SCUBAHUB
Mount Batten’ s lottery layover
PLYMOUTH’ S MOUNT BATTEN CENTRE will be operating at a reduced capacity from April to October due to a National Lottery Heritage Fund redevelopment.
In Deep Dive Centre will be assisting with the management of the pontoon at the Mount Batten Centre while the facility is undergoing refurbishment. In Deep will be responsible for pontoon bookings and management at weekends.
During this period, the centre’ s main building, accommodation and café will be closed to public access. Temporary toilets, changing rooms and showers at the Mount Batten centre will still be accessible. However, the centre’ s pontoon will remain open and will be staffed during dive centre hours by the In Deep team.
Based at Mount Batten’ s Sailing and
New Coach for the South East
ADVANCED INSTRUCTOR NICK SIMS has been confirmed as the new Regional Coach for the South East region.
Nick’ s introduction to diving and snorkelling was relatively recent, having decided to learn to dive in 2018 with his wife Amanda after a snorkel experience with whale sharks in Mexico.
Watersports Centre, In Deep’ s James Balouza said that only pre-booked vessels will be allowed to use the pontoon during the refurbishment. In Deep’ s gas filling services remain unaffected by the renovation works.
“ The pontoon is open as usual, the only difference being that dive RIB bookings are now made through us, either as a stand-alone boat booking or as one of our‘ Dive Easy- The RIB Edition’ packages, which includes accommodation at the Leonardo Hotel, dive cylinder fills and lots of useful information on the local Plymouth dive sites.”
RIB berth bookings are £ 25 per night, subject to availability. For more information and to book call 01752 405400 or email info @ indeep. co. uk
Nick went on to complete his Sports Diver and Diver Leader before completing Advanced Diver and Open Water Instructor in 2022. He then joined the regional team to advance his instructor skills and undertook Advanced Instructor in 2023.
He has also played an active role in his club, Kingston and Elmbridge SAC, first as Training Officer then Diving Officer, a position he still holds.
His belief in the power of volunteering has led Nick to take on the South East Regional Coach role.
“ All my diving achievements have been down to other people selflessly giving up their time to impart their skills and knowledge to me which has made me want to do the same for others,” he explained.
Nick now plans to build a team of talented and committed instructors that will help grow clubs in the South East by bringing on new instructors to join the regional team.
BSAC Diving and Training Advisor Julia Branagan welcomed Nick to the Regional Coaching team.
“ Nick’ s experiences as a Branch Officer in one of BSAC’ s most successful clubs will be invaluable for other members and clubs in the region who will now benefit from his knowledge, expertise and passion for scuba diving and snorkelling.”
For more information on the Regional Coaching Scheme in your area or to contact your Regional Coach, go to bsac. com / coaching
Benefit of the Month
Regional support / Branch visits
DID YOU KNOW … THAT BSAC HAS 14 regional coaching teams( plus two overseas) that are there to support you and your club on your diving journey? And that means access to a host of training, guidance and support opportunities to help you make the most of your BSAC experience.
Led by a Regional Coach, each BSAC region is made up of a team of experienced and dedicated volunteers who want to see you and your club thrive. Here are just some of the ways the BSAC regional teams can help you.
Regular regional training days and events- each BSAC region stages a programme of training events to support clubs and members. There’ s something for everyone, from SDCs to tailored training days to help progress key diving grades. If you can’ t find a specific SDC or training event near to you, or your club has additional training support needs, then your regional team can stage events on request.
Support with in-house Skill Development Courses( SDCs)- your regional team can assist or facilitate SDCs within your club if you don’ t have enough instructors. Better still, these events can be shared with nearby clubs to make the most of the training opportunity while making new diving friends.
Instructor development opportunities- your Regional Team can support your journey to become a BSAC instructor, which can include time helping on regional events for those suitably qualified.
Branch visits- sometimes, your club may need extra expert help to get the most out of BSAC training or support its membership. Your Regional Coach and their team are more than happy to visit your club so you can find out just how they can help your members and discuss any specific areas of support.
So, if you haven’ t already, now’ s the time to get to know your Regional Coach. You can find your regional team at bsac. com / regions
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