Getting Started!
Availability
From April 2012 there will be limited availability
on Mondays / Tuesdays / Wednesdays. Appointments available from
8am to 8pm Thursdays / Fridays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.
Planned holidays (so no availability):
nil
So you have decided to
learn to dive - great decision!
Firstly you need to
decide with which dive school / club you wish to take the plunge. Word
of mouth recommendations are great, but I guess we all have a bias
towards how we learnt to dive, so how can you make an enlightened
choice?
Simply there are two ways
to learn to dive:
There are pros and cons
of each method.
Most training agencies
will organise a 'trial dive' for you. This is a useful way of seeing
if you will like scuba diving without investing a lot of time and
money in a full course.
Joining a club
The British Sub Aqua Club
(BSAC) is the largest dive club in the world, and its qualifications
are recognised around the world. It is split up into lots of local
clubs (branches). You basically join a local branch and they will
teach you to dive, organise club trips and teaching sessions, as well
as provide a lively social club for you to get involved in.
Learning to dive is
usually done in a very thorough manner with you not being able to
progress on to the next stage until you have mastered the techniques.
Some find this too slow for them, others do not like the club
hierarchy structure. Others find that this is an ideal way to develop
their diving in a safe and organised manner. You need to decide if
this is right for you.
British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC)
click here...
Sub Aqua Association (SAA)
click here...
Medical Questionnaire for
BSAC / SAA click
here...
Enroll on a dive course
The Professional
Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the largest dive training
agency in the world. Its qualifications are recognised throughout the
world.
Basically you enroll on a
course, pay your money, and usually qualify as a diver several days
later. The course consists of a theory module, 4 swimming pool dives,
then 4 'open water' dives, usually in a sheltered inland dive site.
This is without doubt the fastest way to become a Scuba diver! However
some find this too quick and are not ready to fully enjoy scuba diving
after only 4 'open water dives'.
However most PADI dive
schools have an attached club that allows you to mix with fellow
divers and do organised trips etc.
Professional Association
of Diving Instructors (PADI) click
here....
Medical Questionnaire for
PADI click here...
Another potential advantage of the PADI system is the
ability to start your course with one dive school and finish it with
another. This is called the referral system, where the theory and
swimming pool sessions can be done in the UK, and the open water dives
done in the warmer and clearer water abroad. This means that you get
the advantage of not wasting valuable days of your holiday doing the
more basis aspects of the course, but enjoy the nicer waters of your
holiday resort to do the diving.
Have a disability?
Do not give up hope of
ever going scuba diving! There are specialist instructors who are
trained to teach people with disabilities. However there are certain
medical problems that would make it extremely dangerous to go diving
e.g. epilepsy, but most disabilities may not be a bar to experiencing
scuba diving. I would suggest a trial dive first to see how you get on
and then book a course with a specialist instructor. For more
information try the Scuba Trust click
here....
For those with hearing
impairment try The Deaf Divers (having had the pleasure of meeting
them I can confirm that they are a great bunch !) click
here....
Local Dive Schools
I have had the pleasure
of getting to know many of the local instructors and dive masters from
PADI dive schools.
Click
here... for a map with hyperlinks to their websites.
The Adventure is just
beginning...
So you are now a
qualified scuba diver.... congratulations.
I would recommend that
you do not stop your training at this point. You will get far more out
of diving by becoming an advanced diver. There are so many types of
scuba diving to enjoy and so many places around the world to dive, but
you do need to be suitably trained to do this safely.....
You can never stop
learning!
Develop Your Diving!
Your basic level Scuba
qualification is a good start.
Are you now addicted to
scuba diving? Many quickly become enthusiastic scuba divers and want
to learn more, dive more and do different types of diving. The list is
endless:
-
 wreck diving
-
boat diving
-
drift diving
-
reef diving
-
ice diving
-
deep diving
-
etc etc
However there are usually
different skills to learn, different equipment needed and different
hazards to be aware of. It cannot be emphasized enough that further
special training is the safest way to enjoy these new activities.
Online Dive Resources
1) Online communities
Many dive websites have
forums, the best that I have found is Yorkshire Divers - this is
packed with lots of diving information and is a great place to meet
other divers. click
here...
2) Online diving
magazines
There are excellent free
downloadable diving magazines:
There are at least 3
monthly magazines available in newsagents, but also with an online
presence:
Going Professional!
So now you are not only a
competent scuba diver, but you feel it is time to help others get into
this exhilarating sport. You might even want to 'live the dream' and
earn a living from it, or even use this as your ticket to go around
the world! There are many opportunities for dive instructors and dive
masters both in the UK and around the world. So how do you go about
it?
 This website will be
devoted to the situation in the UK. There are likely to be different
local laws and requirements in other countries. I suspect that you
will find the situation in the UK one of the most demanding and highly
regulated!
Firstly do you
want to make money (Ok earn a little!) from your diving? If not then
think about becoming an instructor with a club e.g. BSAC. You will
still need to meet high diving standards and organise safe diving for
your students, but you will not be 'controlled' by the Diving at Work
Regulations (DWR). Alternatively
if you wish to be paid then become a PADI instructor either attached
to a dive school or as an independent instructor. If there is a
fee-paying student then you will be classified as diving at work and
hence 'controlled' by the Diving at Work Regulations (DWR).
The
Diving at Work Regulations (DWR)
These are the 'laws' that
control both industrial / commercial diving e.g. in The North Sea, but
also those professionals that are making money from teaching members
of the public to Scuba dive. Breach of these laws may lead to
prosecution and possibly a prison sentence. The
Health & Safety Executive has a duty to monitor, investigate and
prosecute breaches of these regulations. For more information start at
the HSE's diving home page click
here... If you are
still thinking about a career in diving then read the HSE's advice
page click
here... Then move on
to the actual regulations click
here... Did you
struggle to understand these regulations? You are not alone! Then you
may like to purchase the relevant Approved code of practice (ACOP).
Although these are not actually part of the regulations they are an
easier to understand set of documents explaining how to best comply
with the Regulations. click
here... Several free
downloadable leaflets are also available click
here.... If you are
still reading this then you are probably barking mad! However this is
just some of what it takes to be a member of the elite diving
instructor fraternity! You will certainly earn my admiration if you
get this far, and a special thanks to all my instructors for enduring
this so that they could teach me!
Medical Requirements
To be a dive master /
instructor you need to be fitter and healthier than that required to
scuba dive. This is because you have your students' lives in your
responsibility and you must be able to assist them if they get into
difficulty. For more information see the HSE
Medical page.
What about the
Volunteer?
Firstly are you really a
totally unpaid helper? Are you getting free air fills, dive site
entrance fees paid? If you are then you are 'at-work' and are
'controlled' by the DWR. Another area of confusion is the trainee dive master
- they are paying for the privilege of being there but are they also
'at-work'? Read this letter from Chris Sherman (Chief Inspector of
Diving, HSE) click
here...
What if there is an
accident whilst 'at-work'?
Oh dear, but it does
sometimes happen. Can you just go home and forget about it? Sadly no.
There is more paper work for you to complete! What happens next
probably depends on the severity of the accident. If there is a death
then the Police and HSE will almost certainly be involved. If it is
less severe then it may be your responsibility to notify the HSE. What
do you know about RIDDOR?
Free Diving
Free diving is a
developing sport that is becoming very popular with both swimmers and
scuba divers.
There are many skills
that are applicable to both free diving and scuba diving that will
increase your ability, performance and efficiency underwater.
Resources
1) Organisations
AIDA International - The
international association for the development of freediving click
here.... The British
Freediving Association click
here.... 2) Books
 Manual of
Freediving by Pelizzari & Tovaglieri click
here...
'Is the first
comprehensive manual that teaches how to hold the breath, stay
underwater longer, and descend deeper into the blue. This is the
definitive guide, illustrated and up to date, for the aspiring apneist.
From theory to practice this manual will accompany the reader in the
discovery of a fascinating sport.
It is a manual that should not be missing from the itinerary of any
diver (apneist or otherwise) who wishes to improve their techniques of
respiration, swimming and diving whilst broadening knowledge and
theory.
Dozens of underwater exercises, illustrated with helpful sequences of
pictures allow both students and instructors of apnea to follow a
simple and effective teaching path.
From the experience of two sportsmen, with years dedicated to
competitive and instructive apnea, finally a manual that unites theory
with practical experience.'
 The Last
Attempt by Carlos Serra click
here...
'While attempting to set
a new world record in the extreme sport of freediving, Audrey Maestre
dies. Something had gone terribly wrong and despite a massive media
attention, many questions remained unanswered. Suspicion fell over her
husband, the legendary freediver known as Pipin, prompting his
business partner, Carlos Serra, a brother-like friend to Audrey, to
promise an investigation to determine responsibilities, if any. But
Pipin rejected the motion and that's when the struggle between Serra
and Pipin began. THE LAST ATTEMPT is the result of that investigation,
and with a surprising conclusion, it comprises the whole story as it
actually occurred.'
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