LEARNINGCURVE
The student ’ s perspective , by Aithne Atkinson
We got off on a rocky start , with a discussion on hose colouring ! Jacob suggested a yellow long hose would be more visible than my current black one . What he had failed to take into consideration was my perfectly coordinated pink kit . Honestly ... yellow and pink ? Joking aside , a brief chat on hose routing and some dry runs allowed us to get the basics out the way above water .
It was refreshing to see the modernisation of BSAC teaching materials , with the incorporation of a smart looking video demonstration . The real meat of this course , however , is the in-water learning and repetition . For me , the most significant difference between primary donate versus secondary take is that this method requires immediate and effective action by the donor .
The skill itself is straightforward , but committing this action to muscle memory is key . By repeating the skill over and over ( and over !), in multiple situations and with task-loading , it became second nature . I am excited to incorporate this skill into my recreational diving , in particular when diving with stages , as I feel primary donate will work best for me and my own kit set-up . �
For more information on the Primary Donate Workshop , go to bsac . com / primarydonate in my dry bag , which comes with me to all dive sites . This allows me to simply attach it onto my right D-ring and dive BSAC ’ s core secondary take method , with no need for changes to hose routing or stowage .
Our day was ultimately successful , with Aithne meeting and exceeding the required performance standards and becoming the first graduate of BSAC ’ s Primary Donate Workshop . From an instructor ’ s point of view , the day was made easy by an experienced student , a great venue , and a fantastic Instructor Manual . Clearly a significant amount of work has gone into these course materials . They offer comprehensive advice in a clear format and are inclusive of all kit configurations . Thank you to all involved who have put together a first-rate course .
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