6 You will see the wildest places in our country
A child of the suburbs , I only had a sketchy knowledge of the British coast before I started diving here . But BSAC culture opens up your experience of the coast in ways your non-diving friends can barely conceive . When I talk about the silver beaches of the Hebrides , the foreboding sea cliffs of Shetland or the outer pinnacles of Plymouth , your muggle friends can only wonder at this aspect of wild Britain . When you ’ ve sighted St Kilda over a bucking swell , or pulled into Tobermory harbour on a balmy summer evening , the sights and experiences will live with you forever .
Diving has taken me to such singular places : to mainland Britain ’ s most remote pub on the Knoydart Peninsula ; or close to the private islands of millionaires in the Channel Islands . I ’ ve been to Muckle Flugga , the most northerly lighthouse in the British Isles , and watched sea otters padding across the harbour wall at Lerwick . It ’ s a privilege to experience Britain ’ s wild side first hand .
7 You will have more fun here than anywhere else
We have grey seals . Any questions ?
Wild snorkelling in the Hebrides
8 You will find your specialty Let ’ s say you ’ ve just completed your first year as a diver . You ’ ve passed Ocean Diver , and you ’ re well into your Sports Diver training . Ah , how I envy you – all the experiences on these pages , and countless more , are starting to unfold . Part of the reason volunteers stay in the instructing game is the sheer satisfaction that comes with seeing someone unlocking their potential and evolving into a confident diver .
As your second year unfolds and you clock up more downtime , the variety of dive sites you visit will increase . Some places are good for picking out critters , the terms we often use for benthic or bottom dwelling animals . Or you may have the adventure of diving a shipwreck and piecing together its components in your mind . There are the colourful , highly tidal reef dives of the Isles of Scilly , the Isle of Man or northwest Scotland . It ’ s all great experience – mixing it up will enhance not just your personal pleasure , but also your development as a British diver .
As this confidence grows , you are likely to develop an interest in a particular area of diving . For me , it was underwater photography and writing . For others , it could be instructing , running a club , looking after boats , running projects , shipwreck research , technical diving , environmental monitoring ... it ’ s a very long list . We all get to a point where we can put our skills to use in a deeply satisfying way .
Stalked jelly
Rebreather diving in the isle of Man
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