Weekly Catch Up!

On Monday, Gary met with Danny Ayling from Anglia Ruskin University to discuss setting up a date for the students to complete some DSD's. We are looking forward to the dive society expanding and encouraging new people to dive!

Then on Tuesday, we had students from Writtle College completing their DSDs, before signing up for a trip to Egypt next year. Joe & Steve S. went through the briefing with them, and although a few were quite nervous, they all enjoyed it and are hoping to complete an Open Water courses. We also had Nick taking a new Open Water course with 3 new students.

Gary & Janie met on Wednesday with Justin - the representative for Atomic Aquatics. Justin showed us a lot of new stock and put in an order for snorkels, masks, BCD's, gloves and hoods! We now have the Zeagle Zena BCD - which is made by women, for women. It is a wing jacket that has a removable front panel making it easier for transitioning from a pool BCD to an open water BCD, as you can buy panels in multiple sizes and colours, but they will all fit the same BCD.

We also have the Zeagle Express Tech Deluxe which is a men's wing BCD. It's a one-size-fits-all design, with the no sewn trim so that you can adjust the length to your preference and cut it to the required length.

Zeagle Zena BCD

Zeagle Express Tech Deluxe

On Thursday we loaded up lots of kit in the truck for South Woodham Ferrers, as we had a busy night. Lucy came to do Confined Dives 4 & 5 of her Open Water course, to get ready for the weekend. We also had the Seal Team carrying on from the previous week, plus a few DSD's and our usual Dive Master Trainees practicing their swims.

Friday was quite a busy day down at the centre, as we had friends popping in for a chat, a theory lesson, and we had to get prepared for the weekend! This meant setting up weight belts and getting other kit ready for students leaving on Friday night and Saturday morning.

On Saturday Gill took a group down to Gildenburgh to start their Advanced Open Water with the assistance of Joe. They all did very well and are planning on completing the course next weekend! We also had Rhonda and Sharon doing an Open Water course and a Wreck speciality. They were then joined by Marc & Janie on the Sunday who helped out too. Lucy did very well in completing her Open Water as well as Lewis and Connor, who are now fully trained wreck divers. Janie also completed her Deep diver speciality. Everybody had a great weekend, and congratulations to everyone!

Weekly Catch Up!

Just a quick reminder that there are still places left if you want to come to the Christmas Party at Three Rivers on November 27th!

In the deep pool this week, Dave was working with the trainee Dive Masters, who had their Knowledge Review and practised Kit Exchange, which proved to be a lot harder than everyone originally thought! We also had four students in for their Dry Suit orientation, including father and son, Andy and Luke. Dad (Andy) quickly found out that if you vent through the wrist seal in an emergency situation, you get extremely wet! We also had a new SEAL Team start on Thursday night with Gill in the South Woodham Ferrers pool!

Over the weekend, we were once again very, very busy! On Saturday we Gill and Rhonda went to Nemes with students who were completing dives 1, 2 and 3, and were also joined by Andy and Luke, who were completing Dry Suit Dives 1 and 2. Congratulations for completing the course!

On Sunday, Gill and Rhonda went back to Nemes with Races and Henry to complete Dive 4, as well as Nimrod and Jasmine who were completing Dives 1 and 2! Gary also went to Nemes on Sunday to have a ‘bimble’ around the lake with father and son, Dave and Travis.

This weekend we are at Stoney Cove Saturday and Sunday, Gildenburgh on Saturday and Nemes on Sunday, so if any staff can help, please get in touch with Gary or the dive centre! Also, if any Trainee Dive Masters want to do their Deep Diver Scenario for their Dive Master Course, this can be done at Stoney Cove this weekend!

Sunday catch up

As mentioned in our last blog, we were very busy last weekend at Stoney Cove, Nemes and Gildenburgh.

On Saturday, Rhonda was at Nemes with Paul and Robyn who were completing dives for their Advanced Open Water and Open Water respectively.  Paul then carried his journey onward to Gildenburgh Lake on Sunday to complete the deep aspects of his Advanced course.

Ian was busy at Stoney Cove teaching Dan his Advanced Open Water course and also completed his Deep speciality and also his Search and Recovery speciality. 

So all in all it was a very successful weekend with 1 new Open Water diver, 2 Advanced Open Water divers, 4 with their new Deep Speciality certification and 3 having completed their Search and Recovery Specialities. 

On Tuesday, we had a return visit from Grapevine.  They are a charity who provide recreational and educational activities for adults with learning disabilities in Essex. All of the students had a great time doing try dives at Moulsham High School's pool.  It was a great opportunity for us to be able to help out people who would not normally have access to this type of activity, we look forward to seeing you all again next year.  Finally a big thank you to Nicole for helping out Gary. 

The deep pool on Tuesday night was extremely busy.  Jamie started a new rescue course, Rhonda continued with her Open Water course and Gill completed her Open Water course.  There was also dry suit training, DSDs and people in for a play. 

On Wednesday, we were at South Woodham Ferrers Leisure centre doing Bubble Maker courses and DSDs.  These were organised through the summer holiday programme run by Chelmsford Borough Council.  It was then a trip back to the dive centre to sort and organise kit for Thursday night. 

Thursday night we were back at South Woodham Leisure centre. Gary started a Junior Open Water course, Rhonda worked on a new Open Water course and Gill took the DSD students.  Jamie worked with Courtney, who was then off to open water on Friday.  Jamie also took Bernie to finish her Open Water course. Glad to say that Bernie completed her course and Courtney finished dives one and two. 

Rhonda was out all weekend at Nemes with Open Water students; Ryan, Becki, Robyn and Spud. On Sunday, Kate joined Rhonda to finish off her drysuit course. 

The Farne islands is once again proving popular. There have been 4 people booked on the boat out of 12 already! So get in touch quick if you want to come along. 

We are also going to Swanage on the 22nd and 23rd August.  If you want to go or need more information please get in touch with the shop. 

Belated Sunday catch up

Sorry for our slightly delayed catch up this week, but here is what we have been up to in the last week. 

It was the last week in school before the summer holidays and this meant Gary was in and out of schools a lot.  He did his final DSD session with Cold Norton Primary school at South Woodham pool. 

At Basildon Academy, it was the last visit to see the guys Gary has been mentoring, he set them up for the summer and wished them well. Gary said goodbye to Laura Chapman who was his liaison at the Academy as she is leaving for pastures new, we wish her all the best for the future.  

We did not have access to the deep pool on Tuesday night, as though the filming had finished, visibility was poor so we are now waiting for the pool to be emptied, cleaned, refilled and heated.

Thursday night we were back in South Woodham pool with plenty going on.  A family with DCY finished their confined sessions and prepared to head out to finish their course at Nemes, Gary was running the last Seal Team and Jamie was with Bernie and Vince, also getting ready to go to open water. 

On the 18th and 19th July we were at Nemes; DCY was with his group of students (all related!), Ian Herbert was with 3 students from local colleges (South Essex and Palmers) and Jamie had 2 new open water divers and 1 new dry suit diver. 

After just over a months filming, we were finally back in the deep pool on the 21st July and what a busy welcome back it was! Callie, Harry and Harrison from the Seal Team had their first experience of the deep pool whilst Jamie and Rhonda held more open water courses.  DCY was training with his new trainee Divemasters teaching DSDs.  We also had some old friends pop down for a bit of fun and to get wet. 

Thursday night was quiet, but for Jamie working on his duck diving, Rhonda taking open water students and Gary working on a DSD. 

Friday was all about getting set for the weekend. We had staff and students at Stoney Cove, Nemes and Guildenburg and therefore had to ensure all of the kit was fully checked and prepared for them, the students did well and the photos below confirm this. 
  

 

 

 

My final thought for this catch up is around one of our most popular trips of the year - diving with the grey seals in the Farne Islands. With such a huge interest we have added another trip to the calendar, the weekend of 31st October to 1st November. If you are keen to go or would like some further information, please contact the centre.  If the last trip is anything to go by, the places will go fast!

Sunday Catch Up

This year’s dive calendar is beginning to fill up! We have the following booked for the rest of this year:

May 23rd-24th:	Express Weekend, where we will be running rescue, open water, dry suit, DSDs and anyone who wants to jump in at Basildon deep pool
June:	Training at Nemes or Gildenburgh every weekend
July 3rd-10th:	Marsa Alam (Red Sea) trip with Writtle College, to carry on the conservation work we started last year with previous students
July 11th:	Gillwell 24 – 5pm till 5am!
July 25th-26th:	Deep Diver and Search and Recovery Specialities in Chepstow
July/August:	Weekend trip to Swanage TBC
August 5th-12th:	Red Sea trip at Fury & Friends on a liveaboard
October 24th-25th:	Farnes Island weekend trip

We have a few places left for the Farnes Island and August Red Sea trips, so if you’re interested, please get in touch with the centre! As well as all these events, we will be training every weekend until November, but there will be other events added to the list throughout the year!

We will shortly be posting an events calendar as part of the blog, as well as through Facebook events!

Over the last week we have again been very busy, Gary working with Basildon Academies After School Club on Monday, Tuesday night in Basildon deep pool with various courses running and Thursday night at South Woodham Ferrers pool.

This week we have had numerous deliveries from different suppliers, and Gary has spent most of the week trying to find space for the new stock, whilst also sorting out the current equipment!

We have had a diverse weekend with Dave at Nemes on Saturday completing Open Water Dives 1 and 2 on his course, whilst Ian H. and Andy Harris travelled to Stoney Cove on Sunday to complete Advanced Open Water course. Back at he centre however, it was an early start on Saturday to meet the compressor engineer to change the filters and conducting an air purification test. This is one of the many hidden costs of running a dive centre and as the old adage “How do you end up with a million pound in diving? Start with two!” The rest of the day was spent with Nick pumping sixty cylinders, whilst Rhonda Richer and Mark Prior sorted both storage containers! A colossal effort from Rhonda and Mark - thank you both so much, we can now actually walk in and out of the containers!

Next week we will have a photo gallery from Ben's trip to the Red Sea - sorry for the delay, it's Gary's fault!

Sunday Catch Up

Gary was back to his role as mentor this week at Basildon Academies, as well as starting their after school club on Monday! But most of Monday and Tuesday was spent washing, drying and checking kit from our recent Red Sea, and we also took individual photographs for everyone’s certification cards. Although this is part of the paperwork people don’t like doing, making sure all documents are completed properly is very important and some people have come across various problems because of this.

However, after hours of uploading the video to YouTube, here’s the clip of our Red Sea trip!

On Tuesday night we were back in the Basildon deep pool for a busy and active session! Matthew, our documentary filmmaker, was doing a dry suit orientation ready for the upcoming weekend. Nick was running a rescue course with the help of some students who have just completed their own rescue course. We find this very useful for newly qualified rescue divers, as they get a different perspective and it reaffirms what they’ve learnt. We also had seven DSDs and two open water courses running in the pool as well. As ever, this would not be possible without the fantastic help of all our staff: Ian H., Carol, Paul D., Peter W., Rhonda, Nick, and our scholarship student, Nicole, who does a lot of running up and down the stairs sorting kit out!

This week we have also had Katie in the shop on work experience, who has had to work very hard as Janie is away! She has been learning how to sort and check equipment, as well as answering the phone and taking messages.

On Thursday night we were back in South Woodham Ferrers pool. Rhonda and Dave both took open water courses; Nadine was working with two DSD students; and Jamie started a new SEAL Team, which there is still time for anyone to join in with Jamie if they want to! Following the SWF pool night, there was meeting held regarding our next Red Sea adventure, which is with Writtle College students in July! Forward planning for any trip of this nature is very important and it gives all staff the opportunity to ask any questions and for us to clarify exactly how the trip will run. There will be more details about this trip closer to the time!

On Friday, Gary was back in Basildon Academies, working with BTEC Sports students who have nearly finished their confined open water and we are now starting to plan open water dates! One of the pupils on the course has already completed his open water course before with the after school club in a previous year; so when the rest of his colleagues are doing their qualifying dives, he will be taking his advanced open water! The rest of Friday consisted of getting ready for an open water weekend!

Jamie went to Gildenburgh on Saturday to complete Calum’s advanced open water course, and Steve went along as well to log up a few more dives with Joe working as dive master. At the same time, Rhonda was in Nemes with Matthew doing his qualifying open water dives. As it is still early in the season, Matthew was doing his open water course in a dry suit, after completing his dry suit orientation on Tuesday evening! And on Sunday, Rhonda was back at Gildenburgh to complete Matthew’s open water and dry suit course and she was also assisting Nick who was running the qualifying dives for the rescue course and everyone qualified! Well done!

In the upcoming week, we will be posting Ben’s photos of the Red Sea trip on our blog. Here’s a little taster of his amazing work…

Next week there will be no pool on Tuesday as there is filming in the deep pool. We will be in SWF pool on Thursday as per usual, so if you want to join the SEAL Team get in touch!

Sunday Catch Up

The after school diving club at Basildon Academies is doing very well, with everyone completing their Knowledge Review 1 and Quick Quiz 1 and both students and staff enjoying the course.

Tuesday night we were in the deep pool with Rhonda was working on her dry suit course with Nicole, Mia and Fernando. In the deep pool with have the unique opportunity to go through all the required skills, and being 20ft deep, you feel what it is like to get a squeeze on your dry suit. ‘The Invert’ (head down, feet up) is always interesting, seeing the students roll out and vent the suit before reaching the surface on a runaway ascent. Although this makes it difficult to work out if the suit is leaking or whether they are actually letting the water in! This was all in preparation for the weekend mentioned later in the post. Also on Tuesday night, we had Ian H. completing Steve’s referral course, ready for his trip to the Red Sea with Orca on the 4^th April. From the forthcoming trip, we also had Sarah, Alex, Nigel, Sharon, Liam, Michaela and another Steve preparing for the trip too! As well as this, Carol’s student, Lazar, couldn’t get in the pool because of a cold, so spent the time in the classroom doing his knowledge reviews. Lynne also had two DSDs in the deep pool with us too.

On Thursday night, we had the final South Woodham Ferrers pool night for the current open water course. 13 out of the 15 students have now completed their referral and the final two will complete their course in the deep pool after Easter! Although it is quite easy to teach a large group of students the theory for open water course, we break down the confined open water into small groups. Jamie, Dave, Gary and Rhonda all worked in the pool with the students in their smaller groups. To complete the line up of instructors, Gill was working with Sophie to finish her referral as she is travelling with her family to the Red Sea on Sunday! Have a great time everyone, we know Emperor Divers will look after you well!

We also had a guest visit the centre on Thursday...

Gary and Janie spent all Friday putting kit away and pumping tanks, ready for the weekend. While outside, there was a hive of activity around the deep pool as Fred had a big shoot at the studio on Friday and Saturday with lots of equipment being taken in and out!

This weekend Orca has been away! Rhonda took her three dry suit students and an advanced open water student up to Gildenburgh. Diving this time of year can be very cold, but with the right equipment (i.e. dry suits), good undersuits and suitable gloves and hoods, it can still be great fun! As with any dive, if you cannot equalise, it cannot be forced, as one of our students soon found out. Mia was only able to get to 5m and not equalise properly, so had to abort her dive. Once she was safe out of the water, the rest of the students carried on with the dive. Mia did try on the second dive, but still had trouble with her ears and took the sensible decision not to push it. On Saturday, Richard completed his advanced open water and Nicole and Fernando completed their dry suit courses in preparation for Sunday. Then on Sunday, Orca went to Nemes in Kent, so Rhonda could complete the open water skills for her rescue course students. Out of the seven students on the course, Steve was moving house, Mia still had problems with her ears and Fernando came down with a cold overnight, so they have all put back completing their course until after Easter. So we would like to congratulate Rachel, John, Richard and Tony on completing their rescue course, and we look forward to working with them all in the future as they have all shown interest in becoming dive masters! Also, in a very rare moment this weekend, Gary got in the water and was working with Calum on two of his advanced open water dives, Wreck and Peak Performance Buoyancy (PPB). Taking advantage of Nemes’ new underwater transport system (the bus!), Calum used this as one of the wrecks to explore. Calum hasn’t been in open water for a while, but really enjoyed the experience. He will be going up to Gildenburgh soon to complete his advanced open water and wants to move straight on to a rescue course!

Next week we will be in the pool Tuesday and Thursday, so if anyone wants to join give the centre a call! As it is now the Easter holidays for schools, Gary has two weeks off working with Basildon Academy, but will carry on working with South Essex College.