National Diving Officer Sophie Rennie and Head of Diving Sophie Heptonstall reveal some of their scuba secrets
TWOSOPHIES
Bumper Summer Interview
National Diving Officer Sophie Rennie and Head of Diving Sophie Heptonstall reveal some of their scuba secrets
North West Dive Fest, held at Capernwray
What’ s your favourite diving event in the calendar?
Sophie Rennie: The Go Diving Show- it is a coming together of fellow divers, some of whom I have known for my entire diving life. It’ s all a diver could wish for: kit fondling, seeing friends and colleagues, looking at potential future holidays and, for me in my NDO role, the awards ceremony to congratulate those who have excelled in the various exams they have completed throughout the year.
Sophie Heptonstall: Any of the dive fests for me. There’ s just something about them. You get to have a go with kit before you shell out for it, catch up with faces you only ever seem to see once a year, and watch all these different clubs mixing together and heading out on the water. That whole sense of everyone coming together is what keeps them fun events to go to.
BSAC’ s team at the Go Diving Show
What is BSAC’ s best course?
SR: This is a tricky one. Ocean Diver has to be up there as, from an instructing point of view, you are nurturing someone who has, up to then, been a land lubber; and now you’ re introducing them to the wonders beneath the surface. At the other end of the scale though, I would go for First Class
Diver. It’ s the pinnacle of our diving grades and the exam is all about showing off your greatest skills, while working as a team and going proper diving.
SH: The Instructor Foundation Course, hands down. There’ s a paradox to teaching- the moment you start learning how to break a skill down for someone else, you suddenly find your own diving getting sharper too. You start noticing your buoyancy and your trim again, all the bits you’ d long stopped thinking about. And on top of that, it’ s such a rewarding way to give something back to your club and help bring the next group of divers through.
21