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!

Weekly Catch Up!

We had our 1000 'like' on Facebook this week, from Arron Steward, who won an Advanced Open Water course! So keep your eye out in the future for some more possibilities to win something special! 

On Tuesday we had another deep pool night as per usual, with Open Water, DSDs, Scuba Review and Dry Suit courses all running all through the evening. Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, Gary, Rhonda and Carol went to Nemes to work with students from Basildon Academy, who all completed their PADI Open Water courses over the two days! Whilst there, one of the students completed three dives towards his Advanced Open Water Course as well!

It was a quiet Thursday evening at SWF pool, as we are waiting for new courses to begin in upcoming weeks, so we used this opportunity for the trainee Dive Masters to master their skills in the water. And finally on Friday night, Rhonda taught an Enriched Air Course in the dive centre as Kelly is going away overseas, and wanted to take advantage of the free nitrox on board the liveaboard she will be staying on!

We had a very busy weekend! Ian S. took an EFR course on Saturday morning for six students, who then on the Sunday, went to open water for their Rescue Course, while Gary was working with three open water students on their theory on Saturday morning.

At the same time, Rhonda was working with Dani on her Open Water qualifying dives. While Dani was doing her dives, her partner Andy took advantage to have a couple of dives on Saturday with Richard, one of our trainee Dive Masters, and again on Sunday with Gary.

The students from our last rescue course, had rescheduled a dry dive at Whipps Cross, which was on Saturday. Firstly they were all given a talk on Decompression Illness (DCI - what happens to your body when you're surfacing from a dive), Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO - a hole in the heart) and Barotrauma (injury caused by change in air pressure). Everyone was then asked to change into 100% cotton clothing before they sat in the chamber and the air was compressed. This is to make you feel as though you are 40m deep. When the compression was decreased to seem 9metres deep, you are then given pure oxygen to breathe from. Throughout the time spent in the chamber, they were given lots of tests to show their reactions and the differences chemicals can make to the body at different pressures. Everyone thought it was very interesting and educational, but a lot of fun too!

And we're back!

Sorry for the lack in blog posts over the past few weeks, it's been an extremely busy summer for Orca Scuba Diving Academy and the staff!

First of all, we know it's only September, but we would like to mention our upcoming Christmas Party, which is open to everyone! This year we will be going to Three Rivers Golf & Country Club, for a Las Vegas themed night, with drinks and meal included! It is on Friday 27th November, and will be £45pp. If you want to join us, you will need to pay us a £10 deposit by Saturday 3rd October and the remaining needs to be paid in full by Friday 23rd October. The following is included in the price:

• Evening commences at 7:30pm
• Pre-dinner reception drinks
• Four Course Christmas dinner
• Free House bar open 10pm - 12.00am
• Christmas Road show Disco

For any information, call the centre on 01268 520111 / 07960 148520.

The summer started off with a fantastic trip to the Red Sea, where we stayed on the liveaboard Asmaa, which is part of the Emperor fleet, sailing out of Hamata and heading to St. John's via Fury Shoals. With a complete cross section of divers on board, with newly qualified advanced divers to instructors, this trip was suitable for all levels. Orca took up half the boat, but we were lucky that the other half was full of great people, as this can sometimes be a concern for people who go on holiday by themselves and are apprehensive of who they may be sharing their time with! There was lots of wall diving, shallow reef diving, with all kinds of marine life to be seen. One of the highlights of the trip, was Gary's ultraviolet torch for night diving. After seeing it on TV, Gary, who loves scuba gadgets, managed to get hold of one for the trip, and it lived up to his expectations!

On returning from the Red Sea, there was no time to rest for the Orca Team, as we carried on our busy training schedule. With numerous courses over the summer, Orca has had a very busy year so far with over 50 Open Water, over 35 continuing education, over 70 Speciality Courses and over 400 DSDs! And we still have ongoing courses and plenty of time for anyone to complete by the end of the season (around November), just give the centre a call and we will fit you in!

Now the summer holidays are over, Gary is back working in local secondary schools, where he mentors some of the children. He will also be starting an after school club at Basildon Academy in after October half term, where he will be running PADI Open Water Courses for those that attend. We have also started planning next year's Writtle College trip back to Egypt.

Over the past weekend, we had our busiest weekend of the year so far with Rhonda at Nemes completing Open Water dives with Travis and Robin. At the same time, we welcomed back Ian Syvyer, who has been away working with other commitments, and over the weekend he taught the PADI Rescue Diver course. Whilst this was happening, Nick was completing a confined open water course, and Gary was working with a mum and daughter on Sunday, who were having a Dry Suit Orientation before their upcoming open water dive. Gary was also working with Travis, practising his Search and Recovery skills for his Advanced Open Water Course, and finally working with Tiffany and Michael, who work at a US Airforce Base, and were completing a DSD. Gary is hoping to visit the base soon, so the pair can complete a PADI Open Water Course.

Next year we have two very exciting trips, which are sure to book up fast! So to book or to find out any information, don't hesitate to contact Gary on either number mentioned above.

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!

Gilwell 24

Saturday 11^th July 2015

2am – fly in, fresh from the Red Sea.

7.15am – back at the centre, see Ian off to Nemes for Open Water.

17.30pm – arrive at Gilwell.

18.30pm – begin a night of DSDs, with our own ‘24’ to envy Jack Bauer.

After a busy week of diving in the Red Sea, all the kit had to be washed and checked.  Once the kit was sorted out it was loaded up again into the trailer.  Luckily, it wasn’t our first time and with all of the tanks and kit we were taking with us, we were able to fully utilise the space we had.

Gilwell is the Scout HQ for England and once a year in July the association run ‘Gilwell 24’.  This is 24 hours of non-stop activities for Adventure Scouts; from driving lessons to paintball, white water rafting to high wire, live bands to film showings, fun fair rides and many, many more - including Scuba Diving.

                                                                           

We have helped out for the last 4 years, running the night shift from 6pm till 8am with the help of many Orca staff. This was a great night with a total number of DSDs sitting at 297…annoyingly short of 300 but still a great effort!

Following a quick unloading of the gear and a process in place for dealing with the constant stream of divers through paper work, briefing and then into the water, we were underway and we had the first divers at around 6:30pm. 

                                                                           

   

All of the people we met were having a great time, even when the weather turned against us and the hours ticked through the night with little or no sleep.

With so many DSDs and no compressor, we had to take all of the tanks we could get our hands on.  Dave Moss was doing the tough job of decanting air from the 15 and 12 litre tanks into smaller ones.  This is no simple task, Dave managed to keep us stocked with plenty of air throughout the night.

All of the kit was checked for air and defects after each dive.  A team of 4 divers were in the water at all times rotating every few hours.  The pool was outside and heated but it didn’t take long to feel the chill, we were in shorties but there were comments about dry suits for next year!  The frequent runs to the burger van and hot drinks van kept everyone going and in good spirits until we packed up to head home at around 8am.

All in all, a great night and we are looking forward to next year.