Chris is dwarfed by the huge Zenobia
The take-home lessons were to be prepared and make sure your kit is ready . We had one example where the student could not untie his reel . This meant I had to do it for him to continue , in reality that could have stopped someone penetrating , or even worse taking the risk of entering without a line . You need a sense of humor on the course – it ’ s long , hard and doesn ’ t always go right first time . It ’ s okay if it doesn ’ t go right at first ; the instructor should just remember to keep it safe , and enjoy the ride .
Thanks to Alpha Divers , who were really great . They made sure they could accommodate our desire to cover the course alongside the leisure dives we had planned . Big thanks to George Scott , who chipped in on the course . Finally , thanks to O ’ Three , who supplied me with some warm kit for the lengthy run times .
The student ’ s perspective
My name ’ s Steven Baker ; or Stevie B as the guys in BalSAC call me . I ’ ve been diving for a few years with a different agency , but wanted to be a bit more active in a club environment . After working on my trim over a couple of years , I felt ready to start the technical journey , so I approached George , my Diving Officer , to ask what could be done to support me . Slightly apprehensively , I started with Buoyancy and Trim before quickly progressing through accelerated decompression procedures , which really built my confidence in Scapa early this summer .
However , neither were particularly geared toward wreck penetration . George had been speaking to me about an advanced wreck penetration course BSAC was bringing to fruition , so I started pressing to see if this was something we could do as a club .
I won ’ t lie ; I didn ’ t realise just how much was going to be involved in the course . With a bit of careful research and timely club planning during lockdown , I was to get my wish as one of three students carrying out our training on the Zenobia . Anyone with a taste for rust will be salivating at the size of this wreck . I ’ d dived with the club on the Salem Express [ another ferry , albeit one that sank in tragic circumstances ] in the Red Sea , but the Zenobia is nearly double its size . It ’ s huge !
‘ Captain ’ s Lada ’ in the lower car deck
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Tash describes line protocols