Rescued

What a glorious weekend for an Instructor. If anybody ever questioned if it was worth being an Instructor then they should have come and joined in on our Rescue Course this weekend. I am sure that some may say I am waxing lyrical however it is such a buzz to meet great people from all walks of life, to instantly find a rapport and watch them gel as a team while having fun.

In truth I gave up the chance for a day out on Saturday to go and watch England vs Barbarians and as much as I love rugby I know this was much more rewarding. It is also amazing the knowledge that you can pick up along the way. For example I now know that certain millipedes secrete iodine and cyanide and that they can stain your hands. It's daunting thought I appreciate though I can now fully appreciate Kate's fascination with her job at Colchester Zoo and more, I am completely envious that her job means that she may get to dive with the Sea Lions.

As always the day began with the academics, knowledge reviews and practical demonstrations. Also on the course was Billie my daughter so she made a perfect stooge for showing techniques for resuscitation.

Sadly Danny wasn't able to join us on Sunday as we caught reports that he was unwell though his bigger concern was that he may not feel well enough to tidy the flat before his girlfriends imminent return. Hopefully we will catch up with him when he is on the mend. Thinking that the malaise had been caused by something eaten I did notice that whilst pretending to listen there was a fair amount of food checking going on.

Just before lunch we mastered the final exam and I made everyone do it just for fun. The team got impressive results with Kate top of the class on 98% just pipping Nick and James on 96%. Lou was equally impressive as she had only used the course as a refresher but she still managed to fly through even without covering as much of the course reading. Overall the academic side for this course was very strong despite everyone sitting pretending that they felt they had failed before I gave them their scores. Of course the offer is always there for anybody to resit if they need proof that it has sunk in properly.

At the pool we had a lot to get in including the fine art of lifting unresponsive divers. Before we started a small scenario was run to allow the team to spot diver stress. They were given a spoof Maltese site briefing involving a a wreck dive to 35 metres with a 20 metre blue water swim and an instruction that if they hadn't found the wreck after 20 metres then they had gone too far. Just to make it interesting the team were joined by a very stressed Graham happily pointing out that this was only his third dive so he was a little apprehensive. At the same time Amanda was actually stressed in a different way having arrived at Basildon pool rather than Rayliegh. whoops.

Eventually the team chose not to dive and it was the right call and it set the to me for some good decision making through the rest of the day.

Lifting went extremely well as I always spend extra time on technique and buoyancy before getting to lift the bodies. I would love to see the team in action in deeper water but on this demonstration they will do very well.

Recovering non-responsive divers on the surface and in water resuscitation proved to be challenging. I am sure all the team will now have the mantra of buoyancy, buoyancy, weight belt, weight belt , mask and regs, check for breathing (10 seconds look listen and feel), call for assistance, two rescue breaths, firmly implanted in their heads. Don't worry folks it will serve you well.

The practice on this part of the course demand a lot from the assistants as they have their noses pulled, heads wrenched and faces dunked as an entirely necessary part of the learning process.Amanda, Colin, Graham and Lou desire a big thankyou for being the guinea pigs. What I really love is that they did it with a smile.

With all the skills cracked it was time to throw in more than the required scenarios for practice and application. Generally speaking this is the best part of the course as you get a chance to put everything into action.

I always stress that there is no right way to get the rescue completed but that you can learn through practice and through analysis of what may have been a better approach to a particular scenario.

As always it comes down to another of my favorite mantras, stop, think, act. The art of a great rescue is down to leadership, delegation and teamwork. For Nick, James, Billie and Kate it was going on.

I am certain this team will fly through the Open Water section of the course even without me there to play dastardly.

To all involved in the weekend a big thank you, you were great.

To the Rescue

This weekend I am relishing the opportunity to get stuck into a Rescue course. It seems ages since I have instructed one but I hadn't forgotten how much fun they could be particularly when you get a really good crowd and this weekend I have that good fortune. Good news as I needed a lively bunch as I find myself not sleeping well at present.

As a bonus I am working with Colin and Graham our Assistant Instructors and it has been a shamefully long time since I had that chance.
We have ended up with six people on the course in one way or another and they are already gelling well which might explain why having returned to the centre at gone five, we left Gary to mind the store and managed to spend a considerable time in the pub discussing the days proceedings and enjoying the warm evening air.

So far we have managed to pack a lot into one day and it has to be fair that I am already putting all the students through their paces. The course always starts with a review of self rescue skills mostly taken from Open Water. It is always amazing to me how many incidents can be avoided by simply putting into practice set procedures to ensure that are eliminating risk before you get under water.


Having revised and practiced cramp removal we seemed to have sparked a couple of actual cramps as people got used to the pool temperature. Good timing I would suggest.


Colin and Graham relished their role playing and have lost none of the ability to become convincing panicked divers. A few friendly dunkings were in order and I believe that the students, one and all will be far more wary as a result.

As is often the case on the rescue course the name of the game is teamwork. We have all today seen the importance of both working as a team, trusting each other and taking time to assess and control responses to emergency situations. I always prefer to see a group stay together throughout the whole course through both Confined Water and Open Water sections because the team bonding that occurs is so beneficial and always assists learning. Try as we might this can't happen with this group and it does look like we will have to accommodate some different Open Water dates.

Tomorrow we tackle lifts and unresponsive diver situations and while I am writing this I am sure that the students are all completing their emergency plans and I am really looking forward to seeing them in the morning.

I will always remember my own rescue course a great fun alongside the course I taught for Colin and Graham. I am pleased to report we are working in the same league. What a great day.

Specialty Instructor of the Month

I had just got back to Essex when I had a phone call from Gill who had been up in the Farnes for the weekend. I missed the call but got the message. Gill has won the PADI Specialty of the month competition for April. She gets a voucher for PADI stuff and a PADI beach mat as well as a certificate. I was chuffed to bits to hear the news as Gill is both a delightful person and a very rewarding student so it couldn't happen to a more wonderful person.

I will now be keeping fingers crossed for the big prize at the end of the year that could see Gill jetting off on a holiday.

I totally forgot that there was a PADI Specialty Instructor of the month award too, so despite what I had been told I didn't register as I picked up my post and saw the big envelope from PADI. Inside was a very nice letter and a certificate. I am also due a PADI rucksack and that couldn't have come at a better time.

Maybe somebody is smiling on me after all.....................................

Thanks Gill.

and so it is back to the real world.

Today was billed as the best day weather wise of the long weekend. Now that we are travelling home it does seem to be that but, out amongst the islands there was a definite chill in the air.

We took the early boat this morning to catch the tide and it was all a bit frantic to get out of the harbour as the water was falling rapidly. Once again there were eight of us though today's couple joining us, were not as friendly as Bill and Mel. With no wind the diving promised to be excellent and visibility was looking good. I am pleased to say I was not the only one singing this morning as Nikki gave a rendition of "you never make me scream" by Lilly Allen. Not that I have ever quite got my head around that song.

I had to change the sofnolime on the way out to the islands so the flat seas were welcome. Our first site this morning was Knives Stone where for the second time we bumped into the crew up from Bristol. They managed to resist offers to come over to the boat and have a go on the breather. Later folks, I promise.

Once in the water everything clicked and we had a very enjoyable dive on a truly beautiful site covered in Dahlia anemones. We went deep once again to start out and both Gill and Amanda had a go at a timed task which went off without a hitch. Then it was off toexplore the site which is covered in well broken wreckage giving plenty of cover for lobsters and an array of other crustacious life.

There were plenty of seals basking on the rocks when we got in but none showed us any attention so generally we just followed the reef wall around admiring the beauty. Towards the end of the dive Amanda managed to get to the surface missing my safety stop. No real problem as we had been swimming at 5 metres for some time.

The second dive was on the Blue caps, a very nice site that I have done previously. By comparison with the first dive this was a bit barren but once again the sea bed was alive. Several species of flat fish were spotted and unlike most of the other sites where seals are present here we saw several Ballan Wrasse. For some reason I found the last dive very cold, maybe I had just got chilled to the bone earlier. In fact Amanda chose to sit it out in part because of the cold and in part because her dry suit zip has seen better years. For the previous four dives I had to conduct running repairs by adjusting the teeth to allow the zip to open. Amanda will now be on the market for a new suit.

Coming back into the harbour was sad as it meant the end.

We managed to pack up and go back to Southfield House for a shower and then a quick stop for obligatory fish and chips. Now I am sitting in the back of Kelly's truck racing down the A1.

It was a lovely weekend and the company was excellent so thank you to all my friends for your company, I only trust you enjoyed yourselves and will be back on the UK scene soon.

A few photos willfollow shortly.

Over and out................

Seals all over

The diving today was superb made even better by the glorious sunshine. As we set off this morning for a late start at 10am the sun had already warmed the world and it seemed that everyone had decided to descend on the harbour side. As Kelly drove us into the car park we became stuck in a traffic jam of people. It seemed they had all decided to visit the islands and just to start their trips they were all having guide talks on the harbour walls. We entertained them with some Perry Como and sparkling repartee.

Eventually we got on the boat our party now down to eight for the day. That gave us plenty of space and somehow we seemed to be able to use it all. Spirits were high from the off, buoyed by the sunshine and the flat seas. I had a look at Kelly's inflator to see I could spot where he was leaking and was confident that we had found the cause.

First dive was deep with both Amanda and Gill having the opportunity to look at the effects of pressure on objects at depth. On the breather the computer is set to change PPO2 automatically and as this kicked in at 25 metres I had a slight moment of as a cell warning came up. Fortunately the system quickly settled and we were on our way. Coming back from depth we worked our way along a wall absolutely covered in pumnose and dead mans fingers. While there was nothing spectacular on the dive itself this one was extremely pleasant and even the water seemed a little warmer.

On surfacing I had realised my arm was wet and so it proved. Close inspection found that I had two holes in my wrist seals that almost looked like stab marks. At least I had found the cause which was quickly repaired. This also gave the opportunity for a spot of sun bathing. The good news was that Kelly had a dry dive so the running servicing had worked.

Our second dive was at the Hopper and a chance to see the seals once more. Arriving at the bottom Nikki and I were immediately greeted by a very large grey seal that had distinctive markings around the eye giving the impression of spectacles. Once again I was slow on the camera but it was a lovely way to start the dive. At the Hopper you need to get right inside the various gulley's as that is where the action can normally be found. Turning into one I was greeted by a giant that I swear was three times my size. The seals ability to swim at speed stop on a sixpence look at you and then graceful zip off is always amazing. During the dive I managed a count of five different seals all at different depths.

Ending the dive this time gave us the chance to let Nikki use her SMB for the first time so she was pleased as it had not come out of the packet before this.

Back in Seahouses we struggled to get into a hostelry as all the locals were piteously watching as Newcastle fought and lost their battle for Premiership status. You had to have empathy as streams of people looked forlorn in their black and white. In the end we sat outside and watched the world go by until dinner time in Spice a new Indian restaurant.

Finishing the night off involved a little dancing and Colin can be very proud of his moves on the floor.

Today is our last day of diving and then it is all back to reality so I will be off for now.

Sunny Start

What a glorious morning. Driving the short distance to the harbour at Seahouses gave the feeling that we were in for a great day. Sadly the weather didn't last quite as we may have hoped but we have had a good day of diving nevertheless. Rather than Andy we had Ron as skipper today and our party was joined by another six divers. My biggest challenge was finding a buddy that was prepared to dive with a breather.

In the end I was teamed up with Nikki and Paul but basically I was diving solo with an eye on the other two. It has nothing to do with wanting to solo dive by the way. Diving with three people never works, there should and can only ever be two in a diving buddy team. What happens is that one of the three races off, one wants to go slower and then the poor diver in the middle is in a real pickle. I hate being left behind and in this case more so because Nikki was the poor diver in the middle. I am convinced that Paul and Nikki saw very little of the abundant life on the sea floor as they raced past several Lobsters eventually Paul saw one that somebody else had seen and that was the highlight of Nikki's dive. Though it has to be said he also raced past the two boilers that we saw and really did warrant some investigation.

We did manage a small drama as Nikki hit a sticky patch as she was too lightly weighted but overall the first dive passed without incident.

By the time the fdive had finished the weather had turned worse and become colder, overcast and grey. The cup of hot tea on the boat was very welcome.

The second dive saw Nikki and I buddy up together in a site beside the Longstone Lighthouse. This was a much more pleasant though shorter dive with a highlight being a close encounter with a solitary seal at 15 metres. He came in and made good eye contact giving both of us what appeared to be a thorough inspection before hurtling off into the gloom. All too quick for me to get the camera ready for what could have been a fabulous shot.

Visibility was not great today and there was a lot of green in the water. I am told that this is largely thought to be due to land wash off pulling farming nitrates into the sea. All I can say is that as a diver it dos not look great.

Back on the boat we made our return into Seahouses in what had definitely become quite inclement weather.

On the good news front I at least remained dry, so the recent repairs by O Three seem to have worked.

Back on land we had the traditional post dive beverage and a very enjoyable meal at Links the local restaurant. I now have the most daunting prospect of sharing a room with Colin whose nocturnal noises defy description and that really isn't helpful as I am not sleeping at all well currently. At least we have a late start in the morning so even if I don't get much sleep I can pretend for a little longer.

Farnes on route

This weekend we are up in the Farne Islands so I thought it might be worth running through what we get up to because weekends like this are often a real hoot.

Actually we start this trip very light on numbers with only six people but in the grand scheme that will not matter too much. I travelled up here with Kelly and Colin and the banter as expected started even before we set off from Writtle.

Conversation during the six hour journey was interesting and I now have an inkling as to what a surveyor does. If you ever wonder yourself Colin has made it plain that he doesn't do weights, lengths, numbers or money. I am actually pleased to have got up here because while Kelly has managed to visit five times to date he still managed to ask if the Farnes was near Scarborough and then was genuinely surprised to discover that we needed to go north of Newcastle.

One of the beautiful things about being driven is that you don't necessarily have much choice as to where you go. On arrival in Seahouses this meant we went straight to the pub. Not quite as lively as normal but the beer seems to have flowed.

The female contingent left some considerable time after us and didn't arrive until the early hours of the morning. As you can imagine we were still up so we managed to make them a coffee and I gave them some gentle guitar licks before everyone packed off for the night.

On this trip we are staying in Southfield House rather than the old school house so I haven't yet checked in with Andy Douglas. Breakfast is right now and then it's down to the harbour and a chance to see the new Sovereign boat.

Catch you all later.

Bumper Sunday

Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching Open Water over a weekend course. Actually I got to do all the fun parts as Gary covered the theory in the mornings while I did the Confined Water sessions in the Basildon pool.

The usual sense of friendly envy was felt as I met my three students for the Saturday session to be told that two were doing the course because they were flying off to Cuba on Wednesday. How I long for warm climes and a spot of warm water diving..........

John was on the course bought for him as a present and unlike my two South African friends would at least be going to Open Water in the UK.

I am always excited by the prospect of teaching a course over the weekend as it is such a different experience than doing it over several weeks. The skills and knowledge are all rammed so tightly together and as with most things that are done at pace it is easy to under deliver.

That said the students were excellent and they can all be very proud of their achievements. I am a great fan of getting things right the first time round. It really sets the picture in the mind that then governs how things are done time and time again. So this weekend involved a lot of visualisation as well as dry land practice.

On Sunday we were joined by Tom and Laura for session five. The pool suddenly had a very international flavour with Tom and Laura's mum and dad joining in we had four French divers, two South Africans and the normal smattering of Brits.





Diving is such a bond for people and I get enormous pleasure in seeing people of all sorts enjoying the same thing. When you dive you really don't have to worry about the complexities of verbal communications. Sign and body language are all you have to go on and while the students learn rudimentary signals I believe that underwater communication not only ignores language barriers, it also allows for a much deeper and more subtle art of communication to develop. Anyway I digress, all these student speak perfect English.

What I really meant to get on to was how good it feels to have a busy pool with people really enjoying themselves and having fun together. I always believe that when you are having fun you are learning better. So amongst the jokes and the songs, the banter and the play I hope that all five students have new skills and something worth remembering about how they learnt.

Finally I think it is worth admiring this first ever hover........................

Perfect.

Looking after what's important

When was the last time you got your kit serviced?

You know the stuff that keeps you alive when you are diving?

I mean all the stuff that keeps you alive too.

Every time I have run an Equipment course somebody seems surprised that they need to look after their kit and get it serviced regularly. They have blind faith in the idea that if it's working it's fine. My father used to tell me the same thing about two-stroke motorbikes when I used to ride them because I was all for taking them apart and putting them together again. What he never said was don't put oil in and conduct the regular maintenance checks.

The thing is a lot of divers put their very lives at risk by assuming that if it is working it is all ok.

I am sure there are others who don't like getting their regulators done because they often come back not quite the same. But then I would rather have one not quite the same than one that doesn't suddenly fail at depth.

One thing that I struggle with at times is sometimes we do look after our diving kit but we forget the main article, you!

We are all guilty of this from time to time and I can certainly speak from personal experience. The most important kit to keep well serviced and fully operational is you. Let's face it the quality of your regulator matters not a hoot if you discover that you can't physically cope in the middle of a dive.

Anybody will tell you that being overweight is not conducive to diving or anything else for that matter. For those operating in the professional ranks of PADI in the UK there is a requirement to undergo a medical examination each year and in all honesty it is not that tough. But the last one I attended did make me realise that I had let it go a tad too much.

I am like millions of others that don't really appreciate the creep of weight and that kid themselves that it is all under control. In truth I spend a lot of my time away from home so I gradually let the diet slip and use being tired as an excuse not to get down the gym or go for a run.

Just recently I realised that you can't just carry on assuming that everything will be alright because it simply won't. You really do have to look after the most important things in life, and there is nothing more important.

I've got on my bike, been down the gym and set about running. To be honest it was all a bit tough but as you get going with a bit of purpose so things start to come back. I have managed to shed a stone so far and I know that if I keep going there will be no fear for me as my next medical approaches. More importantly I know that I will start to enjoy my diving even more as a good level of fitness returns.

If you are a diver and have let things slip make a few good choices, get together with a friend if you need to but just think about your diet and make sure that you have 20 minutes of being out of breath through exercise at least three time a week. That way you can probably carry on diving for more of your life. You will feel much better and you won't be neglecting the most important thing until it is too late.

Visualising and relaxing

As a diving Instructor I am blessed because I was already exposed to a whole range of learning techniques through NLP and my coaching background before I started to teach diving. I also had the privilege of working with two great Course Directors along the way.

Whilst everyone knows that I am passionate about teaching others to dive I am also passionate about results. The best result when teaching is when a student masters a skill and has fun doing it. For most Instructors this is achieved by following the process in the manual. Start by briefing the skill highlighting the key attributes, demonstrate the skill, get the student to perform the skill, feedback the good things and anything that needs improvement. It is a time honoured process which works very well though, instructional subtleties bring the process alive.

Instead of actively instructing I like to think in terms of empowering my students to master the skills they will need. I often see students learning to dive doggedly working to beat their fears about one task or another. Many experienced diver are only diving today because they persevered when others gave up. I sometimes wonder how many still dread doing a mask clear or feel uncomfortable at the prospect of being asked to do one. More importantly how many divers learnt but have now given up, not because they couldn't do a skill but because it is associated with being uncomfortable or hard work.

I can think of at least one student persevering with fears right now in the same way as I recall doing myself years ago. In time I am sure that he will be a dedicated diver because he has caught the lure and eventually the fascination will overcome the fears.

Inadvertently we instructors often exagerate or even create the fears when we are using the teaching process because of how we act despite our intentions. For the new diver there is nothing natural about putting something alien in their mouth, putting their head under the water and breathing and in our attempts to make the nervous student comfortable we offer our platitudes, "Don't worry there is nothing to fear you'll be OK".

It's all about the powers of suggestion and the workings of the brain. Most of us think in images, associations and references to what we already know and it is well documented that we can't hear the negatives. What the student gets from this sentance is three images; worry, fear and OK and the instructor has managed to make his life suddenly more difficult.

Setting a student up for success is so important and getting things right first time has to be the goal. I use simple strategies and techniques that work in doing this. I will find things that help wire the brain for confidence and success by asking about what the student is good at and what things they can do easily. Of course I will also tell them about the positive stuff they will experience and feel.

One of the most powerful techniques is to get the student to think through and visualise in their mind how things will be. In fact even with simple skills like mask clearing this works well and it does even better if you get the student doing the skill in a dry land dress rehersal. Just for fun imagine doing this with a big grin on your face.

Visualisation really works and it is why top athletes are renowned for using it. You may have noticed that many athletes visualise in a calm meditive state and this is because relaxed brain patterns are associated with peak performance. The truth is that most of us picture what we are going to do before we do it, it is after all a natural human state. What I love as an instructor is getting to show people how to use those pictures which can be controlled to get a better outcome.

Most of us learn best when we are relaxed and energised too. Diving is fun and there can be no suprise that PADI Open Water sessions always suggest time for play or fun at the end of the session. Many of us overlook the importance of this to students getting the most out of their learning.

Last night I was working on Fin Pivots and my students got it first time. As we chatted afterwards one of them asked how come I just seem to do it so easily. It is simple, I have had many years of playing, just experimenting with different positions and using my breathing and BCD. With that I sent them off to play and while the DM watched them closely I looked on and saw them experimenting and having fun with their new techniques.

My visualisation for today is bright, sunny and relaxed. It is of a future full of fun, play and love. I hope yours is too.

Do you sing when you go diving?

My daughter gets mad with me at times when I sing especially in the car. Now it has to be said she has a beautiful singing voice whereas I sing because I love to, so at times I am sure it isn't that sweet to listen.


Sometimes I sing after an evening in the pool but I sing most when I am away on a diving holiday, on a boat or especially on a rib bouncing over the waves. The choice of song can vary but in a rib I often find myself singing "Beautiful Briny" from Bednobs and Broomsticks.

I would also go so far as saying that some holidays I can remember simply by reference to the songs I happened to be singing at the time. The Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" brings back memories of a brilliant Red Sea trip special for the diving and the people, and I know a few of the people on the trip will have memories stirred by that same track.

I am not the only one who sings either, often it seems that when I start others join in and that always makes for more fun. An old friend of mine Steve used to sing "We hope it's chips, it's chips" whenever we where on a rib. Sadly I have not seen Steve for a long while but I always remember him and the good times we had whenever I hear that crazy song.

Well all this ribbing from my daughter got me to thinking about why I sing and why I seem to do it when diving.

First stop in the research was why birds do it. I know you may say it's obvious, because they can't talk. Actually they do it first thing in the morning as a warning, a this is my patch announcement or they do it to attract a mate. I am quite sure I do it for neither of those reasons.

So I got to thinking about when else I find myself singing apart from on diving trips. Some obvious places such as rugby matches and the rare church attendance came to mind. In church I always belt it out because it feels good to sing but it's pretty rare I go. At rugby matches it is about support for the team, but it is also both social and inclusive. It helps get that feeling of involvement and it is also a time when the event itself is running your emotions high (or low too).

I also play a fairly bad blues guitar so there is an emotional attachment there somewhere. In fact minor keys are sad for some strange reason and it is known that music can express sad and sorrowful feelings. That's not right for diving though!

Actually the answer is plain we can all sing and soar with it when are emotions are high and we are happy. I realised I can't stop singing when I am truly happy. When the children were born I just wanted to sing, whenever you are in love we talk of our heart singing and all I do is bring that out because I want to express it. Maybe there is a similarity to the birds then because I am saying this is my space, my happy territory look and see.

The plain truth is that I always want to sing when I am out diving because diving brings me joy. I love being in the water and seeing life. I love the company of other dives and so it is I sing.

The singing always enhances the emotion too, and why shouldn't it because it reverberates through your entire body.

It reminded me of something I had learnt from a trip to Fiji several years ago. It was an enormous privilege to visit Fiji not only is it beautiful with stunning dives, Fiji is also home to some of the most wonderful people I have ever met.

Most are poor by Western standards but they have an immeasurable richness in their souls. Many told me they lived in paradise. So often you are greeted by a hug not a handshake and you are always treated like a long lost friend re-found. The Fijian for hello is "Bula" which also means I love you and people say "Bula" in the warmest greeting. If you ever get the chance get to Fiji, meet the people and see for yourself, but be prepared it may change your whole outlook.

The thing I really want to point out is that they all sing, some of them told me that is what you are supposed to do. We are all supposed to, because it is a way of saying thanks and it brings immeasurable joy and closeness. Check out Fijians in their churches on a Sunday. No inhibitions just singing with all their might making glorious sounds and saying thankyou.

I sing when I am out diving for the same reason, so rather than look oddly if you see me on a boat belting out a Robbie Williams tune, why not just join in I guarantee it will make you feel good. Just in case you are wondering I also sing in the shower for similar reasons.

Love Life and Dive (and sing!)

Spirits Uplifted

I recently had reasons to reflect on the instruction and training that I get involved in and indeed some considerations as to whether I would continue. Work has been challenging amongst other things and you just get to the point where you stop, breathe and start to think through your solutions to whatever is going on in life.

Strangely this is a mantra that also appears in diving as most Open Water students will remember and Rescue Divers should have as second nature. So as with much of life, diving is not just about the sport it teaches you so much more if only you listen.

I also often tell my students as long as you're breathing you are alive and that may be useful to know if you get yourself in trouble. In diving the quality and speed of thinking is often what really matters when it comes down to survival if a problem hits. Just like in life once more! To deal with whatever is thrown at you, you need time and space to breathe and you need to think things through in resourceful state. You also need to understand pretty quickly that whatever got you in the mess was probably your own fault and if you continue making the same mistake things will only get worse. So any diver that gets caught in fishing line and twists to get unstuck may find the result is the opposite of what they wanted. Fighting your way out will leave you more tangled, being angry or panicing will certainly not help, first you have to stop and recognise the problem and that really is as simple as it gets. Stopping what you are doing and breathing, gives you just that space to get to a better place to think and get resourceful.

Choosing the right action to take is often equally straightforward. In diving if you are sensible your buddy will be there when you get in real trouble. Staying close is always so very important because if you look after your buddy they can be there to look after you. There we go again, just as in life when the chips are down having a buddy can make things so much easier and if you chose well a good buddy will listen and understand and maybe see what needs to be done so much quicker than you possibly can. The best buddies in diving know what to do when you are in a mess and act decisively and calmly, like seeing the fishing line that's caught you up and cutting you free to swim away.

On dry land your best buddy's give you space to work it out and often act as a sounding board knowing that you will come to the right answer. I have always known that everything you will ever need is already within, you just need to find it.

When you find yourself struggling against the fishing line and the buddy you always assumed would be there can't be found. Maybe they just spotted something interesting to look at on the reef and couldn't resist taking another photo, then the mantra still applies. The quality decision with fishing line is to act calmly, cut yourself free and swim off making sure you don't swim straight into a similar mess. That means that you now swim off more aware but putting behind you the incident so that you can make the most of the dive. Then you too can go and enjoy the thing that caught your buddy's eye.

So when it came to my diving and I had reasons to consider my future, it didn't take too long, once I breathed and thought through where I was and what I needed to do. I realised the reason I instruct was because when I am giving of myself to others I am rewarded so much more than the cost of giving. I remembered that when I play to my strengths I am at peace with myself. So two weeks ago I started another Open Water course with Laura and Tom. Both young and full of life both inspiring and both through their enjoyment and accomplishment giving me back so very much.

A simple smile from a student quickly reminds me of why I love to instruct and why I will always give more. Like most people I have no idea what the future holds, where my students will dive or what surprises they may have in store. I do know this, they have endless possibility, as we all do, to find whatever they want. I have stopped, breathed, recognised the problems and now I am acting. There is never any good to be had by seeing the issue and not acting, in diving if you did that you may quickly end up dead. In life you may as well be because life can be just as cruel as the sea. As I go back to work today I have a more resourceful approach and rest assured I won't be following the same path that made me have to stop in the first place.

Action is what ultimately gets things going again, the cut of the knife on the fishing line. It is surprising what happens when you act. One action as far as diving is concerned is to keep listening and learning, to meet and give of myself to more students in the future and to do it with a passion because nothing should ever be half hearted.

To Laura and Tom if you should happen to read this, thank you for reminding me what I love, you are both wonderful and your Dad should be very proud.

Love Life and Dive.