UK (21 Sep 2003) -- OK, let's establish a couple of things from the outset. The cumbersome rubber things on your feet that make you walk like a drunk penguin on land are fins, not flippers. And the tank on your back is full of air, not oxygen. Two common misnomers members of the British Sub Aqua Club were keen to correct when I joined them for a trial dive. Splashing into action tomorrow is National Try-Dive Week. An initiative where mere land-loving mortals are actively encouraged to get in touch with their amphibious side. The sport's governing body are graciously giving the nation – on a first come, first served basis – the opportunity to experience the thrills of sub aqua for nothing. No hidden catch, no small print automatically signing you up for some monthly magazine, they won't even try and coerce you into adopting a dolphin. One simple phone call and you will be put in contact with one of the BSAC's 1,500 branches nationwide; your first step in an amazing invitation to get to grips with the subterranean waterworld. A trial dive lasts about an hour, including poolside tuition on diving techniques and equipment. This is followed by a scuba-dive in the pool with a qualified instructor to make sure you get maximum enjoyment from your first underwater trip. When I called I was informed BSAC21, a branch based at Wester Hailes, was my nearest club and after another call I'd arranged to go along and plunge into the deep. Well, the spring-board diving pool. This is the beauty of learning to dive with BSAC. Take my friend's mum for example. She has a holiday booked to Australia where, thanks to family peer pressure, she is expected to part-icipate in a bit of scuba-diving. With no get-out clause, as she is scheduled to slip into a wetsuit and partake in a spot of sightseeing from a more aquatic angle, the timing of this offer is perfect for her. She can pitch up and in safe hands be led through the basics in the reassuring environment of a swimming pool. From those who just fancy trying the sport out to enthusiasts who like the idea of embarking on a new hobby, or those who are holiday bound, why not make the most of the BSAC's offer. That's how my instructor Judith Lane got into in diving. Already an accomplished climber and mountain biker, Judith, who lectures in physiotherapy, decided she wanted to meet new people and experience a different sport. Scuba-diving got top vote and now the 32-year-old dive leader enjoys regular open-water dives at the weekend to sites up and down the East and West Coast such as Dunbar, St Abbs, Loch Long and Loch Fyne. In addition to these jaunts, BSAC21 are renowned for their trips abroad with recent ventures including expeditions to Ireland, Menorca and Cuba. | | Getting to grips with the sport in the confines of a swimming pool is pretty obvious. Concern over freezing-cold temperatures is not an issue which means there's one less thing to worry about while fiddling with your regulator and trying to remember the hand signal for "I'm OK". For the impatient, high achievers who thrive on frequent feedback for their toils, the good news is that in the equivalent of four to six days' continuous training you could become a BSAC Ocean Diver. Combining a mixture of pool, open-water and classroom training, this scuba qualification will allow you to witness first hand the wonders of coral reef and the marine life that it supports, as well as under-water wrecks. If you get bitten by the bug, and hopefully that's all you'll be bitten by, the next step up the BSAC grades is Sport Diver, followed by Dive Leader and then Advanced Diver. Finally, at the top of the diver food-chain, lies the First-class Diver. A rare breed, it's not surprising very few divers hold this qualification considering it involves up to four years' training. If you are still unsure, why not dip your fin in the water with a spot of snorkelling. An ideal and less daunting introduction to this new underwater world, it's inexpensive and a perfect way to get fit by increasing your lung capacity. Again the BSAC are willing to guide you and the kids through this sport via their network of clubs. So before you go off and spend all your travellers cheques on a dive course for you and the family, only to discover that your little cherubs cannot pop their ears properly or indeed that you prefer the predators lurking in the bar to the ones in the deep, why not get your confidence levels up this week, courtesy of the British Sub Aqua Club. And if, like me, you are a little sceptical as to whether there is anything worth seeing in the UK's waters, I have it on good authority that octopus, seals, dolphins, soft coral, as well as dead men's fingers are just some of the delights you can look forward to if you're prepared to get your hair wet. After all that's what it's all about, making underwater discoveries. So what are you waiting for? There's a plethora of plasters eagerly waiting to be discovered in your local pool. |
