CLUBFOCUS
The Empire Heritage wreck at Malin Head at 65m Photo : Dave Gration
Where did the club dive in 2021 ?
We are only just getting things up and moving again after the pandemic , but in recent months various members arranged local and UK trips . We had a great week ’ s diving in Scapa Flow with excellent weather and have dived in Donegal and off the north coast .
What training do you run ?
Due to Covid , all training was suspended . We usually have an annual intake of beginners , and training takes place from September onwards . Other courses are run on demand , and we have two divers interested in First Class Diver training . We have limited capacity to take on trainee Ocean Divers – our maximum is four at a time – so we may have to run a second course this winter .
How long does it take trainees to qualify ?
Trainee Ocean Divers move through their theory and pool training in four to six weeks . As they progress to open water , we arrange a weekend away to complete the open-water dives . A lot of the seasoned club members come along to help out , which gives new members dedicated dives tailored to their training needs and it is a great way to introduce them to club diving .
But as soon as a new diver joins the club , we encourage them to go out on the boat during weekly dives , to observe rather than
28 dive . This is a great learning experience . When the time comes for their first open ¬ - water dive , they will have seen divers entering and exiting the water , and assisted divers kitting up and de-kitting , so they will have a certain familiarity with the whole process , which helps to relieve any anxiety they might feel . Last but not least , they will have met their fellow club members and these bonds lay down the foundation to retain new members for the future .
What about training for other grades ?
Qualified divers who are moving up a grade will have a skill or task to carry out at the beginning of the weekly club dive , overseen by one of the club instructors . This can then be signed off . It ’ s a good way to ensure the skills are all taught , and it encourages divers to come on the weekly dives . We encourage Ocean Divers to dive frequently to enable them to progress to Sports Diver at the earliest opportunity , as this will see them qualified for most dive sites that the club frequents year-round . Dive Leader is a very enjoyable course that also adds another name to the dive manager list .
How do you organise what training to do ?
We plan to carry out a training needs analysis in the very near future , by emailing short questionnaires to all members .
Our aim is to have a plan to work from , to ensure members have the opportunity to progress . While we try to be flexible , it can be too demanding on our instructor team ( eight Assistant Diving Instructors , two Open Water Instructors , one Advanced Assistant Instructor ). In the past we have seen instructor burnout , so we try to plan in advance to avoid this .
Where do members go to attend SDCs ?
We ’ ll team up with local clubs if we don ’ t have qualified people to teach a particular Skill Development Course , or we will ask a regional instructor to teach if we have the numbers . We are happy to invite divers from other clubs to enable a course to be run .
Does the club do any diving with a purpose ?
In 2016 , we were asked by the local council and maritime agency to lay a wreath on the wreck of SS Connemara on the 100-year anniversary of its loss . We also recovered bollards from the site , which have been restored by the maritime agency group and placed in our hometown of Newry as a memorial to those lost in the tragedy .
On another sad note , members have been involved in search and recovery duties for many years , as the police did not have a diving team , which was especially difficult during the troubles in