Bristol Aerospace Sub-Aqua Club
Diving Officers Communication – January 2001
A
Happy New Year to all my readers, I hope you all received lots of diving
equipment in your Christmas stockings. We seem to still be diving when the
opportunity presents itself and I am looking forward to reading some of the web
contributions when they arrive. At present my home PC is playing silly bu**ers
and I am slowly getting pi**ed off with it. Until I get things sorted out this
might be the last report I write this year (What’s that?? thank goodness I
hear you say!!) Anyone know of a sure way to backup emails so that I do not lose
them yet again?
January
has seen some interesting dive sites visited and the lucky few that ventured
further than No3 tank have some nice stories to recite. I have looked at the
coming events and there are others just as exciting to be done, hopefully I will
be able to participate in them. The weather has started to play a part in our
diving schedule and the recent dive had to fall back onto Barrow Tanks, I do not
know if this event took place, but am sure to be told tonight.
On
our recent trip to SETT, I was sad to see that very few our group could state
their time to their ascent check depth. It appears that you all were very
reliant on your dive computers for this task. As the dive was fairly deep (28
meters) and we were only doing the one dive, we all should none the less have
been practicing safe diving, I was dismayed that when asked very few were able
to state this time. REMEMBER DIVE TIME is from leaving
the surface to arriving back at your ASCENT CHECK DEPTH. You all know
when this was as you did your safety stops, but did not note the time that you
arrived. You were all asked not long after surfacing so there should have been
no excuse. Some of you did some ready reckoning in your heads to come up with a
time, which I know was not the correct one, as I could see approximately when
you stopped due to the water clarity. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION,
thankfully Mark, our host for the day, did not require this information as it
would have been a poor reflection on our diving practices. Please, please,
please get into the habit of checking and remembering these times and reporting
them back to the Dive Marshal on the day. One day your computer will pack up at
the most inopportune moment, (I know this has happened to me, my Aladdin AirX
packed up shortly after surfacing recently) You may find it very limiting if you
have to revert to dive tables (that is if you remember how to use them) if you
do not know your dive details.
Training
Little
has changed since my last report. The new Club Diver program for our new starts
is progressing and will soon be drawing to an end; the final theory lesson is
March 14 (remember it has been moved). The theory review will now be towards the
end of April. I am drawing up a new Sports Diver program, as I have been asked
for these lectures, these will start early March when we have returned from our
Maldives trip. Hopefully the outstanding DL lecture will have been given by this
time as well, so the theory review for this will also take place toward the end
of March. Then all we have to do is get the diving finished in the early part of
the season.
General
The
first social event has taken place; sadly I missed this due to attendance on a
PRM instructor’s workshop in Portland. I have now obtained my instructors
ticket in this discipline and this will allow us to start some of the Advanced
Diver program within the clubs-training umbrella. We can now do the compulsory
disciplines that are required for this grade and hopefully some of the others as
well. I think this is good news for the branch and that we will get some of our
old DL’s looking to upgrade. Next month sees a few Try-Nites taking place,
these events bring much needed revenue into the clubs coffers, if you are
interested in helping on one of these nights please let me know. The dates for
the next two events are 7th & 28th March. The later
may generate interest in our snorkeling course, as there is now a Scout badge
for water sports and I have had enquires to this effect.
Last
months report said that there was a poor turnout for the Boxing Day get
together, this was wrong, what was right though was there was poor
communications between the groups, the majority it seems went to the Lock
Keepers at Keynsham, but did not pass this on to the others who went as normal
to the Checkers, not a good start to the year. Let’s hope communications get
better as the year goes on?
For
general information keep an eye on the SW web site for forthcoming courses. They
are taking place and can be very enjoyable. You do get to meet lots of other
divers and find out that we are all the same.
Lecture Program for 2001
Club
Diver review
-
Program ongoing.
Sports Diver lectures - New program being planned for March 2001.
Dive Leader lectures - Catch-up lectures should now be completed.
Theory Review early March- get studying.
Dates for your diary
March 10th 2001 - Barn Dance – Longwell Green Community Centre.
DON’T
GET LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.
LET’S
DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!
Harry Ryalls
DO. BAS-AC