FAVOURITEKIT
Well , I accidentally bought a Suex
“ scooter , as you do . Whizzing about effortlessly is a breeze , and combined with a rebreather you need zero navigation skills ; you can just press the trigger until you see something you recognise .
”
I ask about favourite dive locations , and the answer comes easily : “ The Scottish Outliers are simply spectacular .” Pinning down the exact location , we are talking about Sule Skerry , North Rhona , Sule Sgeir and St Kilda , all outside the usual Western Isles destinations . Why ? For their endless viz , amazing underwater scenery and remoteness , I am told . “ I ’ ve been a few times and every time I ’ ve been , it hasn ’ t disappointed .
“ You can keep your coral reefs , pretty though they are . It ’ s cold , clear water for me ,” Woz says . For rusty stuff , he adds that Scapa Flow gets better every time , as you get to know your way round the wrecks , and Chuuk Lagoon is the same but somewhat warmer .
The enduring allure of diving is explained as partly the exploration , partly the adventure . But mainly spending time with good friends having a bit of a giggle and occasionally jumping off a perfectly serviceable boat onto an unknown dive site just to see what ’ s there .
Woz has logged some 2,000 dives , still keeping notes so that he can refer back to them the next time . Instructing is a way of putting back into the system , he says ,
“ You can keep your coral reefs , pretty though they are "
using the experience he has gained to bring others on . “ A few years ago , I took a brand-new diver for their first sea dive in the Sound of Kerrera near Oban ,” he says . “ That ’ s where I did my first sea dive , and neatly completing the circle was a nice feeling .”
An Advanced Diver , Woz hopes to finally get round to doing his First Class Diver in 2025 . He is an
Advanced Instructor and Instructor Trainer and on the technical side has open and closed-circuit mixed-gas qualifications , along with being a Technical Instructor Trainer ( make up your own acronym for that ). As the Technical Chief Examiner on the National Diving Committee , he gets to develop courses , advise on technical matters and work with external advisers to develop new and exciting ways of going diving .
Any tips for a new Ocean Diver , I ask ? The engineer speaks : second-hand kit that ’ s for sale on Facebook Marketplace isn ’ t there because it ’ s good , he says . “ Get the absolute best kit you can afford as it will last you for years . I still have my decent regulator from 1992 : it ’ s on my twinset and breathes just lovely .” �
SKILLSTIP
The thing that probably changed
“ my diving the most was learning proper buoyancy and trim control . Not just holding a stop , but the ability to just ‘ be ’ in the water , just hanging there . You can then bolt on all sorts of fancy looking skills ; flick an ankle here and there and you can move with such precision it ’ s a joy or get the ploughs down and really scoot along .
”
Become an Instructor !
Sports Divers and up ( for scuba ) and 16 + year olds ( for snorkelling ) can start instructor training .
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Or visit bsac . com / instruct 51