OCEAN DIVER
The BSAC experience :
Ocean Diver stories
Five different Ocean Divers tell how their training has opened up a new world of possibilities . Interviews by Charlotte Boan
“ A lifetime of memories ”
Sound engineer Chris Lane , 22 , from St Austell in Cornwall qualified as an Ocean Diver a few months after joining his local BSAC club . A try dive nine years ago on holiday first sparked his interest , however , it wasn ’ t until last year he took a giant stride .
“ I play guitar in a band and the singer told me he was going to learn to dive with Mid Cornwall Divers up the road ,” Chris explains . “ I ’ d heard about BSAC before , but I didn ’ t know a great deal . I was made to feel really welcome when I went with him . Everyone is so friendly .” Chris says returning to the pool to learn skills over four weekly visits was thorough preparation and a confidence builder for his first dives in open water .
“ Training was great , as our instructor , Tony Milne , was really patient ,” he says . “ I wear glasses , and every time I cleared my mask the lens insert floated out . After doing it a load of times – and thanks to Tony ’ s patience – it ’ s not a problem now .”
Based in Cornwall , the club has easy access to sea dives for entry-level training at weekends . Chris completed all his training at Drawna Rock at Porthkerris on the Lizard Peninsula and the Kantoeng Dredger wreck site out of Fowey .
“ I was worried it was going to be a bit cold , but it ’ s a whole other world down there ,” he adds . “ All the things I ’ ve seen , I never thought I ’ d see . I really enjoyed Kernow Dive Festival and the diving there . We also dived at Hand Deeps [ Plymouth ]. It was incredible – so many critters , so much life and so colourful . Every time I ’ ve gone in , I ’ ve seen something different and I love it all . Diving is infectious .”
Chris meets with club members every Wednesday and goes diving with them on the weekend . In just a few months he has advanced in his training to work towards his Sports Diver qualification to allow him to explore more sites .
“ I definitely want to do more wrecks , particularly because of all their history . Most of them are slightly deeper , so I ’ ll be able to see them when I finish my Sports Diver training . In the long term , I would love to get to instructor level and get more people involved . Club diving is definitively the way forward . It ’ s a safe and fun way to dive and creates a lifetime of memories .”
“ The seals were all around us !”
At 12 years old , Chloe Jowett is the youngest BSAC-qualified Ocean Diver of Abraham Moss SAC in Manchester . BSAC welcomes lots of young snorkelling members throughout the UK , with the minimum age for scuba set at 12 years . “ I ’ ve always wanted to be a marine biologist ,” says Chloe . “ Jeff Hickman [ the club ’ s Diving Officer ] goes to the dentist
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