Divemaster and Try Dives

This weekend saw another five people qualify at Buckland Lake under the skillful guidance of Mel. Meanwhile due to my in ability to rise to a challenge I had the joys of running the Bristol Half Marathon to look forward to on Sunday. The good news on that front is that I made it round the course and did better than expected. The note to self must be to get out and train more............I am now very sore!

Because I was doing the half Marathon it fell to me to supervise James as he conducted a Discover Scuba Diving Experience with a charming family of four on Saturday afternoon. For those that don't know, once qualified as a Divemaster the next step is to get qualified as a DSD Leader. This requires undertaking at least four separate DSD's under direct supervision of an Instructor.

In my opinion the DSD is probably the most important course that any diving centre runs simply because it is typically the very first real exposure that a diver gets to their new sport. To me it is therefore vital that the experience is positive and fun. Of course that then has to be balanced with safety and the basic requirements to provide certain minimal information.

Working with James and indeed talking through the Orca approach with Gary turned out to be a really useful exercise. The number of DSD's that Gary and I have conducted runs comfortably into thousands so both of us run the whole experience very naturally buoyed by our breadth of experience.

The chance to work with James meant having to really think through what I do and why I do it that way. For example whilst PADI do provide a full flip charted approach I use it sparingly preferring to have the equipment on hand in the classroom. As an Instructor I make a point of relating new information to something the student already understands and this generates involvement and increased speed of learning.

I also insist that we have a toy to play with once in the water. A small task the distracts, is fun to do and causes the student to get comfortable really easily. My preference is the underwater Frisbee but I also have a soft spot for a gliding shark that I have used recently.

All this is topped with the PADI philosophy of get them in the water, after all that is what diving is all about.

I am delighted to report that James did very well indeed especially based on the reactions of the family who I am sure are now on the way to diving together next time the jet off to warmer climes on holiday.

Another first for me on Saturday was that we used our new venue for the first time. We have secured the use of Castleton school pool in Wickford. I had not visited before though I was very impressed. The facilities were excellent and most importantly the water was toasty. I am certainly looking forward to using the pool in the future.