Diving in at the deep end.... biting off more than one can chew. These phrases
spring to mind. No-one told me that our dive marshal was an ex-marine.
I volunteered to dive with Bristol University dive club. I had completed Sports Diver last year and have been itching to get my dry suit (on the outside at least) wet. Here seemed the perfect chance - a hard boat dive with the Bristol crew down at Lyme bay. Lectures cancelled, van revamped, and I was set. Or was I?
The usual format for a club trip is Rob packs your bag for, and Max checks it. After three hours on the beach, every item of equipment has been checked at least three times by at least a dive leader. You just need to remember who you are diving with. Not so with Bristol. (sorry Max I hope I didn't embarrass Bath S-AC too much) I forgot my fins! a) This does not look good in the eyes of the highly experienced Bristol possie and b) it scuppers your chance to get wet. Luckily (?) for me the boat's cox (a highly professional man) had a spare pair. I was saved the embarrassment of having to drive home without having so much as seen the floor of the English Channel.
I was half an hour early and I thought I was reasonably orgainised. The other
nine divers turned up with ten minutes to spare and had unloaded, kitted and
suited up before I had even moved my car off the slip. These people take the
word "efficient" to new dimensions. I managed to be the last on the
boat. Tip - when going hard boat diving have two bags. A big holdall with everything
in (stops your computer being crushed under everybody's cylinders) and a dry
bag for your shoes, towel and chocolate.
Scheduled departure 18:00 hours BST. Departed 17:58.37. I kid ye not.
OK so I didn't know where we were going, how deep it would be, who my buddy
was (he turned out to be Padi and I didn't even know) or anything. Time to improvise,
adapt and overcome (US Marines' motto).
OK so I hadn't dived since last summer. OK so I had never dived off a hard boat.
OK so I had never dived over 20m. OK so I had never dived with anyone less experienced
than a dive leader. When the cox says "Everyone in the water now"
he expects you to do a perfect backward roll over the gunwhale and disappear.
I hadn't even got my (borrowed) fins on!
To say my buoyancy control was awful would be an understatement. Sorry Max you
taught me well but I am so used to watching the dive leader sink slowly away
beneath me. How did I know that trying to guess your rate of ascent by watching
your buddy is the worst idea since "underwater resuscitation". I was
using a computer for the first time. It took me about three descents to 10m
(and re-ascents to the surface) before I realised that my buddy wasn't descending
slower than me - he was rising to see what the f**k I was doing. Then I realised
my computer had a little figure on it telling me depth. All I had to do was
get that number to rise. The first part of my profile must have looked like
the edge of a saw! We got to the bottom in the end.
After the most nerve racking descent I had ever experienced I found out why
our dive marshal had insisted on torches. Green murk surrounded us and I was
glad my buddy had yellow fins.
Only afterwards did I learn why we had swam round and round in circles. Doing
an under-water U-turn isn't easy and it kicks up a lot of silt, reducing visibility
yet further. My buddy confessed afterwards he was looking for the boulders we
were diving on. He wasn't prepared to blindly follow the bearing we were given,
even though visibility conditions dictated otherwise.
Everyone had them. You can't keep up with someone who is wearing a pair. Especially
if you're the mug towing the SMB.
To be fair, I had over-stretched myself. I had gone diving with a complete set
of strangers, friendly though they were, I really needed something to put my
mind at rest. I completely mucked up the most basic of procedure and acted like
a complete novice. The people from Bristol were complete pros. The boatman was
excellent and is to be recommended. The whole affair was conducted with military
precision. It was a privilege to go diving with this group. A sharper learning
curve is not to be had. I only hope I didn't scupper the opportunity for other
Bath divers to go on their trips. At least they invited me back next week!
Anyone interested in buddying me next week (I will sort out my buoyancy control
- honest)? Cost of boat £9 plus a few for petrol and equipment. This is
an excellent way to find out how diving really is and gain a lot of valuable
experience as well.
Ben. 16-05-1997
[Added information: Site was Tennants Reef in Lyme Bay. Buddy was Craig Hold
from Britsol Uni SAC. The skipper was John Walker of the Miss Pattie]