SCUBACHAT
The Good Old Days ?
– swim in the pool for 50 yards , with a 10lb weight belt . It was also part of the training for the Special Air Service ( SAS ) – it ’ s a wonder there were any divers at all !
Anyway , equipment and training have moved on a lot now in the right direction , eLearning during lockdown being a prime
STILL IN LOCKDOWN AT THE TIME OF writing , I thought I ’ d have a look through my logbooks . I log all my latest dives in the red BSAC logbooks , up to book 41 at the moment !
Back in 1973 all my training and formative dives were on a twin hose regulator in the open pool , and then the sea . There were no computers then ; we made our own wetsuits and used a ABLJ ( Adjustable Buoyancy Life Jacket ) that you had to orally inflate to achieve neutral buoyancy . Those were the days ... were they ?
If you got a little weary on the dive , the trick was to lie on your back with the first and second stages between your shoulder blades so it fed air down the hose into your mouth , so you could catch your breath . There were no non-return valves in the hoses , unlike a modern CCR , so you needed to know which hose fed air and which was the exhaust hose . Then when you needed to clear any water you leaned your head to the correct side .
We had the group ‘ A Test ’ which was a very small part of the Snorkel Diver Grade
example . Today we have nitrox , trimix , rebreathers , twin sets and side-mounts – all part of everyday diving and helping to open up the sport . I ’ m in the twilight of my diving now , so my wife tells me , so I just need to sneak in another 150 dives to round it up to 3000 . Then , perhaps I can hang my valves up ( oops , old terminology !) and I can really bore my fellow branch members about The Good Old Days . DAVE PLUMB - The Monday Club – BSAC Branch 2606
A tribute to Bill Huyton
RECENTLY WE AT LIVERPOOL SCUBA Diving Club 260 sadly lost a devoted , loyal member and friend , Bill Huyton . He had been ill for three years and died in Aintree Hospital on 29 Jan this year .
Bill started diving in 1973 with his friend John Davies , completing his first open water dive in a very chilly Lake District while wearing a wetsuit . He became a member of the original BSAC Liverpool Club .
Typical of Bill , he was keen to achieve the highest standard in his sport and in September of 1989 he gained his Advanced Instructor qualification ; then in October 1990 he was awarded his First Class Diver , BSAC ’ s highest diver qualification .
He was on the BSAC Regional Coaching Team for a number of years , supporting local clubs and delivering training around the North West and further afield . In November 1996 he joined Xaverian Dive Club 260 , based at SFX School in Woolton , Liverpool , later to be renamed LSDC .
Bill was a huge asset to the club , always generous with his time , keen to impart knowledge and encourage members to develop their skills and experience . He held a number of Committee roles in his time with the club , and was also a keen Octopush player , enjoying a game every Tuesday with the club .
Always active , Bill dived extensively around the UK as well as enjoying numerous diving holidays abroad , both with friends and the clubs with which he was associated .
He was never happier than when out on the club RIB with fellow members , enjoying a day ’ s diving . His maritime knowledge and skills have been passed on to countless members , who have been eternally grateful .
Outside the club , Bill had many interests - hang gliding ; genealogy ; canal boats ( he owned one ); beer festivals ( he was a CAMRA member ); folk music and growing his own veg . He also owned his own catamaran , which he sailed solo to the Isle of Man on occasions .
It ’ s fair to say that Bill touched the lives of many people in many walks of life , and left a deep impression on them . This is revealed in the many tributes we have received . LIVERPOOL SCUBA Diving Club
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