Sophie Heptonstall is one of BSAC ’ s high profile National Instructors , having served as National Diving Officer . She is also a First Class Diver and Mod 3 rebreather diver , while in her professional life , she is a marketing manager of a car company .
BSACDECADES
1990s
Sophie Heptonstall is one of BSAC ’ s high profile National Instructors , having served as National Diving Officer . She is also a First Class Diver and Mod 3 rebreather diver , while in her professional life , she is a marketing manager of a car company .
Anticipating a CCR dive
How did you first come to BSAC ?
My first BSAC involvement was at Aberystwyth University in 1998 , studying English and History . I was already qualified with another agency . It was just a case of looking at different clubs and activities at university and the dive clubs seemed quite active . That was really when I crossed over , to what was at the time a grade called Club Silver . Then I was straight into my Sports Diver .
What do you remember of the training ?
We had a lot of access to the pool for a university club – two hours , twice a week . From the training itself , I remember the number and breadth of people involved in the training process . We had university lecturers , some connected people from the town and also university students . So , it was a big mix for me , because I ’ d come from one commercial centre , who admittedly were very good . At uni , the variation of instructors and experience stood out .
Aberystwyth is quite a small place , but there was the town club , the university club , and also the Regional Coach , who happened to be Dave Wakelam , all within an hour ’ s drive . They pulled together quite a lot to do the Open Water training and the SDCs in particular .
Did you have any mentors at Aberystwyth ?
There were two figures at university running that club , Mark Beaumont and Dave Chilvers . Dave works for the RSPCA in Norfolk , in seal protection , and is still diving . Those two led the club . They were both in their final year when I started , both very patient , relaxed people and great fun to be around .
Did they have just the one year running the club ?
Aberystwyth has some great continuity ... lots of people stay on to do Masters degrees . Mark and Dave were running the club in their third year , but they ended up staying for another two years in different roles . That gave us some continuity . The club had a good balance of continuity and in-flow , which was great because you actually got people for more than three years a lot of the time .
What drew you to instructing ?
Opportunities and people . I ’ d never really thought about being a scuba instructor ; I didn ’ t really realise it was even possible until I came to BSAC . I thought it was something you just had to do as a career . I wasn ’ t aware of volunteer instructing , but two of us were encouraged to do the instructor training . Myself and Neil Ravel , still a BSAC member , now based up in the Northeast .
You see , Mark and Dave thought they were going to be leaving at the end of the year and they wanted to keep the club going . We had a lot of encouragement throughout from Dave Wakelam to venture outside the branch and do some of the SDCs . And then I met a bigger pool of divers , so there were more opportunities to go diving at the weekends .
What is your favourite BSAC course ?
When I first started it was definitely the IFC ( Instructor Foundation Course ). These days , I also enjoy First Class Diver training . I ’ ve got to say that because I ’ m First Class Chief Examiner ! But the truth is I really do enjoy teaching First Class , and Advanced Instructor . First Class Diver is very much about people enjoying their diving and progressing their skills . I enjoy seeing people develop through the surveying and the progressive diving skills . The entry level IFC is teaching people to become instructors , and then they are teaching people to become entry level divers . But it ’ s really good to then get people who ’ ve got some experience , to then take it to the next level with First Class Diver .
What changes you have seen since the Nineties ?
Diving has become a bigger community , thanks largely to the digital world . Before that , there were branches and Regions , but the communication between divers and the wider diving community has broadened so much .
Another side of it is online learning , which is making us more accessible to people trying to fit diving around their lifestyles .
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