Dive Training Blogs
It’s never too late to get back in the water
Our Editor-In-Chief Dave Alexander has been so busy running Scubaverse that he hasn’t had time to actually go diving for… well, quite some time. But it’s never too late to get back into the water, so at the weekend he decided to blow the cobwebs off his dive gear and head North to get wet…
It was starting to get embarrassing. “So when was your last dive?”, I got asked with increasing regularity by people who actually, you know, go diving. “It’s been a while,” I’d say, hoping they wouldn’t ask how long, exactly. When they did (and they all of course inevitably did), I’d say “Well it’s been about 9 months”, but in all honesty that dive 9 months ago was in a pool testing gear, so it didn’t count; not really. In truth, it had been years.
It’s not that I don’t want to go diving – I do – but I’ve been locked away in Scubaverse HQ for what seems like centuries now. It’s not easy building an empire, y’know. Lots to do.
But enough was enough. How can I be running a diving website if I don’t go diving? Something had to be done. I had to get back in the water.
Luckily, there are other members of Team Scubaverse who do go diving on a regular basis. I called Nick and Caroline, our Underwater Photography Editors, and told them of my plans. Before I knew it I was heading for their place in Manchester with the promise of beer, curry and diving (although not necessarily in that order).
I arrived at Nick and Caroline’s house on Friday evening and we headed for the pub to plan the next day’s diving. We would be driving to Capernwray, one of the UK’s best known inland dive sites, the following morning.
Once a quarry, Capernwray is near the village of Over Kellet in Lancashire, and a great site for divers to train and hone their skills. To gain entry you must first become a member. There are two options: temporary membership for £10 (which lasts for 6 months), or a lifetime membership for £25. If you go for the temporary option, you can pay the additional £15 and upgrade to lifetime membership at any time within your 6 month membership period. On top of that you do have to pay a £12 entry fee, so as I opted to pay for a lifetime membership (ever the optimist), in total my first visit cost me £37 – but it will only cost me £12 a visit from here on in, a real bargain considering the first-class site and facilities on offer.
There is a dive shop on site which offers air fills and a wide range of diving equipment for you to buy or hire for the day. Other facilities include a conference room which can seat up to 30 people and is ideal for teaching/seminars; the Porthole Restaurant, which serves hot and cold food and has a fully licensed bar; and changing facilities which are clean and well maintained. There is plenty of parking space too.
Caroline had been experiencing some issues with one of her ears and although she had been given the all-clear to dive by the doctor, she decided that as her and Nick would be jetting off to go diving in the Bahamas the following week she wouldn’t risk it (fair enough!). So Nick and I, along with one of Nick and Caroline’s other friends, Luke, kitted up and made our way into the water.
The water wasn’t too cold – about 11°C – and I was nice and toasty in my dry suit, so it was all good. With Caroline acting as surface support, we soon descended down to the novice training area, which is no deeper than about 8 metres. Here there are a couple of fibreglass cartoon-style horses (one of which you can get on and ‘ride’) which, according to Capernwray’s website, originate from Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
There are plenty of fish too, which I was, for some reason, not expecting – lots of trout (seriously, they were everywhere), perch, roach, and some MASSIVE sturgeons, one of which I came face-to-face with at one point. Alas, Nick was looking the other way at the time, so there is no photographic evidence of my close encounter with this impressive creature.
We then moved out to the end of the training area where the wreck of a small boat called ‘Dreamer’ came into view (the vis was around 5 metres). The wreck has been gutted so it’s fairly easy to penetrate. After a short inspection and a few photo ops we started to make our way back to the surface where Caroline was waiting for us.
It was time for a spot of lunch, so we headed for the Porthole, ordered some drinks, and grabbed a table. After witnessing a waitress deliver what I can only describe as one of the biggest burgers I have ever seen (triple patty alert!) to a starving diver, I ordered a cheeseburger and chips to go with my cup of tea. It wasn’t long before I was doing my best Samuel L. Jackson impression (“Mmmm! This IS a tasty burger!”).
After lunch it was time for dive number two, so we kitted back up and made our way back down to the water. This time the plan was to remain to the right hand side of the quarry and descend 18 metres down the slope to the wreck of an impressive Hawker Siddeley HS 748 airliner. Unfortunately, Luke was having some issues equalising, so after several attempts to descend he finally admitted defeat and we all returned to the surface. Luke called it a day, but Nick and I decided to go back down and check out the plane.
When the Hawker emerges from the depths it’s an impressive site. The fuselage of the plane has been completely gutted, making swim-throughs easy, and it’s a great setting for photos.
It wasn’t long before we had to return to the surface ourselves. Once we had left the water, got changed and packed up our things, it was time for the drive back to Manchester for more beer and another well-earned curry.
I’d forgotten just how exhausting diving can be! I was shattered. Some rookie errors may have occurred (which I won’t be divulging here!), but for the most part it was just like riding a bike – it all came back to me once I got going. What was nice about going with friends, after not having dived for a while, was there were no expectations, no pressure… it was great to get back in the water and just go for a dive.
Now I’ve paid for a lifetime membership at Capernwray, I’d better make the most of it! There are still a few wrecks I haven’t explored yet and a gnome garden (that’s right – a gnome garden) to visit.
So…. anyone up for a dive?
Find out more about Capernwray Dive Centre at www.dive-site.co.uk.
All photos by Frogfish Photography unless otherwise stated.
Blogs
SSI Welcomes its Newest Diver Specialty Program: Computer Diving
In this digital age, SSI makes keeping up with technology a priority. Over the years, we have seen more and more divers invest in a personal dive computer. Now that the MySSI App is capable of integrating with participating manufacturers’ dive computers, we wanted to create a program that will ensure every SSI diver knows how to fully utilize their dive computer’s unique features. Therefore, we are excited to introduce SSI’s newest specialty diver program, Computer Diving.
SSI designed the Computer Diving program to help certified divers become familiar with the numerous features and benefits of using a dive computer. By ensuring your customers understand how to use all the functions of a dive computer, you will not only increase their dive safety but also help make planning and executing dives easier. The SSI Computer Diving program explores the functions and capabilities of different dive computers and explains how to seamlessly integrate these features into the entire dive experience, from pre-dive preparations to post-dive reflecting and logging. Practical application topics within the course include setting and changing nitrox settings, using the pre-dive planning feature, and downloading dives to keep a digital logbook.
The appeal of the SSI Computer Diving Specialty extends beyond the realm of scuba divers. Your certified Freedive and Mermaid customers will also enjoy taking this course. All breath-hold divers can benefit from learning how the various tools within their dive computer can increase performance and safety while training and executing their actual dives.
If you are an SSI Training Center or Pro, your students can start their Computer Diving program online today by contacting your SSI Training Center to purchase and download the materials. Don’t have an SSI Pro certified to teach the Computer Diving specialty yet? Have them log into their MySSI profile to upgrade to this new SSI offering.
This specialty program is just one of the many tools SSI provides its Training Centers. Now is the time to reap the benefits of SSI’s continued growth in its training offerings. Call SSI at 1-800-892-2702 or visit us at https://my.divessi.com/become_trainingcenter to become an SSI Pro or Training Center today!
Blogs
BSAC launches Divesoft Liberty rebreather course
The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) is bolstering access to technical dive training with the new BSAC Divesoft Liberty CCR course.
This course is a first step (MOD 1) into the silent bubble-free world of rebreather diving, and opens up a new world of diving experiences and possibilities for members.
Benefits of the Divesoft Liberty rebreather
Founded in 2013 in the Czech Republic, Divesoft developed its closed circuit rebreather (CCR) primarily with the guidance of cave divers. The Divesoft Liberty was the first fault-tolerant electronically controlled rebreather released into the recreational diving market. The Liberty is designed where all vital electronic elements have redundancy so that no single failure can disable the system.
Even if a critical systems error occured, the diver can safely return to the surface on the Liberty, maximising safety and efficiency. The design follows the same approach utilised in many safety-critical applications in the aerospace industry.
The Liberty’s modularity and ease of maintenance allow the diver to maintain the unit in all environments, including the harsh conditions of an expedition.
BSAC Divesoft Liberty CCR Diver course
The brand new BSAC Liberty CCR course will teach a suitably qualified open-circuit diver to safely dive their rebreather to a maximum depth of 45m. This highly versatile unit offers a wide range of adjustability and settings, making it great for beginners and expert CCR divers alike.
Students get a thorough grounding in rebreather technology, and in-depth Liberty-specific training. The course includes decompression diving, and trimix gas planning, and teaches all the skills and drills required to dive the Liberty and address all possible situations.
The course is open to BSAC Sports Divers or above, who have completed a 35m depth certification. Trainees must also hold the Accelerated Decompression Procedures qualification or be an Advanced Nitrox diver (or equivalent.)
The BSAC Liberty course covers decompression diving and trimix gas planning, with skills and drills required to dive the Liberty and address all possible situations. Trainees can choose to dive with air as a diluent, but will have been trained using 20/35 trimix as a diluent, so when they use 20/35 are allowed to dive to a maximum depth of 45m, at the MOD 1 level of training.
The dry practical sessions will cover assembly, preparing and maintaining the Liberty, including updating the control firmware and downloading dives from the unit, using the Divesoft PC and phone applications.
All the new skills will be introduced during the sheltered water training dives, including applying the student’s current rescue skills to CCR diving: the sheltered water training is followed by seven open-water dives.
Nick Jewson, BSAC Technical Liberty Instructor said:
“The introduction of the Liberty CCR MOD 1 course demonstrates that BSAC continues to evolve its technical dive offering for members. We plan to have a minimum of four BSAC Liberty instructors in place early in the 2024 season, and with potential students waiting to do the course we can’t wait to see BSAC-qualified Liberty divers using this impressive rebreather in exciting expeditions very soon.”
The BSAC Liberty CCR MOD 1 course will be officially launched at the Go Diving Show near Kenilworth, Warwickshire on the weekend of 2nd-3rd March 2024, where Divesoft will have units on display.
Nick continued: “Visitors should head to stand N4 to get a hands-on look at the Divesoft Liberty and talk to the BSAC Liberty course team. Come and have a look, book your place on a regional Liberty try dive event, or sign up for the BSAC MOD 1 Liberty CCR Diver training course. We’ll ready to show you how the Liberty CCR can transform your diving!”
To learn more about the BSAC diving community, visit www.bsac.com
-
Blogs3 months ago
‘Simply the Best’ – Quintessential Red Sea Diving
-
News2 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News1 month ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs3 months ago
Creature Feature: Nurse Sharks
-
News2 months ago
Join Lembeh Resort’s Macro Photography Workshop with Scott Gutsy Tuason this April
-
Miscellaneous Blogs3 months ago
Book Review: The Lives of Seaweeds
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs1 month ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs2 months ago
A day in the life of Marsa Shagra with Sea to Sky