On a fairly cold Saturday, six intrepid members of our club set off early to be at Dosthill Quarry for an 8:30 start. Dosthill proved much quicker to get to than originally thought, and the earlier than planned for arrival gave us a chance to have a quick look at the diving site that lay ahead. It reminded me a little of Cromhall (portaloos) but a lot more compact! Having been on previous BSAC courses where you are lucky to get 15 minutes to eat and get ready to dive, we proceeded to assemble our kit, however we were treated to 30 minutes to eat and 30 minutes to be ready to dive—wow!
The day started with some lectures at the nearby Church Hall, complete with outside (cold) loos, but the ample teas and coffees helped! Before long we were heading off to do some diving. We were in groups of 3, with surface support too.
A profile from the day
The first dive enabled everyone’s current weight to be checked out and various exercises were undertaken, before moving onto a shotline, and undergoing exercises and stops commencing from around 15m, and various stops on the way up. Individual advice was given, particularly in relation to shedding ankle weights.
After a bit of a break it was assessment time, so in we went again, this time to 12m. Various stops later and assessments complete… time for the results. Between us, we saw our club proud, with Gold ( ±50 cm, the standard expected for Dive Leaders and Open Water Instructors) being awarded to Paul Nash, Dan Rowe and Jamie Wolstencroft, and Black (the highest standard, ±30cm, expected for Advanced and technical divers) awarded to Lynne Bunker, Chris Hastie and Sophie Hastie. I think it is fair to say that we all enjoyed ourselves and learnt a lot from the course.
This course is essential for anyone considering any technical diving, but aimed at all levels. It is really good to provide a focus for buoyancy and trim, in a great environment. It is one of those courses that every diver should make the effort to attend. The next one is 10 December (same night as our Dinner), but we were away in good time and home by 16:15!
As tasked by the course instructors I will be going to Stoney Cove on Sunday 4 December, so that those who were on the course can practice what has been suggested, but also other club members who wish to explore their buoyancy/trim have the opportunity to do so, after all, it is this effort that makes us better divers. Please let me know if you want to come.