Dive Training Blogs
Diving Diaries (Part 3)
In this new series Scubaverse blogger, Isobel Fairbairn, keeps a diary as she learns to dive with her university BSAC club (Salford University Diving Society or SUDS for short). Follow her progress as she heads underwater for the very first time.
My third week of my dive training and so far, I’d argue my hardest.
Our theory this week consisted of all the “what happens if?” questions and answers, all the terrifying dangers that come with diving if proper safety is not ensured.
Of course, some of it feels like common sense, paying attention to your surroundings, always making sure to check on your buddy, but some of it really isn’t common sense, and I came away with a head full of new information (and anxieties) that I wish I’d left in the classroom. But of course wishes don’t often come true and I am well aware of the fact all of this information is to make sure we are all practicing proper procedure and therefore at our safest, so all of this information won’t be leaving my brain anytime in the future.
This week we learnt about DCI; the symptoms, preventions and treatment. We were informed on the importance of anticipating problems, being prepared and how prevention is better than a cure! We were presented with the “incident pit”, the pit of horrors type diagram and how its significance holds great importance as one thing can lead to another and suddenly you can be out of your depth, both literally and metaphorically.
We were also shown the importance of having proper gas canister checks and the issues that can come with contaminated breathing gas, oxygen toxicity and Nitrogen narcosis.
Onto the practical session of the evening:
Backwards rolling into the pool to begin with ended up being quite enjoyable, it was our first time trying it out and as nervous as I was when I stood with my back to the water with my feet on the edge of the pool, it went a lot smoother than I expected. I’ll be brutally honest I think I almost fell in backwards anyway, so I just went with it without giving myself too much time to overthink it. Following a backwards descent into the water me and my buddy then did a swim around the pool, monitored by our instructor where we used the hand signals we had learnt so far in practice on our own i.e. “I’m the leader”, “you’re the leader”, “are you okay?” “gas check?” this was fun, it was exciting to be able to freely swim around and use the information I’d learned (and realised it had stuck and I was getting better each week!)
Next up came the bit I’d like to now tell readers I’m STILL working on, if anyone has any miracles for how to do this easily, someone, please, enlighten me, my mermaid dreams felt like they were slipping from my grasp during this task.
We had to perform a mask removal underwater and reapply the mask after we had removed it. Now I’m sat, on my knees, underwater watching my buddy do this procedure, she completes it, very well might I add, and during every single one of those painstaking minutes watching her, my sense of dread is just slowly increasing, next thing I know my instructor is Infront of me asking me to now perform the mask removal so what do I do? Obviously I take my mask off! And then I panic, I bottle it. I come up to the surface, gasping for air a little bit, even though I’ve had my reg in the whole time, I’m still panicking at this point and I’m very aware that I just don’t think I’ll be getting this done this session.
My instructor, who is a very lovely man tells me to just take time off and we can get it done next time and not to worry, but, of course I spend the next two hours worrying, listening to my already qualified friend Jamie tell me to “just practice in the bath, it’ll be fine” much to my amusement, but I actually may take this as serious advice. So, to my mother, if you’re reading this now, please don’t be surprised if you catch me snorkelling in the bath when I’m home for easter.
The diving world thrives on passion and adventure, but for many dive store owners, the financial and operational challenges can be as deep as the ocean.
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NovoScuba’s mission is straightforward yet profound: to disrupt the traditional dynamics between dive store owners and training agencies. Traditionally, dive stores have been subjected to substantial fees charged by training agencies, for membership, materials and certifications. These costs have often placed a heavy financial burden on store owners, cutting into their profits and limiting their ability to offer competitive prices to customers.
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NovoScuba’s approach is simple yet revolutionary. Dive stores partnering with NovoScuba can earn commissions for every student they enroll.
Here’s how it works: For every student enrolled through NovoScuba, dive stores receive a commission. Each student enrolled will receive their e-learning materials and certification credit included in their subscription. This arrangement is a significant departure from the traditional model, where dive stores often struggle to manage high overhead costs related to training fees and certification expenses.
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NovoScuba’s membership model is designed with dive store owners in mind. Membership fees are kept low and include annual Pro member fees for your team. Payment can be made monthly or annually in your local currency, avoiding the hassle of exchange rate fluctuations. NovoScuba promises no exchange rate changes without a six-month notice, ensuring financial stability and simplifying budgeting. With a membership lasting 12 months from date of joining, you’ll enjoy a full year of NovoScuba’s benefits and support.
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Handling administrative tasks can be a challenge, but NovoScuba makes it easier. We’ve streamlined certification procedures and reduced paperwork to help dive stores operate more efficiently. Certification processing is quick and straightforward, allowing more focus on teaching and customer service. Our system minimises bureaucracy by storing necessary forms in student profiles, reducing paperwork and administrative delays.
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At NovoScuba, we’ve taken a bold step by paying commissions to stores rather than following the traditional model of training agencies charging high fees. Our mission is to make diving accessible to everyone and to foster a growing community of new divers and continued education. By redistributing profits more equitably between stores and training agencies, we aim to create a more supportive and collaborative environment within the industry. We believe this approach not only helps individual stores thrive but also stimulates overall growth and innovation in diving. Our commitment to fair profit sharing reflects our dedication to the long-term health and expansion of the diving community.
Everyone is getting a piece of the pie.
Getting Started: Join the NovoScuba Revolution
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By Marissa Eckert
What are the requirements to start cave diving? What do I need to do to be prepared for cave training? These are all questions I get asked by so many potential students. There are many options when coming up with an answer. The first option, and the easiest, would be to go the training agency website and look up the requirements to take the class. However, this leaves a lot open for interpretation and doesn’t mean you will necessarily be ready. Like anything, there always needs to be minimum requirements. But is that enough? Maybe for some people it is, but for most people it’s not.
So, what are the requirements?
TDI breaks cave training down into three different levels. Those levels are cavern, intro to cave, and full cave. To start cavern the requirements state that you must be 18 years old or 15 years old with parental consent, have an Open Water Certification, and a minimum of 25 logged dives. This doesn’t sound like much. So, what do I tell my students when they ask me? First, I find out if they are only interested in cavern or if they are interested in potentially progressing into cave diving. If they are interested in progressing into cave diving, I always strongly suggest they get comfortable with a dual configuration first. This configuration can be side mount, back-mounted doubles, or even a rebreather. The main things I tell everyone they need to have down are buoyancy, good trim position, the ability to hover in place motionless without moving their hands or feet, and good overall awareness. This means awareness of oneself and what your body and equipment are doing, but also total awareness of what is going on around you.
So, what does all this mean?
Many times I’ve had students show up thinking they had all these things mastered only to quickly realize they have a long way to go. Which by the way, is okay! After all, we all start somewhere and progress at different paces. The most important thing is to be open to feedback. But there are also ways to prepare yourself better. First and foremost, when starting down this route it is critical to find a good instructor. Take time to look up instructors, ask questions, interview them, look at their past students, look at what type of diving they are doing, and most importantly ask questions! Find out what techniques they use during class.
I have found that video recording students when they are struggling with something gives them a great perspective to see what they are doing wrong and helps them visualize and correct it. Does the instructor look good as a diver? Whether you like social media or not, the internet can be a great place for research. When looking at a diver they should look in trim, almost like they are laying flat on a table. In videos are they finning with their hands? Are their feet constantly moving? Are there things dangling below their body? All equipment and hoses should be extremely clean and contoured to the body.
The most important question to always ask during training is WHY? There should always be a why behind everything we do. And it should never just be because I said so. Make sure the instructor knows why they are telling you to do something a particular way. Everyone can always learn new ways of doing things, instructors included.
How can you truly prepare yourself?
A good idea is to record video of yourself or have a friend record you while diving. Send it to your instructor ahead of time, so they can give you feedback and let you know if there are things you need to work on. There is no certain number of years to be diving, or a certain number of dives to have, that says yes you will be ready. Every individual learns at a different pace. If a class is only offered in a minimum number of days with a maximum number of students allowed, be aware that this means less time practicing each skill. For this reason, you might be better suited doing one-on-one training or having a regular buddy take the class with you. This ensures you are comfortable with each other and familiar with each other’s habits in and out of the water, and that you get along!
The most important thing of all is to come to class with an open mind, a readiness to learn, and no concern with whether you will receive a card, but with a concern that you will learn to be a better, safer, more competent diver. I always tell my students safety is the number one most important thing in cave diving, but fun is a close second! Sometimes, it may not feel fun. Stop and ask yourself does this instructor have your best interests at heart? I know I certainly do. I want to go to sleep each night knowing that I gave my students as much knowledge as possible to make them safe and thoughtful cave divers.
With proper training, proper equipment, proper experience, and a proper attitude I think cave diving can be done very safely. I often joke that the most dangerous thing about cave diving is driving to the dive site!
To find out more about International Training, visit www.tdisdi.com.
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