Welcome
Did you make it to the BSAC Diving Conference ? It was excellent – a very wide array of talks , interactive presentations , workshops and of course opportunities to mingle . Thanks to all the different suites and stages , there was something for everyone , plus decent food and a refreshing tipple at the end of the day , courtesy of Dynamic Nord .
If you weren ’ t there , we have a six-page report focusing on some of the key presentations , starting on page 32 . Sadly we couldn ’ t cover everything ... there was simply too much going on . The whole thing was run professionally – the mastery of scheduling and tech was all very slick . Kudos to the team of HQ staff , who I know worked extremely hard behind the scenes to make everything look as good as it did .
Presiding over the main stage was our very own Andy Torbet , a genial host and popular among the members , not least because he is truly one of our own . Keynote speaker Dan Orr was an equally compelling presence , with his many statistical insights into diver safety . Make sure you have a good read of Kristina Pedder ’ s account of his talk , as he revealed the personal criteria that he has set himself for reevaluating whether a dive should be called off or re-evaluated . It ’ s a valuable insight .
BSAC women were – in my view – the brightest stars of this conference . We had the powerhouse combination of the Two Sophies on stage – Head of Diving and Training Sophie Heptonstall and National Diving Officer Sophie Rennie . They gave us a concise review of current training activity and developments on the horizon . There was fine banter between these two highly respected National Instructors ; you got the feeling we ’ re lucky to have such a dynamic force at the top of the training tree .
Then there was Michelle Haywood , SCUBA Woman herself , newly qualified as a National Instructor and then winning the coveted Wilkinson Sword trophy as well as the NI Award . In addition to this recognition , Michelle gave an authoritative presentation about her club ’ s wreck project , to bring the story of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry Mona ’ s Queen III to life . This featured a dizzying level of research , touching on many Manx lives .
We also had Vice Chair Yasmine Thorn setting out BSAC ’ s new strategy , while Rachel Quinn led a breakout session on Women in Diving , looking at ways to encourage more women and girls into underwater exploration . Props to them all for helping create a fantastic event .
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Cover photo : Self portrait by Dan Bolt . The wheel is thought to be part of a winch that once hauled ferries out of the water in Loch Carron , Scotland
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