Sunday Catch Up

All to often people complain about things throughout life, but forget to mention the good things. So it is always great to have a student come back after a day diving and say that not only did they qualify, but their instructor was brilliant and so was the rest of the team! Ian Herbert went to Stoney Cove last weekend with Andy Harris and David Herbert (no relation!) to finish Kevin Nichol’s Advanced Open Water Course. When Kevin brought the equipment back on Tuesday, the first thing he said to Gary was that Ian and the team were superb. Kevin had never worked with Ian before and was not sure being a bit nervous, but he said that after two minutes he felt safe in Ian’s hands and that nothing was too much trouble! Kevin completed deep, navigation and wreck dives to finish off his Advanced Open Water Course. Going down to 20 metres for the first time is always daunting, but with when you trust your instructor, you can feel safe at all times. Whenever Kevin looked at Ian, he was watching him make sure all was okay. This not only makes the student feel safe, but makes for a better diver. If the student can concentrate on diving feeling that they are being watched at all times, it can help to relax.

Gary says:

“As the owner of Orca, it is always a lovely moment when someone comes back saying the staff are great and have made them feel good.”

As for the rest of the week, on Monday Gary was at the After School club at Basildon Academies, on Tuesday everyone was back in Basildon deep pool and on Thursday evening in SWF pool, with all the usual courses running!

On Friday, Gary went to Heybridge Primary School. This was a bit of a last minute trip for Gary, as he got a call at 6:30pm the night before asking if he was available to teach a year 5/6 class in the morning, as a special treat after the children’s hard work in their SATs exams this week! Always one for a challenge, Gary said yes, and so at 9:00am Friday, Gary walked into the class. Firstly he explained what he does and how the equipment works, as well as telling the children what he sees underwater, answering many questions as he goes! He then went on to explain the problems divers see underwater, from oil to plastic bags and other rubbish, to the death of coral and fish in the sea. The class then went on to work in smaller groups to produce posters about the conservation of our oceans and how we can help. This must have been a success, as most of the class wanted to miss break time and carry on with the posters!

The teacher later said:

“The children were inspired and engaged from the moment Gary entered the classroom. They enjoyed an educational and productive morning, and we are very grateful to Gary for sharing his enthusiasm and passion with us.”

It is always good working with young people, getting to teach them what is under the surface and how this affects us, but most importantly how we can help protect it.

This upcoming week we are in the Basildon deep pool Tuesday night and South Woodham Ferrers pool on Thursday night. Gary will be working with Basildon Academy all week mentoring young pupils, as well as running the After School Diving club on Monday. And he will also be going to the Jupiter House to teach the students to dive on Tuesday afternoon!

Next weekend we are busy in the deep pool with rescue, dry suit and confined open water courses, whilst Ian will be at Stoney Cove teaching advanced open water courses. If there is any other course you would like to do at Stoney or in the pool, or would just like to join in, please don’t hesitate to give the centre a call!

Update on upcoming events:

We are away almost every weekend until November training or diving!

July 11th	Working with the Scouts at Gilwell 24 (24 hours of non-stop activity including DSDs, which we are running from 7pm until the early morning!)
August 22nd-23rd	Swanage for 2 days diving off the Pier, with Divers Down