Ocean Turtle Diving

[oceanturtlediving]

New Operating Procedures

We wanted to let you know that we have worked very hard to create a safer environment for you and for our staff.  We have strict cleaning processes, kit disinfecting processess and training processes in place.  All current staff have attended four training sessions to ensure that we are all aware of the new way of working.  Below are our new operating procedures, if you would like to read in more detail.

 OCEAN TURTLE DIVING

 CORONAVIRUS UPDATED OPERATING PROCEDURES - June 2020

No business can guarantee zero risk, but by implementing a proactive policy to manage and reduce the threat of Covid-19, and by implementing it consistency, we aim to reduce the risk of spreading the disease, addressing respiration transmission and contact transmission.

 Safety of Customers and Staff

·         Prevention Measures displayed on door, no entry if symptoms, one customer only at a time, using doorbell to alert presence.

·         PADI best practices displayed on door and prominently at the counter.

·         All forms to be completed on line in advance, including additional DAN questions to be answered by email.

·         No cash payments accepted (currently no cards either, all by bank transfer)

·         Dive centre staff to wear masks at all times

·         2m distance to be maintained at all times

·         If trying on, own clothes into a box (disinfected afterwards), items not purchased quarantine for 3 days

·         Hand washing facilities provided for all staff and customers, and hand sanitisers

Disinfection of Dive Centre

·         All regularly touched surfaces cleaned and disinfected regularly (checklist: doorbell, handles, light switches, keyboards, mouse, taps, till drawer, counter, card machine, filling board, compressor etc)

·         Dive centre common areas cleaned daily

·         Bleach safer than alcohol products because of oxygen.  Solution of 0.1% sodium hypochlorite.

·         Soap and water best for hands for same reason.

Equipment Cleaning Instructions

·         Bleach best diluted at 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (1:50 if 5%, 100ml bleach, 4900ml cold water)

·         wear gloves, mask and eye protection, use only in well ventilated area

·         Submerge kit for 5 mins, fill BCD if has been orally inflated. Rinse kit well after use.

·         Do not touch cylinder valve outlet or regulator inlet

Rental Equipment

·         OTD Customers will be provided with laminated instructions on how to clean their kit (incl those students who already have kit in their possession)

·         No rental of masks and snorkels (provided, disinfected to DSDs only)

·         No entry to compressor room as contains disinfected kit

·         Customers instructed not to touch cylinder valve outlet or regulator inlet

·         Rental returns kept separate to clean kit, disinfected in boxes (boxes too), BCDs inflated using LPI not orally, as per above instructions.

Customer/Instructor-owned Diving Equipment

·         Recommended not to use common tubs and non-dive centre equipment should be rinsed elsewhere.

  Gas Fills

·         Given operating temps of compressor, it is unlikely that a virus can remain active after passing through a compressor.

·         Operator must wash hands thoroughly before each fill (no sanitiser as oxygen) and should wear a face mask

·         Do not touch cylinder valve inlet or end of filling hoses

·         No customers inside the compressor room or in the vicinity of the filling station

First Aid

·         Safety first – rescuer, victim, and all others on site

·         Ensure all PPE is being worn / protective barriers being used

·         Evaluate consciousness by shaking / stimulating victim, without approaching face

·         Determine if they are breathing by watching chest, do not approach face

·         If they are not breathing, alert EMS and begin chest compressions without rescue breaths

·         Do not use bag valve mask to respirate as it can make the virus airborne

·         Use an AED if available

·         Continue until they begin breathing, until you are exhausted or until EMS arrive

·         Properly dispose of PPE

Water

·         SARS Cov-1 (2003 predecessor) could survive on the surface of fresh water and that sea water does not neutralise the virus – as yet it is unknown if Coronavirus (SARS Cov-2 can) so assume it can.

·         In properly chlorinated pools, the Centre for Disease Control specifies that Coronavirus would be inactivated after a period of time.

·         Respect distancing rules in and out of the water and properly wash and disinfect equipment.

Teaching

·         Only staff and students who are healthy should go diving or attend classes, temps taken every time.

·         We will continue to conduct classes via Zoom where it is practical to do so.

·         Whole section on how to teach EFR safely in person – which will be followed when needed.

·         For briefing, stay 2m apart.  Masks will be provided for all staff.

·         Pay attention to breathing patterns, direction and wind to reduce respiratory transmission concerns.  (snorkels / regs still expel air)

·         In water at the surface buoyant staff and buddies can stay distanced and still reachable within the 2 seconds guideline.  Use buoys / reduce ratios if necessary.

·         Underwater social distancing isn’t needed.

·         Wash / sanitise hands frequently (wipes and sanitisers will be provided), keep scuba masks on and don’t touch the face.

·         Use voice, gestures or signals for positive reinforcement – avoid handshakes.

·         Consider buddy pairs within households if possible, so distancing not an issue.

·         Stay prepared for emergencies.  All staff should have rescue breathing masks on them whenever teaching.  We all need to accept that responding to a real emergency may elevate disease transmission risk for both the victim and rescuer.

·         Use defog, not saliva.  Do not use rinse barrels for any kit.

Diving / Skill Specific Guidance (Advice combined from DAN and PADI)

·         Gear set up - clean hands before and after.  Do not test breathe AAS. Do not touch cylinder valve opening and reg first stage openings.

·         Buddy checks should be carried out visually and verbally and own AAS test breathed the re-disinfected.  Do not touch other divers’ equipment, especially where it comes into contact with their face and mouth.  

·         Donning gear – aim for exposure suits that don’t require buddy help (e.g. front zips), gear up seated, straight into seated entry, or if need help, staff member in full gear, including mask on and breathing from reg.

·         AAS – all AAS should have been disinfected prior to skills.  Where kit is in possession of students, OTD will provide bleach solution to submerge reg in, then rinse.  Ensure each AAS is only used by one student.  Can use own and assistant’s.   Disinfect again afterwards.  If unable to provide disinfected AAS for use (e.g. if on long hose) a simulated exchange is acceptable under PADI revised standards.

·         BCD oral inflation – distance others and have them breathing from reg.  Disinfect BCD bladder after.

·         Surface swims – use regs.  For snorkel skills, only one on a snorkel at a time and have it pointed away from buddy.

·         Exits – masks on until out.  Rinse kit over sink or running water that flows away from others.  Wash hands.

·         5-point descent – exchange snorkel for reg whilst socially distant, then come close for descent.

·         Surfacing -establish buoyancy, stay on regs, or spread out if going to snorkels.

·         Snorkel clearing – ensure buoyant, practice socially distanced, point snorkel away from others, be aware of wind direction in OW.

·         Mask cleaning, removing and replacing – If a student panics and surfaces, staff keep mask on, reg in – assure buoyancy then back away to give verbal instructions.

·         Gas depletion – sanitise hands before and after contact with valve handle, or leave handle in contact with chlorinated water for 5 minutes after touching it.

·         Kit removal at surface – ensure ample buoyancy, regs in for weights on / off, distancing for kit on / off without reg.

·         Tows – sanitise hands before and after.  Both divers on regs.

·         No mask swim – ensure students have cleaned hands, remind them to avoid touching face.

·         Tired / panicked diver – clean hands before and after, verbal exchanges from a distance, keep mask on.

·         Unresponsive diver at the surface – if you can’t pair divers from the same household, use rescue masks, one per student, all be aware of exhalation direction.  No lip contact with mask, demonstrate could blow into mask, but turn head and exhale away from victim.  For mouth to mouth, still use a mask, pinch nose over mask, and same breathing as before.

·         EFR & Emergency O2 – one mannequin per student – disinfected afterwards and lungs changed.  Students wear masks and distance.  No sanitiser for O2 course.

·         Rescue scenarios – allow a “time out” to put on medical masks, clean hands etc as needed. Emphasise more distancing then is normal is acceptable.  Substitute in mannequins.

[oceanturtlediving]

Looking after yourself

Diving is apparently a sport, which still amuses me every time that I hear it as by default, that makes me a professional sports person which I’m both fully on board with and find utterly hilarious in equal measure!

For many people, diving is so much more than that, it’s a way of conquering fears, pushing personal boundaries and making new friends as well as giving people a reason to explore new corners of the globe that many can’t even imagine.

With such a rewarding but extreme activity, there are of course risks and these are apparent at every stage of proceedings whether it is when buying kit, getting set up or in the water. Regardless of your level whether you’re new to the sport or at a professional level, we need to remember these things, otherwise there’s a real possibility that we will end up in the Chamber of Secrets (with only cold toast to sustain us).

Let’s have a look at the different elements to safe and successful diving to make sure we can all have a lot of fun in the water.

Kit

Dive gear is, as a general rule of thumb, a little on the expensive side. There is no way around this. If you think about it and what the equipment is designed to do, the monetary cost should become less of a consideration.

Dive equipment is designed with a lot of skill, technology and experience from the manufacturers to keep you alive in what is effectively an alien environment.

If you are on a budget, have a think about what you can stretch to and whether the places where you are going to dive have rental equipment available as an alternative.  The majority of dive centres and resorts make sure that all of their equipment is fully serviced so you know that anything that you are renting will be in good working order. That being said, if you did get given a piece of equipment that you’re not happy with, make sure you speak up and get it changed.

Second hand equipment can also be a total minefield and there is a saying “buy online, buy it twice” that sadly rings true a lot of the time. Always proceed with extreme caution when buying dive gear online. A cylinder that has “only been used one” might be several years old and require testing (and may even fail) similarly with regulators, they may not have been used, but they may not have been set up correctly in the first instance so should always go through a complete service before you go into the water with them. With used equipment, or even some new on sites such as eBay or Faceache, there is always the risk that you will end up with a piece of equipment that fails servicing or requires replacement parts and you end up spending more money that you would have if you’d bought new.

The other risk with buying second hand, unserviced equipment is that you could arrive at a dive site, assemble your kit and only then find out that you’re going to have to miss your dive due to equipment malfunction or worse, have a catastrophic failure whilst underwater which has the potential of creating an emergency situation!

Getting Ready

With any activity that we do repeatedly, it is always possible, and likely, that we will forget things. I am particularly good at losing my keys which I pride myself on doing at least once a week! Although this is frustrating, in the grand scheme of things it is just a mild inconvenience. However, when preparing for a dive, forgetting to do a thorough check of your kit could result in equipment failure or malfunction which at best would cause you to have to abort a dive or worst-case, lead to injury.

It doesn’t matter what acronym or pneumonic you use to remember your pre-dive safety checks, you should always go through each part of your equipment to make sure that it looks right, is fitted and assembled correctly and that everything is in working order. Also, most importantly, make sure you are familiar with your buddy’s set up. They may have their alternate air source on the opposite side to you or dive with a wing and twinset where you are only familiar with a single cylinder so take the time to really make sure you’re happy with their set up.

The last thing with set up is to make sure that you have your weighting correct. It is very easy to get into the habit of chucking on an overweight belt or loading up your pockets with more lead than you need to just so you can get in the water a few minutes quicker. If you always dive with the same equipment and thermal protection, you don’t need to do this every time, but it would probably surprise you how much difference thicker thermals can make or a brand-new wetsuit versus one that you have worn and loved for many years and especially the difference between steel and aluminium cylinders!  One final task that is prudent to perform is a tec diving style bubble check where you descend a short distance and get your buddy to make sure that there are no bubbles coming from any part of your equipment which could indicate a leak and that something isn’t quite right.

Going for a dive

Everyone has s**t days regardless of whether they are in the water or on land. Sometimes things just don’t click and for whatever reason, you’re off your game and feel uncomfortable. If you’re sat at your desk, this isn’t really a problem, you can just switch focus and spend time on other tasks before you’ve collected yourself and can resume the tasks you’re meant to be concentrating on. When diving however, this is not necessarily a good idea.

I always try and drive home to any of my students that one of the best things you can do as a diver is to have the confidence to say no and call a dive. Due to its relaxing and often meditative nature, people forget that diving is an extreme sport with risks involved. You wouldn’t jump out of a plane if the straps to the parachute were slightly twisted or the harness didn’t feel right or comfortable so why should diving be any different?

As a diver, you also need to have awareness of your buddy and other people around you in the water. If you’re with someone that you know, and they seem in any way different, check that they are happy to complete the dive and don’t put any pressure on them if they’re not comfortable for any reason. If you’re with people that you’ve not been diving with before, make sure you keep communicating with them to make sure everyone has fun underwater.

After dive care

Once you have finished your dive, shared out the high 5s and beers, make sure that you’re drying and storing your equipment properly to help prolong its life but also, make sure that you are listening to what your body is telling you. Even if you have not been diving to depth and stayed within limits, there is still a chance, however small, that you could suffer from the dreaded bends. These may even take a day or two to present themselves so it’s always worth talking to a dive doctor if there is anything that is causing you concern.

In summary, diving is a great activity that brings people so much peace and joy in a busy world with benefits far beyond exploration and adventure. We all just need to make sure that we never take our safety and wellbeing for granted to make sure that we can continue to enjoy the other 70% and experience a world that so many don’t get to see.

Blog by Bettie Comley

[oceanturtlediving]

Turtle Island - a truly wonderful experience

After being accepted onto the Course Director training course in Kota Kinabalu in 2019 I started looking into all the mundane tasks like hotels and transport and realised that if I were flying all the way to Borneo, it would be completely ridiculous not to tag a trip, no matter how small, onto the end of it. Ocean Turtle’s regional manager, Emma, suggested a place called Turtle Island which instantly appealed, and the trip was booked!

The trip began with a short boat ride from the main island to a picture-perfect island paradise. We were left to our own devices during the day and had instructions to be ready at 6pm ready for our turtle briefings. I really wasn’t sure what to expect and whether turtles nested and hatched all year round so I had a lot to learn.

The island is part of a wider conservation programme in the protected waters to the North of Borneo and there are several islands, belonging to both Malaysia and the Philippines, that are putting a lot of resource into ensuring the survival of the turtles. They have banned fishing in a wide area around the islands to help reduce the risk of entanglement and the waters and islands are policed by an armed guard to ensure that no poachers try and steal the turtle eggs too.

Whilst waiting for the briefing I decided to go snorkelling to see what other life there was around but after some comments from other visitors on the island, I wasn’t hopeful that I’d see anything exciting. How wrong they all were! There is a large variety of coral plus a huge variety of fish, including trigger fish, wrasse and plenty more besides. A highlight was finding an anemone with 3 clown fish including a very small baby and an extremely protective dad causing the inevitable flooded mask.

Back on land, we were ready for the briefing and found out, much to my delight, that we were very likely to see a turtle laying eggs and see hatchlings released into the water. It was just a matter of waiting to see when an expectant mother would decide to visit. Thankfully, despite recent visits from the turtles happening around the 2am mark, our gorgeous green turtle arrived around 7:30 and began laying about an hour later once she was happy with the spot that she’d chosen.

As soon as it was go time, the rangers gathered us around and made sure that everyone kept a respectful distance from the turtle whilst she was laying and made sure that everyone in the group had a chance to get a good look and take photographs. The turtle was not in any distress at this time and the rangers explained that during this process, they go into a trance like state. 

The perfectly round eggs, all 69 of them, were collected immediately after they were laid so they could be transplanted into a hatchery to ensure the greatest chance of survival (around 80% success instead of around 20% in the wild) and to protect them from any predators there may be including rats and intimidatingly large water monitors!

Once the laying process had been completed, we were allowed round the front of the new mother to take photographs and the rangers were excited to see that she was a brand-new turtle to the island and she was tagged and declared a citizen of Malaysia!

Once the eggs were successfully transplanted, it was time to see some of those that had been buried 50-60 days ago be set free into the ocean. I never thought baby turtles would be as adorable as they are, but they are honestly some of the cutest animals I have ever seen! They also move at around a million miles an hour so getting a decent photograph of them that didn’t double as a blurry mess!

The night that I was there, 9 turtles visited the island with 5 laying eggs. One turtle laid a whopping 103 out of the 369 eggs in total. What’s even more encouraging is that 356 hatchlings were released. It’s all down to the forces of nature how many of those little dudes make it into adulthood but hopefully with conservation and educational initiatives like this, turtle numbers will increase and become a lot healthier for future generations.

There will always be more to do to educate people about the need to protect these majestic creatures but with these sorts of programmes happening across the globe, hopefully the turtle populations will begin to truly thrive once more.

 Blog by Bettie Comley

[oceanturtlediving]

Choosing Pro Courses

We all love diving and enjoying the underwater world and quite often find ourselves day dreaming at our desks or talking animatedly to friends and family about the things we have seen, the experiences that we have had and generally trying to share the love and enjoyment with people that we care about. For some however, this love and enjoyment becomes a desire to share our knowledge with others and the most obvious way to do this is by becoming a Dive Professional.

When choosing a course, you have many things to consider and I am going to highlight some of these to hopefully help you through the decision-making process.

How do you learn?

This may not be something that you think of when investigating courses, but it is something that should be considered. Do you learn well in an intense environment? Do you prefer to have time to investigate things for yourself? Would you like to be able to learn in an independent way or do you prefer full support?

These are all very important questions, especially for this level of training as you have to be able to learn in a way that suits you and will enable you to really succeed.

How much time do you have?

There are many different formats for professional level training and there will always be something that suits your availability. Whether you are short on time and want to complete an intensive programme or have several weeks or months free and want to learn as part of an internship, there are places all over the world that can meet these requirements.

Do you like to be in a crowd?

Some places where you complete your training like to have big groups of people in their programmes, others like to keep things small and others won’t run a course unless there are a minimum number of candidates.

I have seen people really succeed during a one-person Instructor Development Course but equally I have worked with those that prefer to be able to share ideas and gain confidence from others. Again, it is a personal choice and one which you should make sure you’re really happy with before you proceed with your training.

Can I afford it?

This is always a biggie, especially when you get to instructor level courses as there are many different costs that you need to take into account.

·       How much will the training cost and can you get this as part of an internship?

·       What is the cost of the learning materials?

·       How much will the professional fees cost?

·       Are there any course prerequisites that I will have to complete that haven’t been budgeted for such as First Aid Instruction?

·       Are there any extras included within the course?

These courses aren’t cheap but as a student once pointed out to me, there are very few professional level qualifications that you can complete that make you able to work in a global industry that work out so low cost all in. Some training organisations may also offer package deals where all the costs are included in one payment to make budgeting a lot easier for you.

Will I get a job at the end of it?

Think about any extra and unique selling points that you could bring to an organisation when looking for work as a Dive Professional. Here are a few ideas of attributes that may help you along during your quest for your dream job

·       Can you service equipment?

·       Are you able to take awesome photos?

·       Are you a whizz with technology and websites?

·       Do you understand the confusing world of Social Media?

·       Are you great with kids and young people?

·       Can you drive a boat?

·       Do you have a business brain that can help maximise a business’ potential?

·       Can you free dive?

·       Are you a Tec wizard?

·       Do you know a lot about Marine Biology and Conservation?

Whilst not essential, any of these would make you a much more appealing prospect to a dive centre and would also mean that your role with them is much more varied which will make you enjoy yourself a lot more

I’m rubbish at theory; will I ever get through?

A lot of people have a great deal of anxiety about Dive Theory and the thought of exams and whilst a lot of the time Dive Centres don’t build specific teaching of these subjects into the main body of their courses, there are often add ons and other forms of help available to you so make sure you are talking to people early on about your concerns and get as much information out of them as you can.

If you are talking to people and you don’t feel like you are getting the support that you would need, shop around and find somewhere that you feel will give the support and amount of teaching that will enable you to proceed.

Should I do the course at home or abroad?

This is the million-dollar question and one that only you can answer. Consider where you want to work once qualified and use that as a starting point. If you plan to work in somewhere like the UK where 355 days of the year you will be teaching in a Dry Suit, it may not be the best idea to learn on a tropical paradise island as the conditions may come as a bit of a shock when you start teaching.

It may also be worth checking if the place where you want to work has any specific health and safety rules and regulations as coming in with no knowledge of these may make you a slightly less appealing prospect that a person that understand all the local law and rules.

 There is a lot to consider when choosing your pro course, but I hope that by listing some of the key questions it will help you decide on the type of course you want, additional things you’d want to learn and where you would like to complete your training. The key point is to do your research and find the course that ticks all of your boxes and will also make the training one of the most fun and rewarding learning experiences that you will ever have.

Blog by Bettie Comley

[oceanturtlediving]

Helping raise AWAREness for the Dive Campers

This summer (2018) Ocean Turtle Diving organised a Dive Camp for young people to attend to learn to dive over an intensive week of training. After three tough days completing their theory, exams and in the water, we gave them the option of learning about projectAWARE and they were all really enthusiastic about doing this.

I have previously run several instances of the project AWARE course but never for young people so it was a case of stepping into the unknown.

I have written my own introduction to the course that highlights the specific issues that are most relevant and relatable to the audience and during this, the whole group were really engaged and made this section of the course a really interesting discussion rather than a lecture.  

I came up with a couple of interactive tasks for them to get stuck into once the theory section had been completed and I also incorporated a short workshop devised by the Marine Conservation Society as I am a Sea Champion for them which they all really enjoyed too.

The first task that they had to do was to design and make a poster based on one of the 10 Tips for Divers to Protect the Ocean and then present back why they had chosen that particular tip and what they thought is most important about it and how you can use it to make a difference.

All of the presentations on this were absolutely brilliant and the whole group were fully engaged and passionate about the subject they had chosen. They stood up and explained their posters and choices with a lot of confidence and I think that we all learned something from each and every one of the students in the room.

The second task was again, really hands on. As September 2018 is the month when Project AWARE week will be taking place, we asked them to come up with a display for the shop floor within Ocean Turtle Diving to promote all of the activities that will be taking place. The results were awesome and I think that it will really grab the attention of everyone that comes into the Dive Centre over the coming month.

All in all it was one of the most fun and interactive project AWARE courses that I have run and I am now really looking forward to running the next course during AWARE week!

[oceanturtlediving]

Wrecks of the UK

MULBERRY DOCKS:

Location- Selsey

Depth: Maximum 10m

Size: Length=60m   Width=17m

Sank: 1944

What is it ?

The Brits realised that they needed some more docks in France for them to off load cargo. They created the Mulberry docks as a portable dock to use until the allies were able to capture a French port.

Pre-fabricated in the UK, the concrete blocks were transported across to Normandy and then sunk.

On June 6th 1944 over 400 towed component parts (weighing 1.5 million tones) set sail.

Both Harbours were a success and fully functional by the time a huge storm hit causing extreme damage to the docks.

Remains in the UK:

The Phoenix Caissons were reinforced concrete caissons. They were collected and sunk prior to D-day. There were 6 different sizes ranging from 2000 tons to 6000 tons. Each was towed by two tugs at a rate of 3 knots. The caissons were initially sunk awaiting D-day and then refloated. People say that the name Phoenix was used because they were resurrected.

Sections of the Phoenix can be found at:

Thorp Bay – Southsea. Whilst it was being towed the Caisson began to leak and was intentionally beached. (Only assessable at low tide)

Pagham (known as the Far Mulberry) sank off the coast, settled and cracked and is now laying about 10m deep.

VALENTINE TANKS:

Location: Swanage

Depth: Maximum 15m

Size: Length= 5m

Sank: 4th April 1943

What are they?

Effectively they were floating (or sinking) tanks.  The tanks had a canvas screen around the outside and used this displacement to float. The engines were then connected to the propellers.

Why was it called Valentine?

Theory’s of the name:

Originally people thought that the idea of the floating tanks was presented to the War office on St Valentine’s Day.

Then people started to wondering if Valentine was the middle name of the tank designer John V. Carden.

Other people think that Valentine is an acronym for Vikers-Armstrong-LTD-Elswick-Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Lastly it could have simply just been a code word. What do you think?

The Wreck:

7 lay at the bottom of the bay. However only 6 were ever mentioned in diaries that documented the exercise.

Next year there will be an exercise to map and locate all of the missing pieces of the tanks.

On the wreck there is a permanent shot line and a rope that leads you down the side and another line that leads you to the next one.

It is full of wildlife making it a colourful and exciting wreck to explore.

AEOLIAN SKY:

Location:Swanage

Depth: Maximum 32m

Size:Length=148.7m

Sank: 4th November 1979

What is it?

The Aeolian Sky was a Greek-run freighter built in 1978. It has engines at the rear and four massive holds separated by equally massive masts and cargo derricks.

Why it sank:

This massive freight was fully loaded and on its way to Africa when bad weather struck. She collided with a German ship but came off worse. She was then towed to English water with a hole in her bow but was refused by Southampton and Portsmouth ports for fear of pollution. Eventually she was defeated and sank meaning the the millions of pounds of cargo was lost to sea.

The Wreck:

She sank laying on her port side, and has stayed in tact (bar the hole in her bow).

For first visitors it is recommended that you start your dive at the bow then heading over the superstructure to the stern to get the best picture. She still holds lots of interesting cargo for divers to look at from trucks to locomotives. Behind the superstructure is a surprisingly large area of stern deck, dominated by a large winch with cable wound on it.

For those wreck qualified a trip into the engine room can be beautiful yet eery.

KYARRA:

Location: Swanage

Depth: Maximum 29m  

Size: Length=126m

Sank: 26th May 1918

What is it?

A luxury passenger voyager on its way to Australia via Plymouth to collect wounded soldiers to be repatriated..

Why it Sank:

The Kyarra was fully loaded with a mixed cargo of goods. As she was passing the Isle of Wight disaster struck as she was spotted by German submarine UB-57. Taking a direct hit to midship on the port side she quickly sank with 6 men loosing their lives.

The Wreck:

Originally people used to only dive her for the treasure that could be found. However, since she has been dived so much you are less likely to find this treasure now. The Kyarra has two buoys tied to it which surface on slack water only. For new visitors it is suggested staring at either the stern of the bow and working your way along. This is simply due to the size of it. If you keep to the port side of her you will be able to see the triple-expansion engines and the boiler. There are actually four boilers on this ship but only one is visible from the outside.

M2 SUBMARINE:

Location: Portland

Depth: Maximum 35m

Size: Length=93m

Sank: 26 January 1932

What is it?

In 1928 this submarine was converted to carry a seaplane which could be launched shortly after surfacing using a hydraulic catapult. Afterwards the plane would be hoisted back on board using a crane.

Why it Sank:

Unfortunately the launching of the plane went very badly and all 60 crew members died. After sending divers down to examine the cause of the sinking it came to light that the hanger door was still open with the plane inside.

The Wreck:

For new visitors you can dive starting from the Stern at 34m. There is a dual strut just forward of the rudder which would have held the propellers in place. Further on from the stern are two large hydroplanes on either side.

Moving on you come to the conning tower where the Peri scope and the masts are still standing proud. (20m)

You can drop down from there to see the hidden hanger and explore where the plane once sat. Finally if you look back you can see the catapult.

Other things to look out for are the four torpedo holes and an anchor.

COUNTESS OF ERNE:

Location: Portland

Depth: Maximum 15m

Size: Length= 73m

Sank: 16th September 1935

 What is it?

 It was first used as a paddle steamer passenger vessel. It was then demoted to a coal hulk in Portland Harbour. She sank because she broke loose from the Harbour mooring.

The Wreck:

This is a really nice dive due to how shallow it is and the marine life that has called it their home. The steamer lies upright almost parallel to the harbour wall with the shallowest part of the deck at 8m. She is reasonable in tact therefore easy to navigate.

On the deck of the ship stands a capstan and a mast with bollards located on the port and starboard sides. The ship provides several nice swim throughs for all those that are wreck qualified and on a sunny day, when the visibility is good you can see the length of the ship.

The best time to dive this ship is in late spring sue to the amount of marine life that comes to play. From nudibranchs to candy striped flat worms. The colour can shine through the water.

JAMES FENNEL:

Location: Portland

Depth: Maximum 19m

Size: Length = 38m

Sank: 16th January 1920

 What is it ?

She is a distinctive looking steamship with a big boiler and engine. She sank as a result of grounding.

The Wreck:

The James Fennel is still in very good condition with a lovely swim through between the engine and the boiler, the con-rods are still standing erect and are very visible.

The bow is clearly visible and has opened up revealing fallen wreckage inside.

One of its main attractions is because the 4 bladed propeller is still in great condition with only one of the blades buried in the sand.

The ship since it fell has created a home for many different types of wildlife like crabs and pollack.

ST DUNSTAN

Location: West Bay

Depth: Maximum 29

Size: length= 61m

Sank: 23rd September 1917

What is it?

It was built for use for a dredger with large buckets that operated on a conveyor belt.

The associated machinery required a lot of room, hence the boilers and the engines were placed at the front. During the First World War the dredger was requestioned to operate as a minesweeper. She was sailing just past Portland Bill when she hit a mine laid by UC-21, turned upside down and quickly sank.

The Wreck:

Today the St Dunstan is a terrific dive and has to be ranked as on of the top dive sites for fish life. Bib, Cod and pollack are in great numbers with the guaranteed opportunity to fin through a shoal of fish.

Much evidence can be found of the mechanics of the actual tual bucket dredger.

The upturned hull on the port side is less broken and a little dull but on the starboard side many areas can be entered from underneath. Just behind the bow is a lovely swim through along the width of the ship between the two anemone coated boilers and the bow.

You can enter the engine room where you can still see the engines and huge cogs hanging from the ceiling.

POMERANIAN:

Location: West Bay

Depth: Maximum 36m

Size: Length= 116m

Sank: 15th April 1918

What was it?

It was a large imposing steamship with mixed cargo. The ship became famous amongst divers for it is believed to have been carrying 14 diving helmets. Although only one has ever been recovered.

Many lives were lost on this ship. The steamer was on its way back home to Newfoundland in Canada when the submarine UB-77 spotted her and a torpedo was fired with a direct hit. The ship went down fast and only one of the 56 crew survived.

The Wreck:

The highest point is midships where the shot usually lands. This is your starting point and the undisputed highlight. The cabins are are a wreck divers dream as you negotiate the spacious rooms and several gangways whilst staring up at the metal framing clad in dead men’s fingers. Heading to the stern you will pass the two partly buried boilers followed by the triple-expansion entrance. Then you can see two winches side by side.

At the stern you will see a somewhat broken rudder still attached to he ship and along side a single propeller blade that is sticking out of the sand.   

SCYLLA:

Location: Plymouth

Depth: Maximum 25

Size: Length 113m

Sank: 27th March 2004

What is it?

HMS Scylla was a Leander-class freight of the Royal Navy. She was built on Devonport dockyard and after an active role was decommissioned in 1970 to be finally bought by the national marine aquarium. She wasn’t purchased for sailing but instead her life was to end underwater as an artificial reef. A large task was undertaken to make her safer to scuttle. Access doorways were cut for divers and all possible marine contamination removed.

The Wreck:

The Wreck has changed dramatically over the years in to a glorious shipwreck bursting with life. The freight is too large to cover in just one dive so the most dived route is alone shallow depths. The stern and lower decks are definitely worth the adventure but watch the silt as the whole wreck has a thick layer of silt covering it.

Here you can fin inside along the narrow corridors viewing filing racking and all manner of items. At 9m the bridge is also worth a visit. This is where the steering binnacle still stands surrounded by windows.

Finally you end up at the helicopter hanger.

JAMES EAGAN LAYNE:

Location: Plymouth

Depth: Maximum bow = 8-20m

                           stern= 23m

Size: length= 130m

Sank: 21st March 1945

What was it?

This US Liberty ship was in convoy on voyage from Wales to Belgium carrying US Army engineering stores. She was the lead ship and after passing the West Rutts was struck by a torpedo from the U-399 sub. Although holed on the starboard side between the rear holds, she didn’t sink immediately allowing time for all the Crew to be rescued. A last ditch attempt was made to beach her in shallow water but she didn’t make it.

The Wreck:

The wreck which is held in high esteem and savoured amongst divers. Dropping down the side will take you to the anchor hawse pipes with a hive of fishy activity often. You can fin inside the whole length of the wreck where archetypal columns soar up in great elegance. Beams cross the sealing spaced out almost perfectly to grant divers an easy exit. The holds are still filled with cargo from vehicle batteries to cogs and wheels.

MOHEGAN:

Location: Falmouth

Depth: Maximum 25m

Size: Length = 144m

Sank: 14th October 1898

What is it?

It was a luxurious steamship on voyage to New York. She sailed at full steam past the Eddystone lighthouse where a course was plotted but mistakenly the bearing was set wrong. Just as all the passengers were sitting down to dinner, the ship plowed into Vase Rock where the rudder was completely torn off and the hull badly damaged. The ship drifted over to Maen Voes where she sank in just 12 minuets. All the crew went down with the ship but 44 passengers were saved. In total 106 people lost their lives that day.

The Wreck:

The boilers tower up to dominate the scene and these alone will take a while circumnavigate. The gaps between the boilers are filled with wrasse and pollack as it is a safe haven from the divers bubbles. The rest of the ship has completely collapsed to leave predominantly a jumble of metal beams, mostly decorated by displayed of sea fans. Tall rocks lie around the wreckage where you can take a few interesting diversions to explore under the overhangs and inside the cervices.

[oceanturtlediving]

Girl Power

As a new Course Director, and especially a female one, I was full of enthusiasm to fulfil my role and provide all of my candidates with a unique and positive experience during their professional training to make them the best possible PADI Pros that they can be.

However, when I was contacted by Emma Hewitt from PADI about conducing an OWSI course for an out of status Course Director, my attention was instantly grabbed and I wanted to know more about this unique and rare opportunity.

Upon further discussions with PADI I was told that this was no ordinary out of status Course Director but she happened to be the first ever female Course Director not just in her town or region, but the whole of Brazil and I was completely blown away that I was asked to get her up to speed ready for her Instructor Exam so she could regain her Master Instructor status before having the opportunity to attend a CDTC to once again be a fully-fledged Course Director in her own right.

Renata and I had many conversations in the lead up to her training to arrange logistics (she was travelling from Cornwall to Hampshire for the course) and the materials that she would require as hers were now a little out of date, and in Portuguese. Once all of these details had been discussed and agreed it was time to plan the course itself and the staff needed for its completion.

I had trained two Staff Instructors since becoming a CD and as one of them is my Dive Centre Manager who was needed to look after Ocean Turtle whilst the course was being run, I asked Bettie to assist me throughout Renata’s training. It was to be an all-female OWSI course and we even ended up with two other aspiring instructors, Becks and Teresa, helping during the confined and open water sessions, making us look like the modern day, diving equivalent of the Spice Girls.

The training itself went brilliantly and myself, Bettie and Renata were all able to share our own experiences that benefited each of us. Renata was able to give us an amazing insight into the way that PADI training has evolved during her career and how it compares to now. Watching the videos within the presentations was, for Renata, like watching a group of old friends on the big screen and she was able to share some stories about the people within them!

I was able to give Renata all the latest and up to date information from PADI as I had only completed my CDTC a few months prior to her course and share with her new stories from when I had met the people that she came to know so well during her time working as a CD.

As for Bettie, she, as ever, provided us with boundless enthusiasm and her unique outlook on the world and the ways that she tries to keep all levels of training interesting and innovative for both the students and instructor teams that she works with.

Although the course took place in July, Renata wouldn’t be completing her IE until October when the whole team was reunited again at PADI HQ in Bristol. This was another really exciting and positive occasion for women in diving as the IE was conducted by two female examiners and the candidates were being supported by three female course directors! The IE was a huge success and Renata is once again an in-status Master Instructor.

The whole OWSI course was a really positive experience for all of us and, as it took place around the time of PADI Women’s Day, I hope that it can inspire a whole new generation of women in diving to strive towards the elite, whether it be as an MSD at the top of the recreational path or as a Course Director like me.

[oceanturtlediving]

New ways of training at home and abroad

As a new instructor full of enthusiasm, I was keen from the very beginning to look at new and innovative ideas that I could implement whilst delivering training to keep things interesting, not just for the students, but for me too.

As I qualified in December, the first thing that I wanted to do was escape the cold weather so I proposed the idea to Ocean Turtle Diving of providing students with all of their confined water training in the UK and then taking them to Spain for the Open Water qualifying dives. This proved to be a success despite apocalyptic sea conditions and an idea worth exploring further.

On my return from Spain, I was keen to continue innovating ways to add maximum value to all of the students that I was to teach and mentor. One of the most satisfying courses that I coordinated was for a pair of rescue divers embarking on their PADI pro journey.

Fresh from my own IDC that linked in with the OCR Diploma in Management, I decided to add bespoke modules to their Divemaster course that introduced a lot of the business principles that I had learned during my own training to help maximise their marketability as a PADI professional. Along with Kerrie from Ocean Turtle, we also linked these into the IDC syllabus for the instructor courses that they run.

After the success of these pro courses, Kerrie and I decided to embark upon a joint venture, ProDiveUK (www.prodiveuk.com), to expand the audience for our pro level courses with the addition of the business modules that will help create and run successful dive centres. We are also going to offer this training, like my first trip as an instructor, in Span during the winter months which is an idea that is already proving popular.

Away from the trips abroad and the creation of bespoke training programmes for PADI pros I’ve also found that for each course that is being taught, you need to keep things interesting. Some of the most successful ideas that we have tried are taking a variety of food on deep dives including raw eggs which we crack open to highlight pressure changes, taking balloon animals on the same dive as an experiment as to whether it would hold its shape or sending people off in teams and making a Dive Against Debris dive a competition.

Whether it is recreational or professional level training that you are teaching, always look for something new to bring courses to life, whether it’s travel, props or experiments to keep you and your students fully engaged and enthusiastic throughout all levels of training! Any idea that you have, even if it doesn’t quite work as you’d like (tomatoes are pretty boring underwater by the way) keep you and the students interested and makes them return to your dive centre wondering what their next training dive will have in store.

[oceanturtlediving]

Great News - We’re now an approved youth training centre!

We are delighted to be able to share the fantastic news that we have been awarded by PADI the status of PADI Approved Youth Training Centre. To attain this accolade we had to meet rigorous criteria such as a large range of children’s dive equipment from wetsuits to regulators and BCDs, and also a large number of our Instructors and Divemasters have successfully passed DBS checks and are therefore approved to work with children.  This, coupled with our vast experience in working with children at Bubblemaker, Seal Team, Master Seal Team and Junior Open Water level and beyond means we are excellently placed to be able to offer an amazing service to our young divers.

Each year we run a Dive Camp targeted specifically to the under 16s – where they spend the week with us, completing the theory, pool work and open water work required to attain Junior Open Water diver certification, and be allowed to dive anywhere in the world.  This year is no different and Dive Camp is already filling up at the beginning of August.  This is partly because we don’t charge any extra for this unique experience – even though it includes transportation to and from dive sites and entry into those sites.  We feel this quite literally puts our money where our mouth is when it comes to our passion for getting young people active and involved in diving, and in so doing learning about the importance of the marine environment and what they can do to protect and repair it.

Whilst diving is reserved for those over the age of 8, younger children can still get involved by taking part in one of the many Project Aware specialties that take place in a classroom setting.  We do some great games, colouring, word searches and some role play to really get the message across and engage these young ambassadors.

We are also delighted that we can extend our current work with schools such as Farnborough Hill, BCOT and Downe House to other schools in our area, and to other youth groups such as Scouts, Guides and Sea cadets.   If you know any such group or school that may be interested, then please let us know and we’d be delighted to get in touch.

[oceanturtlediving]

A Trukking Good Time

Blog by Becks Henze

I was offered the amazing opportunity to travel to Truk Lagoon and dive the WWII wrecks.  I would have been crazy to say no so I said “yes” and flew out to Chuuk at the end of April.  Before I went I read a bit about Truk Lagoon so I thought I knew what to expect but the articles and photos don’t do it justice.  It was an amazing trip and the wrecks were stunning!  I would be so bold as to say the best wrecks I have ever dived and the also the best diving I have done. 

I flew out on Friday 28th April and we arrived on Sunday 30th April.  The flights taken took me through Heathrow, Kuala Lumpur, Guam and finally Chuuk.  The connections between each flight were simple and I had plenty of time between each flight so there was no worrying about missing connections (which nobody wants when travelling).  There were 10 other divers also on the trip (mainly dive centre owners) so between connections, we met up and got to know each other.   The Cruise Director picked us up from Chuuk airport and we were introduced to the Captain once we boarded the boat.  While eating pizza (which had been laid on for us, a nice touch) we were shown to our cabins (of which my buddy and I had the most spacious), taken through what we would be doing the following day, completed documentation (handing in passports, showing cert cards etc) and finally we set up our kit for the following day before heading to bed.  I did have a look at a couple of the other cabins and although they were smaller than the one I was in they were still nice and I would have been very happy in any one of them.

In addition to the comfortable cabins, the food was marvellous.  For breakfast there was a nice selection of hot and cold food (cereal, fruit, toast, bacon, sausages, eggs - cooked to order), lunch was always a good choice of three or four things and we had a snack in the afternoon along with a three-course dinner.  The three main meals were served as a buffet and having few choices meant that mealtimes were never boring and always something for everyone.  The snack was served and left in the dining room for us to devour.   I think I came away from the trip heavier than when I went!   

On the Monday morning following the safety drills, we were split into 2 diving groups, Portside and Starboard side.  There were two great guides on board who between them had over 10 years experience of diving the wrecks in the lagoon, each was assigned to a group.

The dives were briefed by the Cruise Director or the Captain The dive briefings were very good, they included a diagram of the wreck, a bit of history about the wreck and points of interest (of which the guides can easily direct you to and point out). The captain was also incredibly knowledgeable and could provide any extra information (if needed/requested).

Each night the plan for the following day was written up so we could see beforehand what we would be doing the following day.  I found this helpful especially as there were books on board so I could read about the wrecks we would be diving the following day.

Diving 4 dives a day on some of the best wrecks in the world over 6 days in 29/30 degree water with great visibility was a tough task but someone had to do it and I’m very glad that someone was me!  There was little to no current which was brilliant as it made the diving easy and allowed me to really take in what I was seeing.  Saying that there is still so much more to see.  Over the 6 days we had we had diving we dived a total of 14 wrecks and each wreck was better than the last (yes, I know it sounds like a cliche!).  Out of the 14 wrecks, we dived the highlight for me was the Shinkoku Maru.  Standing at just over 130m long and weighing just over 10,000 tonnes it was the second biggest wreck in the lagoon.  It wasn’t just the size of it which was impressive, it was a really beautiful wreck.  Luckily it was still upright and so much of it was still intact (obviously covered in coral).   Along with the wreck itself being amazing, there were also plates, teacups, bottles and other such items to see which was incredible.   

Some of the other things to see on other wrecks included tanks, telephones, boots, bullets, guns, gas masks and so many glass beer bottles.

Obviously, you go to Truk Lagoon for the amazing diving, but what I didn’t realise was how beautiful it was going to be.  Sailing around the lagoon in the sunshine (don’t forget your suntan lotion!), the lovely blue lagoon and beautiful Islands was a very nice way to spend the time when not underwater 

What also makes Truk Master a great boat and Truk Lagoon a great destination is that it caters to all types of divers.  If you’re a tec, recreational or CCR diver there is something for you. The dives were organised so that the tec and CCR divers could do longer dives, they just had fewer dives on that wreck. 

Another good point was that my buddy and I were offered an alternative wreck to dive the day we were due to dive the San Francisco Maru (of which you needed to be prepared to do a 50m dive).  We were taken to another shallower wreck which was great as it meant we didn’t get to miss out on a dive.   

When it came to the last day I was genuinely sad to be packing up my kit, I would have loved to have stayed longer.  There is just so much to see and you’re in a beautiful part of the world, what’s not to love!  Diving these wrecks is something I’ll never forget and would highly recommend anyone to dive them at least once.  Truk Lagoon still remains on my list as I want to go back. I would be happy to dive the same wrecks again but there are also more wrecks out in the lagoon to be explored!

Photos courtesy of Soren Wiesauer and Martin Cridge 

[oceanturtlediving]

Tec Diving

Blog by Stefan Taylor

I would like to share my story of my journey into the world of Tec Diving.

The interest for me started not long after completing my advanced open water diver course. As I started to dive more, I noticed other divers with different equipment than me. So, me being the person that I am, started to chat to the other divers to find out a little bit more about it. The result of these discussions made me even more interested in Tec diving.

So, jumping forward to about a year later I invested in my twinset and decided to do my Tec 40 training. A couple of months later Kerrie, Bethan, Lauren and I started the learning process by studying the Tec eLearning manual. This is a great tool as it covers everything you need for learning how to Tec dive up to Tec 50. After completing knowledge reviews and a thorough pool session, we all headed off to Vobster to complete the Open water dives. After 2 days of skills dives and planning and executing a decompression dive, we all did it and passed our Tec 40.

Well that was it for me I was very much hooked and I decided to continue on with my Tec training and went on to complete my Tec 45 and 50 because I absolutely love it. For me it is the planning of the dives and how exciting it is to be down at depth for longer than recreational diving allows.

I then decided to train to be a Tec Instructor so I can teach other people to enjoy all aspects of Technical diving and all the rewards it brings. I am happy to talk about Tec diving to anyone who wants to listen to me and I my mission is to make it an enjoyable and fun experience while keeping people informed of the serious side of Tec diving.

So please feel free to come and talk to me about Tec diving.

[oceanturtlediving]

First Time Freediver

Blog by Lucy Crow

When I was first given the opportunity to go free diving I was quite nervous that I wouldn’t be very good at it because it was just so different from scuba diving. I didn’t know how I felt about going underwater with no air and no diving equipment on to use as my life support.

Anyway, I was up for the challenge and thought that I would give it a go. Turns out that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

First, like all PADI Courses we had to do some online learning, this was to give us the basic knowledge of free diving and introduce us to a few different skills and safe aspects that we would need to know. To our surprise, it was very much like our Open water scuba diving theory.

After taking the online exams we were all very happy to say that we passed.

Leaving on the Tuesday night to travel to Portland and stay in Dive Beyond’s bunkhouse, we were all sharing how we felt about the experience we were to have the next day. We all defiantly had mix emotions about how it would be, but wanted to attempt the challenge.

The next morning, we woke up all rearing to go. We made it to dive beyond, had an introduction to Free Diving by Richard Summerset and we were shown all the equipment that we would be using. This was so very different to the Scuba Diving equipment that we were used to. The fins were double the length and the masks were made to have as little air space in as possible. This meant that equalising was easier.

We then all went to the pool, and put our wetsuits on to meet at pool side. First, we did some YOGA techniques that would lower our pulse and help us to relax enough to comfortably hold our breath. This was an effective technique and I could feel how comfortable I was when I got in the water.

We were demonstrated the Static Apnoea (holding your breath), at this point I was certain that I was never going to make it to a minute and a half (which was the performance requirement). We separated in to groups and had our first try at the static apnoea. To my surprise, with my fist go at holding my breath I made it to 45 seconds. I could see the goal in reach. 

After taking turns and trying it three times each I made it to just under 2 minutes. I was so impressed with myself and really enjoyed the challenge. After everyone had finished with the static apnoea, we moved on to the dynamic apnoea. This again, was a challenge but great fun.

We had to swim a length of the pool underwater holding our breath. When I first looked at this I didn’t think that it looked that hard. But I must say that it was quite difficult. Using your energy to kick while holding your breath seemed difficult. After a few attempts I managed to complete this.

After this experience, I would recommend free diving to anyone. It was such an amazing experience and I hope that in the near future I can move on to the next step and eventually go to the instructor level.

[oceanturtlediving]

Diving in the South China Sea – a Metal Head’s Dream come true

Courtesy of Tourism Malaysia I was extremely lucky to be invited on a familiarisation trip to dive from Labuan Island in the South China sea, at the end of my recent course in Malaysia.  I learnt that Malaysia is split in two – the bit we all know on the Kuala Lumpur side, and another blob further East, on the west coast of the Island of Borneo, surround the Kingdom of Brunei.

At 5am, after some pretty hefty celebrations the night before, we dragged ourselves out of bed and boarded the coach to Kota Kinabalu airport. One of our party didn’t make it through security, having smuggled himself into Malaysia for the course, he didn’t get a stamp in his passport, so they wouldn’t let him through the airport!  After that mini-drama, and feeling more awake after a couple of coffees, we boarded the small propeller plane to Labuan, and pretty much as soon as we took off we began our descent!  

Labuan Island from the air

Labuan Island itself was bigger than I expected, and we were whisked straight to the jay-tea (turned out Jenny our lovely guide had an issue with the pronounciation of jetty, which was hilaious on day one but rather grating by day four!).  We were loaded onto two small fishing boats for a very bumpy and very wet ride across to the paradise island where the dive shacks of CoCo Dive were located.  They were the only buildings on a totally unspoilt island.

The warmth and welcome we received from the crew of CoCo dive was unequalled.  They were a truly lovely and knowledgeable bunch totally alive with the passion for diving and the incredible wrecks and reefs their waters had to offer – and super keen to share it all with us.

First stop was the Cement wreck.   She sits upright at 30m and is a quite spectacular sight to behold – with her ghostly fishing nets wafting around in the current. The viz wasn’t as spectacular as it would have been in the best season (Apr – Oct) but sadly as PADI had moved the dates of the CDTC to significantly earlier this year, we had to “put up with” the conditions.  Those of us from the UK were in our element, with some areas a good 8m viz, we frankly couldn’t believe our luck.

That afternoon we dived a pretty reef before returning to the hotel for a 20-minute turn around (this was not a relaxing break!) before being picked up and whisked off to a promotional diner hosted by Tourism Malaysia to listen to some presentations on what amazing things they could offer our future customers and students. The food was incredible, again, but the beverages were a challenge.  There was no alcohol other than in our hotel bar, and trying to get a glass of water was a feat of resilience.  The favoured offering was some sickly-sweet syrupy rose water than tasted like perfume, but we put a brave face on and consoled ourselves with thoughts of the amazing dives yet to come!

Next morning, we were picked up bright and breezy by the coach, taken to the jay-tea (see!) and transported across to the island.  The team were embarrassed by the poor viz of yesterday (8m, poor?!), so they decided to take us to a dead cert – the Blue Water wreck, and oh my goodness did it deliver! Sitting in 35m, she is a fishing trawler that caught fire and sank in 1981 and is utterly stunning, with an absolute abundance of tropical fish life and some interesting and challenging swim throughs and penetration options - she was a total delight to dive.  She lies neatly on her side, making navigation fairly straightforward, and the clarity of the water in the channel she rests in is unrivalled.

More treats lay in store in the form of the Australian wreck (actually a Dutch vessel), who hit a mine and sank in 1944.  Some 339 passengers lost their lives, predominantly prisoners of war.  Her exposed metal structure is a massive attraction for marine life, and she sits in 35m.  She was a steam ship and has some easy penetration routes for some cracking exploration.

That evening brought a gala dinner, this time hosted by the President of the Labuan Corporation, and attended by the Labuan paparazzi – we were snapped, interviewed and even filmed for local TV – and the next day facebook was flooded by friends of some of the group from Malaysia, China and Japan, all sharing images of press articles featuring us and our exploits!

The final day of diving brought another trip to the iconic Blue Water wreck before returning to the paradise island for a beach BBQ.  Whilst our hosts prepared it, we decided we would do something in return and a large group of us trekked off along the white sandy beaches collecting some of the plastic bottles and other rubbish that sadly wash up daily from the main island.  It was sobering to see just how much had accumulated since their last beach clean-up three days earlier.

We waved our hosts a fond farewell after yet another stunning local reef dive, and a tremendous beach BBQ complete with karaoke!  The professionalism of the Coco Dive team was exceptional, they were a truly great bunch of people, and the diving in the area utterly blew me away. There are many more great wrecks to explore in the area – and it would be paradise for any wreck diver. Perhaps the most exciting thing is the recent discovery of some world war two plane wrecks in the area – watch out Truk Lagoon -this place takes half the time to reach and costs around half the amount….. serious competition in my opinion.

[oceanturtlediving]

Becoming a Course Director

On a cold, dark, rainy October night in the dive centre, I finally hit send on the email that could change my life – my Course Director application.  It had taken me months to compile (business plan for myself and OTD, Diving CV, Project Aware portfolio, credits from IDCs I had staffed, webinars and forums attended, letters of recommendation from existing CDs, summary of certifications and last but not least, evidence of passing the theory and standards exams at a recent IE to the much higher pass mark required for a CD!). Nothing was guaranteed, my application now went into a pot with all the others from Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to be assessed and ranked.  This EMEA pot was then stirred into the Asia Pacific pot and the Americas pot, so that overall global rankings were given to each applicant.  This process was done throughout what felt like a very long winter – until on 10th January we were all poised by phones to see if we had made the final cut and the top 45, to be offered a place.  I literally dropped my phone when I found out I had.  This was especially embarrassing since I was helping with a school trip at my daughter’s school that day and was sitting in the library with some other mums chatting away before being called to collect out charges for the day, when my phone fell from my hand and crashed onto the floor whilst I sat aghast, mouth wide open and unable to speak.  They were really quite worried about me!

The next month was a whirlwind of preparation (to leave my family for 3 weeks, and to leave my other baby, Ocean Turtle for 3 weeks) both in terms of logistics and self-study – yep even at CD level the same structure applies – presentations / self-study and knowledge reviews before the course starts.

I flew on my birthday – the shortest birthday ever given the time zone – and missed the connecting flight due to a delay leaving Heathrow.  At Hong Kong I was bumped to a flight to Kuala Lumpur, then onwards to Kota Kinabalu, finally arriving 8 hours later than planned, but thankfully bumping into Rich Somerset and Terry Johnson from PADI EMEA who scraped me off the airport floor and delivered me to the utterly luxurious hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

I had one day to acclimatise and get over the journey and jet lag. The idyllic surroundings certainly helped this process, and by close of play I was set up and raring to go – portable printer (oh yes, it’s a thing!) plugged in, laptop, iPad, iPhone laid out, thousands of slates and notes carefully arranged in my room.

Walking into the conference room on day one I was greeted by a tall, smiling guy from PADI who said “you must be Kerrie” – this scared the beejaysus out of me, but he promised me all he had heard had been good, and showed me to my seat.  It turned out this was Eric Albinsson from PADI Americas, a lovely, giving person. We had all been allocated into teams of 7 or 8 people, and I was given Blue team.  My team was the most globally diverse – Malta, Indonesia, Germany and Korea – and we had a translator that the Korean guys had hired to help them out.   The overall diversity in the room was astounding – 45 candidates from 25 countries, but only 7 women, a statistic that I am hell bent on correcting.

Blue Team in the pool after one of the confined water sessions.

The CDTC followed a recognisable structure to the IDC – there were confined water and open water presentations, classroom presentations (of all levels, instructor to students, CD to candidates and everything inbetween) and a team marketing project. The difference was, to be successful the scores needed to be higher (understandably) and the role play was more of a challenge to get our heads around – someone playing DM, someone as Instructor, someone as Staff Instructor, someone as CD, and then the PADI examiner.  Many a time the question “who am I?” was raised, and not in a philosophical way! The super-intensive 9 days were roughly split into two parts.  The first half, all of our assessments and assignments (and there were many of them!) were practice runs for the real event.  

Blue Team after an Open Water session.

The second half of the course, the mood changed palpably, the stress levels sky rocketed, and the make or break presentations came thick and fast.  Some days two, other days three or more.  I had expected it to be an intensive and difficult experience but nothing could have prepared me for the extraordinary experience. The highs were higher than I’d ever experienced outside my personal life (wedding, kids) and the lows were absolutely gut-wrenchingly deep. My support network back home were completely incredible throughout, but especially when I needed them most.  On returning to my room at almost midnight one night, exhausted, frustrated, angry and close to tears (long story) there was a huge bunch of gorgeous tropical flowers waiting for me with a motivating note saying “We’re all thinking of you back home.  We know you’re going to smash this”.  I completely broke down, for a good half hour, but when I picked myself back up, showered away all the negative feelings and emotions, I felt stronger than I ever had, and I knew, indeed, that I was going to smash this.  And I did.

On the last day, following the last presentations, we were called one by one into a small board room to be told our fate by our regional Head of Instructor Development.  I walked into the room and Terry stood up and said “come ‘ere” and gave me a massive hug.  I hoped it was a good hug, and I didn’t have to wait long until he told me that I was now a Course Director and ………..  I have no idea what else he said as my soul left my body momentarily and was floating around god knows where trying to take in the enormity of it all, and planning whether to start with a cheeky gin or a glass of bubbly! (for the record, gin won).

Exhibit A -Eric Albinsson, Alan Jan, Linda Van Velsan, Terry Johnson, Roger Sun, Thomas Knedlik.

That night PADI and Tourism Malaysia laid on an extravaganza for us. It started with a cocktail reception where I finally managed to persuade the entire PADI team to participate in the Ocean Turtle Lunge (exhibit A) and was followed by a gala dinner, with live entertainment provided by the incredible Sabah dancers. The PADI team had prepared some emotional video montages (more emotional still since that first gin was now about 7 hours ago and we were still going strong) and then we were called up on stage one by one to be given our certificates, badges and as a huge surprise, our certification cards.  Then we headed off into Kota Kinabalu for the night in a great bar by the waterfront and slowly let it sink in.

I actually don’t have the words to fully do justice to the experience, nor to where I now find myself and the incredibly privileged position I have to help other PADI Pros on their journeys.  All I can say in an absolutely enormous thank you to those who encouraged me, stood by me, picked me up, reality-slapped me, drove me, and believed in me.  I could not have done it without you, and my gratitude to you is unending, truly.

[oceanturtlediving]

From DSD to Staff Instructor and beyond?

I started diving in 2012 as a birthday present to myself. People often ask me why I wanted to do it and it’s still something that I struggle to articulate. It’s just something I’d always wanted to try but never thought I could as I’ve never been the strongest swimmer or that confident in the water.

I began with a Discover Scuba Diving experience and from the moment I went under, I felt completely at home in the water and signed up to my Open Water course the next day.

My diving was limited to warm locations only to begin with. I only wanted to do this as a hobby and thought it would be a great thing to do on holiday and I went to Rhodes, Thailand, Egypt countless times and Australia and made sure that diving featured as part of all of these trips. My friend and dive buddy then decided to move to the other side of the world and I realised that if I wanted to continue diving, I would have to get my Dry Suit specialty and start diving in the UK to find a new group of people to dive with.

At this point, I started to realise that this was something that I really did want to do more and more and it became my main focus away from the mundane routine of the day job. I completed my rescue course in 2014 and this is when I knew that I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had become a Divemaster and started life as a PADI Pro.

I was still suffering from some confidence issues thinking that I wouldn’t be able to do certain elements of the course well enough but due to the brilliant support that I received from Kerrie at Ocean Turtle Diving, I not only completed the course successfully but grew in confidence on a personal level which also filtered into other areas of my life.

Working as a Divemaster was both fun and challenging. I tried to be available for as many courses and training sessions as possible and nothing gave me a greater sense of achievement than helping someone overcome their nerves and get to the end of a Discover Scuba Diving experience having loved it as much as I had.

I was also fortunate enough to work as a Divemaster full time in Spain for a month and it was here that I decided that I once again wanted to step up to the next level as an instructor having been mildly frustrated that I couldn’t help or assist people with some of the scenarios that arose. Sure enough, I signed up to an IDC when I returned and not only that, I chose one that would mean I was one of the first to complete an IE linked with a Business qualification.

During the IDC, I realised that standing up in front of people and teaching them in a classroom was something that I was actually quite good at and building in the business modules which covered off a lot of knowledge and skills that I use in my day to day life meant that I was able to present in a way that people seemed to enjoy.

It was about half way through my IDC that I realised that although becoming an OWSI would be a brilliant achievement, it was the role of Staff Instructor that was my real goal and I set myself a target of achieving this by Easter 2017 which, considering my IE was in December 2016 was going to be a bit of a push.

The thing about pushing yourself to achieve a goal is that you learn a lot about yourself and when it’s something that you completely enjoy, you become fully immersed in the training and teaching to get there.

Once I passed my IE in the December, I went straight into training for Instructor specialties before the Christmas break where I actually gave myself the treat and reward of a weeklong liveaboard in the Red Sea. This was quite a welcome break as once I came back on, I was about to embark upon an intense few months of teaching and training to not only get the required number of divers certified to achieve my MSDT but to them complete the Staff Instructor course to reach my goal. 

I’m not going to lie, it was a hard and exhausting few months. Balancing teaching, including taking students to Spain to complete a variety of courses, and my day job resulted in a constant loop of 7 day weeks. It didn’t feel like work though as it’s something that I completely and wholeheartedly enjoy. I even managed to successfully set up and run a day of teaching ProjectAWARE specialties to a handful of students to help build awareness of the plight of our oceans.

Did I manage to achieve my goal? I most certainly did and the best part was that I completed my Staff Instructor training with Kerrie with whom my professional journey began back in 2015.

Working as a dive instructor whilst having a full time job is hard, there’s no doubt about it but it is totally worth the late nights and long weekends in the water. The best bit for me is being able to share my enjoyment and love of diving with such a range of people from beginners and now to those starting their lives as instructors and I am looking forward to seeing where this life I have chosen takes me next.

[oceanturtlediving]

Turtles work hard to become AWARE of the marine environment

Throughout the winter months, a lot of divers choose to stay out of the cool waters of the UK and instead spend their time planning for holidays and adventures for the warmer months. However, a small group of students at Ocean Turtle Diving decided that they wanted to use one of these cooler days to learn about the marine environment and start to learn how they can begin to make a difference to the world around us.

The students, guided by Bettie one of the instructors were set the task of spending the entire day in the classroom to achieve both their Coral Reef Conservation Specialty and their Project AWARE specialty. Bettie’s task was to try and make the day interesting, fun and somewhat entertaining! A tall order when learning about the plight of our oceans.

As a group, the students were brilliant and engaging, throughout every topic, even the more intense subject areas, they were interested and engaging and came out with some really great questions and also wisdom that they had all gained from their personal research into these subject areas prior to the day.

The teaching was constructed using the standard suite of training materials but also the students were shown a range of videos that whilst fun and whimsical (like the coral song) were educational and thought provoking. They were also encouraged on certain topics to work as a group to research the facts and figures for these and the information that they were able to find and the presentations of these were completely brilliant!

Once the day of teaching had been completed, we were joined by a large group of other divers and people with an interest in marine conservation to watch the film A Plastic Ocean. At the end of the showing it was clear to see that everyone that had viewed the film had been deeply affected by its contents and were committed to making changes within their own lives to try and make a difference and improve the world around them.

At Ocean Turtle, we are committed to improving our work with regards to conservation by planning several beach and underwater clean ups through the warmer months and changing our in store policy around the use of plastic bottles and recycling. We know that we can’t fix the problem on our own, but if everyone makes just one or two small changes, we can make a real difference.

[oceanturtlediving]

Searching for Manta Rays & Whale Sharks

On a cold January day in the dive centre I received an email that led to me sitting where I am typing this - balancing my laptop on my knees on a beanbag on the sun deck of the quite glorious Blue Voyager liveaboard, whilst she sails around the idyllic paradise atolls of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

The email was from Blue O Two – the best dive holiday company in the world, in my opinion.  They were writing to let me know that I was invited on a familiarisation trip aboard one of their boats – where there would be diving in the day and presentations on the extensive Blue O Two fleet in the evenings. It took me all of 2 minutes to check childcare arrangements and book my flights!

So, in early October, following a manic summer season at the dive centre, I threw my new Scubapro Hydros lightweight BCD in a bag, along with most of my kit (I admit I forgot some things because I was rushing!) and headed off to Heathrow.  The Emirates flight to Dubai was a delight and I managed to watch two films, including Finding Dory, which really put me in the mood for some warm water diving.  The Dubai – Male flight was a bit more crowed but I managed a couple of hours sleep before arriving at the airport and being picked up by our guide for the week Gabriel – a truly enigmatic man from Argentina who seemed genuinely as excited about all the diving as we did!

The liveaboard was luxury personified – spacious cabins, decadent lounges and this sun deck, furnished with sofas, bean bags, sun beds, and the essential (?) hot tub! After a false start in cabin 8 with a poorly roomie with the lurgy, I settled in cabin 2 with a delightful northern gentleman who put up with this southern lass’s snoring and pretended he never heard it.

The diving began that very first day with a check dive at “Fish Head” – not the most salubrious of names for a dive site but oh my goodness did it deliver!  The place was overrun with huge sting rays (I lost count around 9) and the cute award went to the squillions of baby blue triggerfish mooching around in the shallows.  On the way back in the Dhoni (I’ll explain that in a minute) we were even treated to the company of dolphins.  Possibly the best check dive in the world!

So, the Dhoni.  Our cute wooden, traditional Maldivian Dhoni follows the main boat when we pootle along and it is essentially a separate dive deck.  All our gear is neatly lined up on spacious benches, with a crate underneath for smaller bits and pieces.  Between dives, the crew refill our cylinders whilst we enjoy a cold drink on the main vessel – and the best bit – they sail the Dhoni off to a distance where we can’t even hear the compressor – a welcome break to us all as we are all dive centre owners from around the UK who spend a large part of our time at work listening to the drone of a compressor!

The food on board is incredible.  The Sri Lankan chefs knocks up some true culinary delights from his small galley kitchen – ranging from Lasagne to Chinese to our and seemingly his favourite, curry.  Not just any curry, but 8 difference dishes of meat / fish / vegetable / daals and so on. Quite spectacular!  Every time we return from a dive we are presented with a welcome ice cold drink and a home-made goodie of some description.  In case we got the chance to get hungry (we don’t) there is a whole branch of bananas hanging at the back of the boat ripening in the sunshine.  They really have thought of everything.

So back to the diving. Our first full day landed us two very special encounters with the majestic manta rays.  In daylight hours, we stationed ourselves next to a cleaning station and watched these gorgeous creatures cruise in for a spruce up courtesy of the little wrasse.  By night we turned on the super strength lights at the back of the boat and “cooked” for the mantas, whipping up extraordinary quantities of plankton and krill and it wasn’t long before they sniffed it out and began to feed at the back of the boat, in their typical swirling round and round doing somersaults manner.  Of course, we were not content just watching from the back of the boat, so we kitted up, with torches and cameras at the ready, and headed down to the sandy bottom. We all stuck our torches into the sand, pointing upwards in some strange light-sabre-like ritual, but the plankton and krill obliged and came in their drones, so thick at times that I was put in mind of the Wraysbury viz! However, what happened next sadly never happens at Wraysbury – a manta swooped within centimetres of my head and expertly gobbled up a ton of goodies from the light beams.  It treated us to a show of three loops around the whole group before heading off – only to come back again about ten minutes later when there was more to eat again.  It was truly magical and I confess it brought a tear of pure gratitude and joy to my eye! Turned out this wouldn’t be the first time...

Cruising around the South Ari Atoll the following day we had one thing in mind – searching for the gentle giant of the ocean, the Whale Shark.  We systematically worked our way up and down the ocean side of the far south hoping for an encounter when suddenly the crew spotted something in the water.  We all rushed to the Dhoni which sped off whilst we kitted up.  Divers threw themselves into the water, but unfortunately my buddy was having a problem with her fin strap and we were last to enter the water. However, this turned out to be an absolute stroke of genius.  She giant strided (strode?) into the water, negatively buoyant as per usual, and as her head sunk below the surface and I was about to follow, the crew shouted “whale shark” and pointed in the opposite direction to where everyone went.  I jumped in and immediately grabbed her and pointed the opposite way and then there, looming out of the blue, came the most glorious sight – an enormous, graceful giant of the deep, a whale shark.  He allowed us to swim alongside him for at least 5 minutes, and it is something I will never, ever forget, and yes, there was another tear! As if that weren’t enough we saw a turtle and a second whale shark fleetingly towards the end of the dive.

The rest of the dives during the week were equally beautiful and chilled – and we were treated to a spectacular array of hard and soft corals, beautiful reef fish, black and white tipped reef sharks, turtles, nudibranchs, eels of all shapes, sizes and colours, eagle rays, sting rays and manta rays.  

All in all, it was an epic journey full of incredible experiences and I can’t wait to offer this trip to all of our divers in 2017!