Geoff Hide is one of BSAC ’ s most prolific volunteers . A National Instructor and former First Class Diver Chief Examiner , he has also served on BSAC Council , including a stint as Vice Chair . A University Professor , he is based in Salford and dives mostly in Scotland .
PHOTO : CATH HIDE
BSACDECADES
1980s
RIB diving Cape Wrath 2023
Geoff Hide is one of BSAC ’ s most prolific volunteers . A National Instructor and former First Class Diver Chief Examiner , he has also served on BSAC Council , including a stint as Vice Chair . A University Professor , he is based in Salford and dives mostly in Scotland .
What brought you to the world of diving , Geoff ?
At my first week in the University of Edinburgh , I went to the Freshers ’ Fair wanting to join a potholing club , but there weren ’ t any . I asked at the Sub-Aqua Club stand and they invited me to join them instead . And that was it ... it was one of those random events that ultimately set the course for the rest of my life .
What was the training like ?
It was good fun ! I remember during the swimming test , there was a member who had been an Olympic swimmer , and even won a bronze in the swimming relay .... he was lapping us all around the pool . Training was just great – I really enjoyed it all , nothing seemed to be a problem .
Did you do the infamous A-Test ?
Yes – it was this very demanding test , which involved swimming lots of lengths ; swimming with weights and other strenuous feats . I was absolutely knackered by the end of it . Later in the training , there was an exercise where you had to put on all your kit at the bottom of the pool . You dived down to the bottom of the pool , where your weightbelt was laid out across your cylinder . You then moved the belt onto yourself to give you a bit of stability . But at the same time you had to hold the cylinder down , as they were liable to float away . Then you just had to work through all the straps and clips and just slip it on .
What was your early club experience like ?
It was quite a big club . I think there must have been 20 , maybe even 30 of us who joined at the same time . There wasn ’ t a huge number of instructors , but they were very highly qualified . We worked together as a peer group , with the instructors monitoring us , and went through our training that way .
Back in the early Eighties , the concept of being completely taught by a formal qualified instructor didn ’ t exist . In branches there would be a Diving Officer who might be an instructor , and they would authorise suitably experienced members to do the training . It was quite good , because we all got experience with practising techniques and instruction from the year after we first trained .
These days you have to be formally qualified to instruct . Do you think we ’ ve lost something in the process of becoming more professional ?
I think we might have done , yes . People will be horrified to learn today that our Eighties generation was trained by ‘ unqualified ’ people ... But I think it was more a case of being coached through your diver training on a continuous basis , rather than going on a training course , covering the lessons and then practising .
Learning by association is still a big part of club life , though , isn ’ t it ?
Definitely . And I think that ’ s probably the difference between club diving and professional diving [ in the sense of organisations that support professional paid instructors ]. You do get that continuous learning process . In the early 1980s there were very few qualified instructors in branches , but by the end of the decade it was more formalised ; there
Ferry journey to Scapa Flow , 1982 ; deflated inflatable on van
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