TRAVELSPECIAL
to get involved in planning who would be diving with who .
It was a relatively shallow first dive on the wreck , with the deeper stuff scheduled for the next day . Then it was back to the liveaboard with another brief to plan , plus assessing risks for a night dive on the SS Thistlegorm , focussing on the bow and mid sections .
Skills , drills and thrills
Wednesday morning was all about diving the Thistlegorm : first dive in the lower holds , second in the upper holds , with tighter spaces to navigate . Mission completed , we headed off at lunchtime to Bluff Point . On arrival , all moored up , we had time to set up a Rescue Management scenario , where the Dive Leader trainees could have a go managing a situation with a ‘ lost diver ’ and a ‘ cardiac arrest ’ using the boat ’ s O2 kit / AED and getting everyone involved to assist . There was some great acting and rope throwing as well .
We set up Rescue and Diving Skills for the Dive Leader trainees off the back of the boat , parked above the sand in 15 metres of crystal-clear water . The night dive provided another opportunity for our Dive Leader trainees to show their leadership skills and our newly qualified Sports Divers
were getting lots of practice in a range of conditions .
The evenings are usually a time to chill , but still the instructors try and feed as much training as the BSAC App will allow through the boat ’ s WiFi . But this night was different . We had Julian Barnwell onboard and he kindly agreed to do a presentation on ‘ The Gloucester ’, the wreck he and his brother discovered off the Norfolk Coast in 2007 . It was an amazing story and we all came to understand the historical significance of what happened .
On Thursday morning , we dived the SS Ulysses , a beautiful wreck , working our way from the stern at 28 metres up through the coral to be picked up by the Zodiacs . The wind picked up , a breezy F5 at least , but the ‘ Majestic ’ coped so well with the conditions , so we dropped in on Siyul Soraya for a reef dive , again with the Dive Leader trainees leading the way . Late afternoon , we were back in the water , completing Controlled Buoyant Lift skills , while the rest of the boat opted for a gentle reef dive .
Again , there was no let-up in the evening .
" We completed around 550 dives , in the process qualifying two Ocean Divers and nine Sports Divers "
We had a special birthday , so the crew baked a beautiful cake and decorated the restaurant … then we enjoyed a noisy quiz night , with two very competitive teams .
The final day saw us at Carless Reef , a long dive with some current running , but no specific training planned . It was a time to consolidate skills learned during the week . The final dive was on El Mina , an old Soviet-era minesweeper in 30 metres , just outside Hurghada .
We docked on Friday afternoon and the evening was really relaxed , aside from a few very welldeserved certificates being presented . We completed around 550 dives , in the process qualifying two Ocean Divers and nine Sports Divers , plus a lot of Dive Leader modules signed off .
It was a truly brilliant week and I know that a number have already signed up for another trip . A massive thank you to Nick Sims and Dawn Butler for their instructing and support , also to Ashraf Taman and his team of guides , Yasser Ragab from BSAC Egypt and to Mark Paisey , who co-ordinates and plans all of these trips . �
Lifesaving skills Sports Diver award ceremony
John and Phoebe enjoy their final safety stop
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