Recently qualified Dive Leader Jemima Walton has just completed a Master ’ s degree and is heading to medical school . She served as President for University of Nottingham SAC , and is now keen to usher in the next chapter of her scuba story .
BSACDECADES
2020s
Recently qualified Dive Leader Jemima Walton has just completed a Master ’ s degree and is heading to medical school . She served as President for University of Nottingham SAC , and is now keen to usher in the next chapter of her scuba story .
When did you get
involved with diving ?
Growing up , my dad was a commercial
saturation diver , working all over the world . I have vivid memories of him calling us up on his Sat-Phone in his squeaky helium voice . He ’ d tell us all these cool stories about manta rays getting caught in his umbilical cord . I wanted to get underwater and see the world as he did .
Where did you learn ?
I did a non-BSAC course in Portland , but in hindsight I wish I ’ d waited until university , because that ’ s when I got introduced to BSAC . It was at the Fresher ’ s Fair , when I was 18 , at the University of Nottingham . The President at the time , Dan Jarman , was incredibly welcoming , telling me how I could cross over and then do some more training if I wanted to . They were all so enthusiastic , and the club was just really nice .
What was the training like ?
I converted to BSAC in 2020 and I went straight into my Sports Diver training . I was pretty nervous – when you go to Uni everyone tells you that you ’ re growing up , but really , you ’ re still just a kid . There was just one other girl in my class ; I sat next to her and now she ’ s my best friend , Eleanor Robinson , we still dive together .
We are really lucky with NUSAC , in that we have so many alumni instructors who come back to train us . We were learning about DCI , and they brought in bottles of fizzy drink , which were popping and exploding everywhere . Training was brilliant – we always went to the pub afterwards on Mondays , which was quiz night , and it got everyone involved , rather than slinking back to our dingy Uni accommodation .
The open water sessions were really good , but unfortunately it was the year of Covid and we couldn ’ t get away much . I ended up passing my Sports Diver at Stoney Cove , during a plankton bloom . Still , I appreciated the level of training and safety that goes into the BSAC system . I ’ ve just finished my Dive Leader , and I was keen not to rush it . I enjoyed learning with my friends , with all the hands-on experience and the Skill Development Courses , such as Boat Handling and Practical Rescue Management .
Do you have a mentor or someone who inspires you ?
There ’ s honestly so many amazing instructors in the club ; I can ’ t stress that enough because they turn up every Thursday night for pool sessions , and every Monday night for theory sessions . But two people who really stand out are Peter Dix , currently the Diving Officer and his predecessor , David ‘ Davs ’ Brander . Both of them went above and beyond to help our training . Although Peter sometimes has a grumpy exterior , he ’ s just brilliant and knows everything about diving . He has a ‘ squishy ’ [ ie marine life identification ] book that he brings on all the dive trips , so that when people see something in the water , they ’ ll go up to Peter and he will i-d it for them .
I hear you have just completed a stint as the club ’ s President – how was that ?
It ’ s easy to forget how important it is to be friendly and welcoming to people when they join a club . When I joined the uni club , I was in my first year and I wasn ’ t having a great time making friends . But I just remember how welcome I felt at that Freshers Fair . Ever since , I ’ ve made a conscious effort to make everyone in the room feel included . It makes such a difference ; I ’ ve had members say things like : “ This club has been the making of me . I feel like finally I found my people ”.
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NUSAC trip to Malta in April 2022
Freshers Fair during Covid in September 2021