Can BSAC courses be taught in a school environment ? SCUBA meets teacher / instructor James Hickman , who has been doing just that at Reading Blue Coat School
Teenage kicks
Photography by Simon Rogerson
Can BSAC courses be taught in a school environment ? SCUBA meets teacher / instructor James Hickman , who has been doing just that at Reading Blue Coat School
SCUBA : Tell us when and how you set up the dive training system at your school James Hickman : I joined Reading Blue Coat School in January 2022 . In a previous school I ran an annual overseas scuba diving expedition for students during the Easter holiday . This involved an external dive operator coming in to do the teaching ahead of the expedition . When I joined Blue Coat , the school was very keen to do
52 the same , so I ran an expedition to Malta in 2023 . Since then , the school has developed its activities programme which now includes adventurous activities such as climbing and sailing . I proposed the idea of a BSAC branch to run the training in school and involve more staff and students in all aspects that go with a club environment , and the Reading Blue Coat Sub-Aqua Club has been up and running ever since .
Buddy check in progress
SCUBA : Tell us about your own diving background JH : My journey into scuba diving began with learning to snorkel , as I was too young at the time to learn to dive . I was fortunate enough to start scuba diving when I was 14 , which at the time was the youngest you could commence Ocean Diver training . Some of my earliest open water dives were in the Sound of Mull which just captivated me , particularly the scale of some of the wrecks , as well as the proliferation of marine life .
At university , I was President of the sub-aqua club , and the summer after graduating , I spent a season as a dive guide and instructor in Croatia . I love the UK diving scene and over the years have remained an active member of my local diving club . I am lucky in that my family are also very keen divers . After becoming an Advanced Instructor in 2021 , I completed the Instructor Trainer Development Course and I really enjoy volunteering as an Instructor Trainer on national events .