Happy faces at sea
What resources does the club have ?
The club has a rich base of resources . Besides our 15 instructors , we have several longstanding members who have been instrumental in writing and developing BSAC skills courses .
We have use of a local pool for training and our club is based out of the John Alker ( JA ) club , an ex-serviceman ’ s club . The JA provides us with a bar and several large rooms that can be used for training and social activities . We have several sets of spare diving kit to get trainees started in the pool and of course the necessary dive safety equipment .
In addition , the club owns two RIBs , Dory and Nessie , and their trailers , which get regular runs out for training at a local water sports centre . It is also important to recognise the role of the website , Facebook and Twitter as an information resource .
How does the TSAC library work ?
This is a new initiative set up by Simon Read and kept at the John Alker Club , which is used by TSAC for committee meetings , socials and training . The library is a recent innovation , it consists of dive site manuals and critter recognition books such as Naylor ’ s Great British Marine Animals and Chris Holden ’ s Underwater Guide to North Wales .
We use the library to encourage new divers to find out what ’ s out there , and how to research club trips .
The idea is for our more experienced divers to use their expertise to guide the newer members through the intricacies of dive trip planning . The library also contains a notebook in which people can add new dives or additional information , such as good places to eat , accommodation , and useful contact numbers .
We hear Simon has been diving with Koi carp ...
The Koi carp dive came from a message via our FaceBook page . A lady contacted us , as she wanted a ‘ mushroom ’ air filter changed in her pond and couldn ’ t work out how to do it . Simon volunteered and ended up diving her pond ( it was about 7 feet deep and 14 x 14 feet wide ). He says : “ I changed her filter while six colourful and expensive carp glared at me from as far away as possible . She has kept our details and passed them on to the local Koi carp group in case anyone else needs us !” The grateful carp-keeper made a donation to the RNLI in gratitude .
One of many trips to Norway
What does a typical training year look like ?
There is no typical training year , in terms of courses , as we try and cater for all . If someone wants to develop their diving level or skills , it ’ s simply a case of talking to Steve Bettison ( our Diving Officer ) and we will see what we can do .
This is facilitated by weekly pool sessions and weekly lectures at the JA . Frequently ,
The club library ’ s collection
instructors ask whether members want to have particular courses run that will advance their diving skillsets , for instance AED ( Automated External Defibrillator ) training , or boat handling . The latest example is setting up the Advanced Diver course for a group of Dive Leaders . We also have a timetabled training dive every month at Capernwray , which gives everyone an opportunity to get wet , even if it ’ s just for fun .
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