Congratulations to our new Advanced Open Water divers..

Well done, Ben, John and Steve, who completed a tiring training weekend to emerge with their coveted Advanced Open Water Diver certifications today. Conditions were very good for this time of year, but a challenging night dive on the Wolfe (with no moon at all) and some strong surface currents on the Munson, made the course and the diving interesting.

Many thanks to Todd and Gaétan. Their support was invaluable and appreciated every bit as much by the three divers as by myself.

Your President is now (almost) a Divemaster...

This evening, after fulfilling all the relevant requirements, including the final written examination (on Physics), Kevin signed his application to become a professional PADI member and it will go into the mail tomorrow. Kevin is the second of our more experienced members to complete Divemaster training this Winter. He will bring a great deal to the Club in the coming Summer months.

Certification Confirmed - Another Divemaster serves the Club

Word was received from Africa today (short story, but not worth the telling here) that Todd has received confirmation that his application to join PADI as a professional member in the capacity of Divemaster has been accepted. Many congratulations to a candidate who worked very hard to gain this distinction. Todd tells me that he is looking forward very much to serving the Club and fostering diving in the months ahead.

Rain stopped play ? Not likely...

When the weather makes diving less pleasant, there are always alternative ways to keep yourself busy. Todd is one of many Divemaster candidates the Club is currently lucky enough to be preparing for service next season. Although his preference today would certainly have been to add to his annual dive tally (he's closing in on 100 dives this calendar year) he contented himself with polishing off another of the 8 exam papers he has to complete for his Divemaster certification. Today, it was Decompression Theory and the Recreational Dive Planner, and he scored a very creditable 95%.

If there are other Club members looking to take this entry-level step into the conduct of training, they should contact myself, or one of the other instructors. All of us would be delighted to discuss the options open to you - and the syllabus that has to be addressed.

New Rescuers Boost the Club's Ranks...

Many congratulations are due to the four Club members who became Rescue Divers this evening. They have met the challenge of mastering many new skills and then exercising them in real-World conditions. Kim, Scott, Todd and Kevin all encountered and applied new techniques and appeared to enjoy the experience. Jesse, who was committed to Recspo at RMC, will very quickly catch up to complete the course.

Achieving the Rescue Diver certification marks a major change in any diver's circumstances. No longer is their diving largely introspective, it becomes much more outward-looking and they contribute actively to anticipating and addressing problems that others might be experiencing. All five of the divers who have been on the Rescue Course will be even more valuable members of our dive community in future. Gaining this certification is also, frequently, the last major step before tackling divemaster and taking on the task of 'Going Pro'. I think that all the divers who have worked so hard over the last week or so are well prepared and able to advance...