Recent news has prompted Kirsty to look back at a summer she spent working at a BSAC Centre on a Croatian island
KIRSTYANDREWS
Dupin days
Recent news has prompted Kirsty to look back at a summer she spent working at a BSAC Centre on a Croatian island
I
was sad to hear on the grapevine that Steve and Jan Collett are retiring this year from running their dive centre , Dupin Dive Centre in Croatia . This news hit home for me particularly , as I spent one happy summer working for Steve and Jan on their beautiful island of Korcula . It was my last period of ‘ freedom ’ after study and before entering work , and although I enjoyed the summer , at the time I was looking to the future , eager to take my first steps on the corporate ladder . Now I look back with a very different perspective on those months of being fitter , more tanned and more active than I ’ ve perhaps ever been , spending days on the boat or in the sandy bay teaching new divers . Funnily enough , my memories of cylinder filling and wetsuit washing aren ’ t so prominent , but I suspect there was a bit of that too !
My good friend Janet and I both decided to work in diving that summer . She found a spot at another agency ’ s dive school in Greece where she could be a dive guide . I was lucky to find Dupin , a BSAC Overseas branch where I could use my Open Water Instructor qualification to teach new divers . I ’ ve always loved training beginners . Watching a person learn to love my favourite activity is wonderful .
Given its location , Croatia attracts divers from a range of countries , and I had British students but also Croatian , Italian , German and far further afield . The little bay in front of the dive centre is a perfect training zone and had the added attraction of a flourishing seagrass bed . This habitat was beautiful and we regularly spotted cuttlefish and even seahorses - quite an upgrade on my previously best-known teaching spot of Capernwray Quarry .
Having known my students since they took their first underwater steps , I could predict what potentially hazardous or foolish things they might do . Dive guiding is a whole other kettle of fish , where even the most experienced sounding divers are , I found , capable of any number of bizarre behaviours .
“ Given its location , Croatia attracts divers from a range of countries ”
‘ Constant vigilance ’ would be a good dive guide motto . That certainly seemed the case from Janet ’ s tales of Greece , as we swapped stories over the course of the summer : I wouldn ’ t wish to name the dive centre in question , as the tales of tired dehydrated guides being expected to conduct multiple repeat dives with less-than-full cylinders would not be compatible with Safe Diving Practices .
Korcula island was a sleepy backwater by comparison and that suited me fine . My work travails were limited to the occasional animated discussion with Steve as to pros and cons of the latest updates to the BSAC Instructor Manual : an upstart young instructor fresh from the OWIC against a seasoned pro . Fairly soon we reached a grudging mutual respect which suited me fine , and I look back at that summer with great fondness .
I suppose one lesson to be learned is , both as a potential employee and as a visitor , to choose your dive centre wisely . Dupin Dive Centre was a safe place to be ( expect maybe when we found that massive WW2 unexploded mine , that was fun ) and a lovely place to dive . I hope and expect that there are divers all around the world with very happy memories of their holidays there .
Best wishes to Steve and Jan on their retirement . �
Jan and Steve Collett on a harbour cleanup in Korčula
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