#diver training

[scubatechdivers-cyprus]

Part 2 of the journey Sophie Edwards took with us at Scuba Tech Cyprus, showing another portion of her BSAC training in Protaras. Shot recovery and repositioning, rescue skills (in water and out) and a host of dive leading and experience dives makes for a well rounded, highly skilled BSAC dive leader

[ddrcplymouth]

Divers Entertained by 'Diving On The Edge' event

DDRC Healthcare recently held ‘Diving on the Edge (of Adventure,Technology & Medicine)’ which was enthusiastically received by over 120 attendees on Sunday 10th November.

Held at the Roland Levinsky building in Plymouth University, a diverse audience  of divers, students, medics and photography enthusiasts heard TV presenter and marine biologist Monty Halls talk about his diving experiences, especially in some extremely remote underwater locations.

Pictured: Monty Halls with DDRC Healthcare Marketing and Fundraising Manager, Louise Walsh.

Local TV underwater cameraman, Hugh Miller, gave an insight into some of the logistical difficulties of travelling with a huge amount of both technical diving and TV equipment, when filming programmes such as Frozen Planet, Africa and Planet Earth. 

Pictured: Underwater cameraman Hugh Miller

Internationally renowned technical diver and Associate Professor Simon Mitchell, from New Zealand, spoke about rebreather technology and his experiences as a diver and a doctor. Whilst ,from the USA,  Dr Caroline Fife, a specialist in hyperbaric medicine from the USA, gave an intriguing talk entitled 'The not so ancient history of scientific diving; from Aqua Naughties to Nefertiti'!

DDRC Healthcare diving doctors were joined by patients who had previously received treatment in the hyperbaric chamber, and who gave their own personal accounts of their experiences.

Women Divers Hall of Fame, Marguerite St Leger Dowse presented her findings after '13 years of diving research and the Imperfect World.' Marguerite is also co-editor (with Dr Caroline Fife) of 'Women and Pressure, Diving and Altitude'.

The event was very well received and enjoyed by all those who attended with very positive comments made.

Monty Halls emailed to say " I thought it was fascinating, inspiring, and altogether a brilliant way to spend a Sunday. Simon [Mitchell's] presentation was absolutely outstanding, one of the best I've ever seen in any sphere" and Hugh Miller tweeted "Thank you to @DDRCPlymouth and all who attended the ‘Diving On The Edge’.

The aim of the day was to bring together renowned and respected speakers to talk about their own wide ranging experiences of the extremes of diving and to showcase how the charity DDRC Healthcare is leading the way in Treatment, Research and Education.

[ddrcplymouth]

Hyperbaric Chamber & Diver Medic Training in Tahiti

Although DDRC Professional Services delivers training around the world this was the first time we have received a request to run training courses in the South Pacific. Tahiti, French Polynesia, conjured up images of blue skies, clear warm water and sandy, palm fringed beaches, so there was added motivation for taking on the assignment.

Fortunately, fellow Training Officer Tim Mockridge and myself were able to make ourselves available on the dates requested and flew out via Paris and Los Angeles.  

DDRC Professional Services (DDRCPS) has had a longstanding relationship with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF), providing both Chamber Operator and Advanced First Aid for Diving Emergencies training for their staff for more than six years.

Tim and I were based on the 67 metre M/Y Golden Shadow, which is equipped with a two compartment recompression chamber in support of scientific diving operations.

The Founder of the Living Oceans Foundation, His Royal Highness Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz has always had a love of the oceans. In September 2000, he took the initiative to make positive change in the world by establishing the KSLOF, dedicated to conservation and preservation of our precious living oceans for the sake of generations to come.

We ran parallel courses with myself leading on the chamber operations training and Tim the Emergency Medic Technician (Diver) programme. It’s an intensive programme with theory sessions in the mornings, practical chamber skills in the afternoons and private study tasks in the evenings. During the afternoon sessions the chamber operators are driving the system with the EMT(D)s inside looking after the ‘patients’. The participants learn increasingly complex skills during the course and towards the end have to deal with unplanned events and emergencies during a therapy.

On the final day there is a full team scenario; recovering a diver casualty from the water, transferring them back to M/Y Golden Shadow and into the recompression chamber for treatment. The scenario tests everyone’s skills, team working and communication with others on board the research vessel. The patient’s condition during the treatment is reported to a diving medicine specialist and their advice acted upon by the team members.

As usual Golden Shadow’s 10 ‘students’ represented a full cross section including the Captain, deck officers, engineering officers, divers and the nurse. A couple had attended previous DDRCPS training, some had experience of diving and for others it was completely new. They all worked hard and made excellent progress through the courses. The end result is an effective and competent team who will be well able to recognise and take appropriate in the event of a diver injury or decompression illness.

DDRC Professional Services specialised training ensures that KSLOF personnel are confident in providing an effective response to an incident, particularly when they are working in isolated locations. As we wrapped up the course and prepared to return to the UK the scientists were arriving on board in preparation for their next mission in the Austral and Cook Islands. 

By Jon Parlour, Training Officer at DDRC Healthcare & DDRC Professional Services

[ddrcplymouth]

CUSAC Trip to DDRC Dive Accident Responder Course

CUSAC members in the Krug Multi-Place Hyperbaric Chamber await a Dive

DDRC would like to thank you Cardiff University Sub Aqua Club (CUSAC) for this Guest Blog.

On the evening of Friday 25th January, Ben, Emma, Jack C, Jack O and Richy headed down to Plymouth to attend the DDRC’s Dive Accident Responder (DARC) course. Stocked up with cookies, we made it through the wind and rain (with Emma ensuring that Richy stayed in the right lane!), and arrived in Plymouth where we checked into our Travelodge for the night, conveniently next door to a pub! We headed to the pub (it would have been rude not to), ordered some food and drink and chatted away, with Ben having a shower through the leaking ceiling!

As one of the main charities that CUSAC sponsor, it was great to be able to visit the centre and a bonus that we weren’t going there for treatment! Joining the other divers who had arrived for the course, we were split into 2 groups, with Ben, Emma and Richy in group 1 and Jack C and Jack O in group 2. The day was then split into 4 sessions, with plenty of breaks and refreshments in between.  

One of the sessions of the day was the 40m chamber dive, in the Krug multi-place chamber, which enabled us to experience what it would be like should we ever have to pay the chamber a visit – fingers crossed we don’t! Dressed in 100% cotton clothing (scrubs were worn if needed), we descended with the chamber attendant, a balloon and a bottle of water. We had to continuously equalize our ears, and with the pressure changing inside the chamber it was pretty noisy! Once at 40m, everyone was giggling and the balloon had deflated. Ascending slowly, 100% O2 was provided by the masks for our safety stop and we made it back to the surface.

For another of the sessions, we were joined by Ken Bazeley from the Coastguard, Andy Watts from the Royal Navy Search and Rescue and Keith Colwill from the RNLI, who presented a lecture on emergencies at sea. The lecture highlighted the importance of being seen at sea and being able to call for help. We voted on the effectiveness of a number of distress aids, placing them on the ‘cool wall’, with the DSMB, a loud whistle and reflective tape on our hoods and suits being voted as some of the favourites as they are both cheap and effective – make sure you have all of these!

A detailed decompression illness lecture was presented, which included real case studies and a 5 minute neurological examination, led by Dr Matt Waterman. We paired up and took it in turns to carry out an examination based on fictitious symptoms. The examination was recorded on a laminated card and assessed basic symptoms of the casualty. This record would then be sent away with the casualty to help the medical teams assess further.

Finally, the basic life support session refreshed our memories of CPR and also included focus on oxygen administration and AED use, with Annie and her friends to assist us in our practice!

Overall, the Diver Accident Responder Course was a great day, refreshing current knowledge and emphasising the importance of safe diving practice, whilst teaching us new information. It also highlighted the great work that the DDRC does. All 5 of us would highly recommend the course to any diver, and regardless of your level of experience, everyone can benefit!

THANKS from DDRC to CUSAC for coming to the DARC and for sharing your experiences. We are planning to run the DARC again next year. Provisional dates have been set as Saturday 1st March and Sunday 2nd March 2014.

[worldofdan]

Nemo 33 ~ The Worlds Deepest Indoor Swimming Pool The pool's located in Brussels, Belgium and it's deest point is 34.5 metres (113 ft) down.

Designed as a multi-purpose diver training pool the facility even has simulated caves and also viewing ports to allow visitors to observe divers in action. The pool has even been used for tricky to film sequences in movies.

[ddrcplymouth]

Dive Accident Responder Course (DARC) 2013

Could you manage a diving accident? What does it feel like to be recompressed?

Would YOU know what to do if your dive buddy surfaced unconscious?

DDRC, a Plymouth based charity, is running a 1 day practical course specifically designed for recreational divers, that addresses these questions. Training is provided in Basic Life Support, with emphasis on diving casualties, oxygen administration and carrying out a 5 minute neurological examination.

The course includes a 40m Chamber Dive (subject to medical clearance / diving certification), a tour of our fascinating Hyperbaric Medical Centre facilities in Plymouth. These were particularly popular with participants last year.

The day also incorporates lectures on decompression illness (recognising it and dealing with it) and case studies on diving accidents, as well as workshops and speakers from DDRC, HM Coastguard, RNAS Culdrose and the RNLI.

Places on the course are still being offered at a highly subsidised price of only £99 each, including lunch, refreshments and free parking.

Participants will receive a course certificate from DDRC and those interested can also obtain a PADI Specialty Certificate in Recompression Chamber Awareness (subject to payment of a further PADI processing fee).

The feedback from course participants on the 2012 DARC was phenomenal; 

"Thank you for a great day, I will certainly recommend this course"

"Very informative. Lots of useful information and hands on training."

"Chamber session was excellent. A high quality day - very useful".

"Thanks for educating us on how to avoid coming up to visit you, but if I do end here I know I'll be in good hands."

Course dates are Saturday 26th January 2013 and/or Sunday 27th January 2013. To book email [email protected] or call us on 01752 209999.

[udtblog-blog]

The Cause

“Looking Back to the Future of Diving.” The dive industry has always had a conflict between Recreational and Educational Diver Training. This conflict or battle has been ongoing for years. While recreation is play, education is a learning process to provide one with knowledge, training and experience needed for a specific purpose.