It’s been a while since I’ve been diving, and a while since I’ve put out a diving blog post. This year I’m really looking to focus on my own personal diving. I spent most of my time in the water last year working towards becoming an instructor. I finished this training in June. Then I had the remainder of the year to develop my instructional technique. This included delivering theory lessons at our club and training new divers in the water. 2023, though, I’m focussing more on my own diving.
As the dive season begins, I’m looking ahead to what I want to achieve. There are some things I’ve not yet been able to do in the UK, in terms of diving. One of these is actually diving in the sea in this country!
Advanced Diver
Underpinning the majority of my diving plans for 2023 is completing my BSAC Advanced Diver training. As a depth progressed Dive Leader, I am able to currently dive to 50m. I can also organise club dives to known locations; it’s the equivalent of PADI’s Divemaster qualification.
Advanced Diver is BSAC’s penultimate diver grade. It will enable me to lead club dives and expeditions to unknown sites, something quite alien to me coming from a military diving background. Any time I’ve been diving, there have always been more experienced divers. Other people have organised the day, I’ve just turned up to dive! Now it’s my turn to set good examples and organise the diving for others.
I also have to satisfy a host of conditions from various dives, such as planned decompression, navigation dives, dive leads and some deep, adventurous dives. These conditions I should satisfy across some of my other personal diving objectives for 2023.
Seasearch Observer
Towards the end of last year I completed a Seasearch Observer course, run by the Marine Conservation Society. I find that I have more motivation to go diving if I have a sense of purpose – that’s one of the reasons I became an instructor! Learning more about our marine environment and being able to contribute to conservation studies around the UK is certainly a purpose to my diving.
I want to utilise this training to complete some observations as I get into the water around the UK. I’ve already completed one observation along a stretch of beach near Bristol. However, getting in amongst the (sea)weeds and seeing what life we have along our shores is slightly more fulfilling. In my opinion anyway!
UK Diving
As I mentioned at the start, I’ve not actually experienced UK coastal waters. I could blame work commitments, lack of suitable equipment or club organised dives as the reason why I haven’t yet. However, now as a budding Advanced Diver, it’s soon my responsibility to organise the adventurous dives to new locations. I also have my own, fully serviceable dive kit, including a drysuit (essential for UK diving!) so that excuse is out the window too!
2023 is the year in which I finally take the plunge and get in the cold, tidal waters surrounding the UK. The first dive, I expect, will just be a shore based excursion out into the North Sea from the nearby Norfolk coast. There are a couple of wrecks which can be accessed from the shore, and these will be a great start point for me!
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I’m always really good at making plans and talking about doing things. Now I’ve written it and put it out into the universe it’s going to happen. Otherwise this site will look pretty dull over the summer months…
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