With friends from Lothian Divers in the Firth of Forth
FAVOURITEKIT
I love my
“ O’ Three MSF 500 drysuit. I have had it for 15 years and it has never let me down.
”
SKILLSTIP
My tip is to ALWAYS do a buddy
“ check. This has saved me so many times when kit has not been properly attached( drysuit hoses) or has been left in my goody bag( torches, reels, SMBs).
”
So what brought her to BSAC life?“ I got into diving by accident, in 1990,” she replies, laughing.“ I took a PADI Open Water course with a boyfriend at the time; his sister ran a PADI Dive Centre in Cornwall.”
At the time, Sands was studying for her PhD at the University of Kent at Canterbury( UKC) and the following year, was part of a group that set up the UKC BSAC branch. The rest( and her ongoing interest in supporting
Checking the shotline on an Advanced Instructor Course
BSAC branches), as they say, is history. I wanted to know what it was that gave her the bug for scuba.“ I love so many things about diving,” she replies.“ I am mostly into scenic diving. Searching for, and finding, critters during dives is so much fun.” Sands dives with a camera, just a basic point-andshoot she says modestly, on most dives.
“ I also love the camaraderie of dive trips. It’ s fun to plan and then carry out dive trips and spend the day out
“ I love so many things about diving,” at sea.” Does she log them all?“ I stopped logging my dives a few years ago, but I must have done at least 2,000,” she says.
At work, Sands oversees and monitors clinical trials, working closely with hospitals throughout the UK. It turns out that her favourite diving is closer to home.“ Most of my diving is done in Scotland,” she says. Living on the east coast, means Eyemouth, St Abbs and North Berwick are in easy reach, but her real love turns out to be the amazing diving along the west coast of Scotland, in particular in the Sound of Mull.“ I love wall diving,” she says,“ so Calve island, the John Preston Wall and the
wall that the Rondo sits on are particular favourites. Most divers stay on the wreck of the Rondo and they are truly missing out.”
Not that long after discovering diving, Sands attended an Instructor Training Course( ITC), the precursor of today’ s Instructor Foundation Course( IFC).“ I can’ t really remember if anyone in particular persuaded me to get into instructing. I did my ITC in 1995, when I was a member of the Cambridge City BSAC branch and being involved in instructing just continued on from there.
“ When I started working on the Instructor Training Scheme( ITS) in 2000, I found I really enjoyed the role as an Instructor Trainer and Assistant Instructor Trainer coach. It gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction working on these events.”
Finally, I asked what Sands would say to a newly qualified diver or snorkeller:“ My advice is to get out there and dive in as many different places, at as many dive sites and with as many different buddies as you can. With each dive, you learn something new and diving with different people is a great way to watch and learn.” �
Sands holds Bass Rock!
Become an Instructor!
Sports Divers and up( for scuba) and 16 + year olds( for snorkelling) can start instructor training.
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