SCUBACHAT
Praise for O ’ Three
THESE DAYS , FINDING COMPANIES THAT provide good customer service seems to be increasingly hard . In the current Covid climate , some businesses continue to use the excuse “ it ’ s because of Covid ” to explain away poor service . With O ’ Three the experience could not have been more different .
We have two 10-year-old MSF 500 drysuits , which have been faithful workhorses over the years but were in need of a general service and replacement of a leaking zip , boots and neck seal . The initial phone call to book the suits in for a service was addressed by a friendly , helpful and knowledgable member of staff , who made notes of the work required .
After a dive trip to Swanage , we dropped
– Oh ! The torch strap slipped off my wrist and , without a grip , it headed down towards the wreck .
I upended and went down trying to catch it , but gravity had more pull on it than on myself and the gap between us grew quickly . I thought it would land on the wreck and I would be able to retrieve it . Sod ’ s Law , it hit the wreck , disappeared into a hole and continued out of sight . Being something of a stoic , I decided that I had lost it , but this loss was not going to ruin a dive that I had been waiting for .
So , after a magnificent dive , I surfaced and went to the debrief on
the suits into the workshop at Portland . Yet again the customer service at the reception desk was exceptional . In addition to the worksheet , an initial triage was made of each suit and white marker used to identify a number of additional minor issues that would addressed as part of the general service . This would include re-gluing the corners of the thigh pockets , tightening the wrist seals and taking measurements for the new neck seal . Throughout the process , we were given a clear indication of all costs .
Probably due to the increased number of divers staying in the UK this year and hence requiring drysuit servicing , the O ’ Three workshop is very busy but again expectations were set and O ’ Three were able to return the drysuits in time for our next UK trip . It was great to get the suits back and are once again drysuit rather than dampsuit divers . Thanks to the O ’ Three staff for their excellent aftersales customer support , making the whole process a thoroughly stress free and pleasant experience . KEITH LYALL and Jo Horrocks , Cranleigh
board and a welcome cup of tea . Once we were all assembled , we individually debriefed until it came to Graham . He explained all about his dive and ended with this : “ I had just started my dive and was on a lower deck when I was torpedoed on the head with a torch : does it belong to anyone ?”
I embarrassedly owned up , thankful to retrieve one of my essential and expensive diving accessories . So , if you lose something while diving , always be optimistic , because another Kirsty or Graham may come along . KEN MCDOUGALL , Banbury SAC
Never say never again
I AM A LATE STARTER . MY FIRST discovery dive was on the island of Brac in Croatia around 2008 aged 52 and I started climbing the PADI ladder , but I stopped after qualifying to dive to 40 metres . I never saw myself becoming a club diver , let alone joining a BSAC Club … that is until I was introduced to Swanwick Divers , a Facebook group dedicated to mentoring divers after training .
In April 2019 the group became Swanwick Divers BSAC 2589 ; it is still firmly social media based , with around 120 members . 2020 presented a new challenge to everyone . The club offered for the first time an opportunity for members to undertake Sports Diver Theory training , using Zoom . As lockdown eased in July 2020 , we all got back into the quarries and most importantly the sea . But 35 dives and over a year after completing the theory , there was still an element missing . Rescue ! Along with two club members finishing Dive Leader , I found myself at a local training lake , taking part in a club Rescue Training Day .
My Sports Diver Qualification Card arriving in the post was an early 65th birthday present ! MELVYN UTLEY , Swanwick Divers BSAC 2589
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