finally I have been working on an Open Water course and have been very capably joined by Nick on the trainee DM side. I haven't told him this as yet so he may blush if he gets to read this but he is a natural. Helpful, friendly and very good at relaxing people. What a pleasure though we must both remember that a 12 litre tank in serious weight lifting for Liam!

Keep on Diving

Lyme Regis

At last I got out for diving and this time there was not a student in sight just a bunch of people from Bristol intent on having a good day despite the drizzle that persisted. It is great to be with a group of people that you don't know and for me it meant concentrating on doing my thing.

Rebreather at the ready I couldn't wait. The trip was on the Blue Turtle out of Lyme Regis both of which were new to me.

Lyme Regis is picturesque and if I have visited before I certainly can't recall. It has a natural harbour and some decent beaches and all looked really very pleasant.

Getting on the boat meant dropping the gear of at the harbour and then parking the car at the top of a hill about half a mile away but for only a £1 for the day it was worth the exercise.

The plan was to dive the Ailsa Craig a British steamer sunk in 1918 by a German torpedo. I tried in vain to get much more detail. The wreck lies about 11 miles off the coast and fortunately the sea was in a good state despite the rain so the trip out was relaxing.

I was looking to get the chance for another solo dive but as the boat was full of twin sets I ended up buddying up to dive the wreck that lies in 36 metres of water. Visibility was not brilliant and it was quite dull when we reached the bottom of the shot line but there to greet me was a magnificent John Dory.

Turning to the right of the shot line we explored the wreck and were amazed at the fish life, mostly Pouting but Bass were about too. I also saw several large Lobsters and Crabs but took only photographs which was challenging enough as the water was ladden with silt.

The second dive was a drift on the West Tennants reef and whilst I listened to our skipper Doug telling us that the dive would have something for everyone including plenty of scallops as usual I wasn't too excited by drifting. I was very wrong. The sea bed was gloriously covered in pink sea fans and the life was prolific. Dog fish were everywhere and there were numerous schools of fish at every turn. More John Dory and enough scallops to feed an army. In fact I would rate this as one of the best drift dives every in the UK.

A very full bag of scallops, a pint and some chips and I was back to Bristol. At the point of writing I have just savoured a supper expertly cooked up for me in return for bringing my haul back.

Wonderful.......................

Dive Site: Ailsa Craig

Location: 50 33'N 002 47'W Lyme Regis

Description: British steamship

Length: 56m x 8.5 m x3.5metres 601 tons

Depth: 33m -36metres

The Ailsa Craig was built in 1906 and spent most of her life carrying coal. On the 15th April 1918 she was on a run from Cardiff to Weymouth with a load of coal on board when she was attacked by the German submarine UB-80. The U-Boat sent a torpedo that struck home amidships and the Ailsa Craig sank quickly on the spot.

The wreck site has been partially salvaged and though she is now somewhat broken up there is still plenty of superstructure to explore. The bow section sits twisted to starboard but remains essentially upright extending at least 7 metres from the sea bed.

The boiler and engine are fairly much intact in the midships but much of the stern section is now badly damaged. There is plenty of life to see including large lobsters and crabs and the inevitable conger in the boilers. There was also a John Dory on the day I visited.

The bottom composition is fairly silty so you do need to take care with buoyancy. It is advisable to dive just before slack so that if you do kick anything up on the descent then at least the current will take it away.

I would certainly recommend the site and will be visiting again given the chance.

Rugby and Diving

The rugby season is back on for me with a vengeance. Well at least in coaching terms and the boys had their first game of the season on Sunday. It is always good to get the cobwebs blown away and there can be no doubt at all that there is some rustiness to the game play.

I coach rugby because I love it and in particular I love seeing the team develop and win because they start to get things right. If there is a downside it must be that I am sometimes torn between the rugby and diving but overall I believe that it makes for a good balance and the truth is I learn from both.

As I often think in terms of the crossover learns between scuba diving and other areas of life I found myself considering this the other day as I watched the boys lose their opening game. The reason that I think in terms of transferring a learn from one area to another is because as every decent Instructor will tell you making connections like this advances learning and understanding exponentially.

So here are some obvious similarities and I am sure you can think of more. At the start of the season players are rusty and have even forgotten some of the basics. If that involves tackling techniques it could quickly lead to injuries. In diving this is just the same, if you lay off for a while you need to get some practice in before getting out to sea. It is why we offer Scuba Reviews and skill tune ups.

Obviously with young lads over the course of the summer break shapes and sizes have changed as have fitness levels. Those that haven't kept themselves fit have a nasty shock when they get back to playing. Yep it is just like that in Scuba Diving but as yet we have not got a course for keeping fit through PADI. Maybe we could get a distinctive fit for diving specialty going.

Personalities haven't changed too much and the boys were quickly back into their banter with the loud ones still loud. I guess in diving that is true to and we do get all sorts. There are some people that we would always choose to be around as they are fun and full of life but as an Instructor I have to admit that some people are fascinating because they are the opposite.

Fortunately all the team are really great as are the vast majority of people in diving.

On the pitch the real reasons that I believe we lost were down to daft mistakes and bad communication. With coaching we can try and eliminate the daft mistakes but in reality I guess all of us will still make them. Then what is important is how you react when you do.

Again that is so very true in Diving. We train and coach people to improve skills and understanding so that mistakes are less likely and we also train to make sure the diver can deal with things when something does happen.

Bad communication covers a whole load of sins. In diving we advocate the buddy system and a good buddy pair will mean anticipating each other and noticing the little differences in what each other is doing that become the cues for action. Good communication is about dive planning and about understanding each others capabilities and states of mind.

A scrum half and fly half that have really good communication in a rugby team provides a winning edge that is irresistible. Once you get a pair in those positions that truly click it takes a very brave or dull coach to separate them. In truth that is true across the team. I hope that as the season progresses the boys will appreciate the importance of communication and rapport because they will grow extraordinarily.

If you are a diver and you have a true buddy then cultivate it and never let it go it is priceless. A good buddy should be complimentary, slightly challenging and excellent company. Should be supportive and must be a rock when it all goes wrong.

It is true that I have been solo diving a couple of time recently and with the correct training this can also be exhilarating just as a solo try run in over the length of the pitch can be. But the game is won through a team effort.

My final similarity is the social side. Yep, us rugger buggers do like an occasional beer and the banter. Yep us divers do to, thankfully both are social sports which suits me to the ground. Both are full of characters that make life so rich.

Army days

Saturday night may once have been the traditional night to spend out on the town, but not if you are a diving Instructor with 17 Army cadets out for a try dive experience. By the time I turned up with the rest of the staff at the Deep Pool Gary was already there and the cadets dressed in their greens were all standing in an ordered line. I am just not used to this normally there is just a rabble of people, I almost felt obliged to do a quick inspection. I passed on the offer preferring to find a way to split the group so that we could take half in at a time.

Gary in an amazing demonstration of organisation had all the kit ready by the poolside so I simply asked who wanted to get straight in and who wanted a full briefing beforehand. Now of course I could have just split the group in two but the reality is that some people prefer a more extensive briefing others probably aren't going to listen anyway and just want to get on and get stuck in.

The first group went straight into the pool with Gary in charge and with some nervousness on my part in charge of my camera. I stayed outside with Gill and conducted a reasonable thorough briefing. The lad were full of questions and really kept my on my toes. I took the opportunity of showing them the amount of pressure in a cylinder and of course they each then had to have a go at placing their faces in front of the air blast. I must admit it is very funny watching their cheeks billow in the air.

Briefing over and the lads went quickly down to the observation glass to see their mates getting in the water. My cue to go and take over the camera. Gary with his sense of humour couldn't resist telling me I had run out of film and that the case was flooded........ha ha, he would of course be dead.

By the time I got in the adult staff were in their element and most of the cadets were in the process of submerging. Soon afterwards they were all on the bottom of the pool throwing the Frisbee around and looking pretty comfortable. Seeing their mates in the observation window was like offering honey to bees as they all swarmed round waving and larking about.

Change over was fun as we organised our way through chaos and puzzled that one of the cylinder had somehow ended up with only 50 bar. Can't help wonder which of the cadets was the air guzzler. I'll leave them to try and figure that one out.

The second group in the water were much the same. A couple struggling to get all the way down but in reality they all did really well and there are some natural divers amongst them. Just as before there was plentiful use of the Frisbee and a fascination for seeing who was looking through the observation window.

As the session ended the cadets returned after changing and took all the gear downstairs for us. What a pleasure and what a great bunch for doing that.

It appeared to us that the troop really enjoyed their evening and in truth so did the staff. I would really like to see this bunch back in the future whether to learn to dive properly or just for another play.

At the end of the evening I was glad that it was the cadets that went off to sleep under canvas and I went home to my bed.

M25 is not condusive to scuba

At last we are back in the pool on our Friday night slot only we are now in a new pool and very nice it is too. Gary and the team had been hard at it all day giving try dives from first thing in the morning as we progress with our work in local schools.

The good news this week is that we have become an official provider of scuba training for Essex County council. This week has also seen Gary and Amanda nailing down our child working policies to allow us to extend Orca's sphere of operation. Getting all this type of thing documented along with CPD checks is hard work but while it is necessary in this day and age it is also very useful because it has made us think and put in place some very sensible provisions for the business.

We couldn't have done this without help from Amanda who brings some experience to the task with her legal education background. What is quite amusing is that for certain agencies who require sight of your policies for such things they hold the power to tell you it's not up to scratch, but won't tell you why. The deal is you need a Child Protection Policy but you have to figure out what it should say and don't ask us..........Still I am very glad as an organisation we now have one in place.

Distracted there for a moment back to the new pool and the fact that I almost gave up trying to get there. I left Bristol this week with tons of time to spare. What I didn't count on was the complete closure of the M25 just as I got on it. At first when this happens you don't know what is going on so you are quite relaxed. I always get quite a bit of phoning done in the car in any event so it is often very like a mobile office. After you have sat still for a while you start getting friends ring you up to warn you that the motorway is closed. "I know I am sitting on it!"

I love that friends are concerned enough to call it does help cheer you up. But then you realise the blockage is set to last for six hours. Boy is that frustrating but at least I wasn't the poor Lorry driver because it is more than just his Friday that is lost.

So following a major detour and eventually a quiet stretch of motorway I managed to get to the Academy half an hour late instead of four hours early. The classroom was full of the new SEAL team being entertained by Gary. Liam my new Open Water student was ready and waiting all his knowledge reviews diligently completed and me with no time left to brief him or my new trainee DM. Aghhhhhh

At least because Gary and Amanda had been at Castleton pool doing IAHD try dives all the kit was already at the poolside.

Straight to the pool then. Gary already had the SEALs lined up in the shower. In the new pool everyone has to shower before getting in the water, explains why it so clear. It was such a relief to get in myself and even better to discover that Liam is going to be a natural. We worked through OW session one and he showed wonderful composure and was a joy to train.

One other really nice thing about the pool is that it is warm.

Good to be back, good to not be on the M25, good to look forward to an enjoyable time in the new pool.

Lundy Island Seals

On Thursday I took the opportunity to take the day off and get down to Lundy for a spot of diving. A place had come up with Obsession charters who we have booked with in the past so it was a chance to catch up with the team too. This time it was on Obsession II which I have to report is a great boat. I also jumped at the chance because I didn't make the earlier Orca trip this year and Lundy really is a favourite place to dive.

After a mild panic on the way from Bristol due to the sat nav taking an odd detour I managed to get on the boat just as she was leaving. Wind and weather looked fine with the prevailing wind being easterly. This meant diving on the west side of the island so we would be sheltered. The trip over from Ilfracombe was slightly choppy and I had a chance to meet with the group none of whom I had known previously but as they were all divers rapport was quickly established.

On the west side of the island we found a spot near Jenny's bay where there was plenty of seal activity. Rebreather on my back in I jumped buddied with the trip organiser Steve. Unfortunately Steve's dive was to end shortly after it began as he had the wrong mask, a slipping weight belt and everything else going on. Once again as in several other recent dives I found myself going solo.

After about 8 minutes of the dive I was approached by a beautiful dappled seal and the two of us proceeded to sit in a gulley at 12 metres studying each other and playing for the best part of forty minutes. Starting some distance off the seal was clearly interested possibly in the yellow box on my back, but most likely in it's own reflection in the camera lens.

I am sure we would have made an odd sight as we both laid on the bottom and mirrored each others action. The seal would lay on the floor and roll, so I did the same. I picked off a piece of kelp and waved, the seal bit off a bit of kelp. We also played an amusing game of hide an seek with a rock that was directly in front of me.

At one point the seal came within in inches and rolled on its back as though it wanted its tummy tickled.

After a while I started to swim off only to be mobbed by more seals who came in and starting pulling at my fins and spinning playfully in front of me.

We had agreed a maximum bottom time of one hour and I have to say I was incredibly reluctant to leave the bottom. When I did the seals followed and continued their playful antics on the surface. What an amazing experience.

There was no way the second dive after lunch was going to match up. At least Steve got a full dive and while we saw seals again it was nothing like the earlier encounter.

The trip back to Ilfracombe was considerably more bumpy as we motored against the prevailing wind. As I drove back to Bristol it was easy to reflect on such a wonderful day and to be truly thankful for the chance to enjoy my favorite hobby.

Swanage Wreck information - Fleur de Lys

Dive Site: Fleur de Lys / Swanage Bay drift
Location: 50°37.4N; 001°56.0W Swanage Bay
Description: Fishing boat wreck & drift dive
Length: 16.4 metres (54 feet)
Depth: 13 metres (43 feet)

The Fleur is a relatively recent wreck and while she is fairly small she is a great dive fro novices. The boat was built in France in 1969 and was bought by her British owners in 1989. She sank on 16th April 2000 following an on board explosion.

The Fleur was returning from a fishing trip and was on route to Brixham with four people on board. The hot water system had started to malfunction and it has been reported that steam was coming out of the hot water taps. A pressure build up in the hot water storage tank led to the explosion that was severe enough to rupture the oak hull. This was near Portland Bill and the four crew all managed to get off the boat despite the life raft failing. Attempts were made to tow the stricken vessel to Poole but to no avail so she was abandoned in her current position just inside Swanage bay.

The wreck is now permanently marked. The site is small and the wreck is now substantially broken up. There is plenty of life on her with Bib, lobsters and crab in evidence. The depth and size means the wreck can be thoroughly explored. The recommendation is to take at least twenty minutes looking in all the nooks and crannies before coming off and drifting into Swanage Bay.

Once off the wreck the drift is not too inspiring and the mud in the area does lead to poorer vis. You should still see crabs, dogfish and gobbies along the way.

Swanage Wreck information - Betsy Anna

Dive Site: Betsy Anna
Location: 50°36.979N; 001°49.964W, near Swanage
Description: 808 ton collier
Depth: 24 metres

This wreck was my best dive site of the weekend with brilliant visibility, great conditions and an abundance of life.

The Betsy Anna presents a sad tale with an unusual double sinking.

She was built as a steel collier in 1892 at Newcastle and was used to run coal around Europe making trips into the Baltic and Med.

In 1926 she hit the rocks at Prawle Point in Devon and sunk. She was sold to salvagers who re floated her on high tide with the aim of towing her to Cowes on the Isle of Wight for full repairs. As she was being towed on October 11th she met bad weather and the gale force winds snapped the tow line and she started to take water once more and she sank for the second time in her current location.

The wreck is now mostly flattened the sea bed though the outline of the ship is plain to see. The bows still rise off the gravel floor as do the boilers and several winches. She has become home to tremendous array of life including an abundance of Bib several very large lobsters, edible crab, conger and a few wrasse.

We dived her on perfect slack and had plenty of time to explore the variety of nooks and crannies provided by the remaining superstructure. Most of the dive will be spent at 20 - 25 metres so you do need to watch bottom times. There is enough to see to keep you occupied for well over an hour especially if the vis is as good as on our dive.

Swanage Wreck information - Kyarra

Dive Site: The Kyarra
Location: 50°34.90N; 01°56.59W (Swanage)
Description: 6953 ton twin masted schooner-rigged steamer
Length: 126 metres
Depth: 18 metres to top of wreck, 30 metres to seabed

The Kyarra was originally built as a luxury passenger cruiser on the Clyde. She was fitted out in some style and run by an Australian company for both passengers and cargo from her launch in 1903.In 1914 she was requisitioned by the British government and converted for use as a hospital ship.

On 26th May 1918 just months after she had been released from government control she was sailing along the south coast towards Plymouth when disaster struck. She was hit amidships on the port side by a torpedo released from the German submarine UB-57 under the command of Oberleutnat Lohs. The captain of the Kyarra, Captain Donovan, was in no position to evasive action and the ship sank in 20 minutes with the loss of six lives.

She lies at the point she was stuck and is now a popular and fascinating wreck. Over the years she has given up many goodies for those that would treasure hunt including quite a few brass fittings. Her holds contained perfume and vinegar bottles and to this day new discoveries are still being made as the sea bed is disturbed by tide and weather conditions. Gold watches and other trinkets have also been recovered and several artifacts can be found that can be seen on display in Divers Down on the pier at Swanage.

The wreck is typically alive with sea life including zebra gobies and dogfish. It is quite usual to see fairly large lobsters and congers deep inside the main wreck.