ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
Vocation over vacation
Jane Maddocks meets some newly qualified divers who are already putting their skills to use in gathering research data
I
have recently been lucky enough to be the buddy on the first sea dive for two young scientists who have just qualified as BSAC Ocean Divers . Their university had taken advantage of the local dive centre ’ s offer to support the training of new divers at a time when some branches are finding it quite a challenge to cope with training demands .
The intensive training meant that all skills and lessons had been completed in sheltered water in local quarries , but the first sea dive was the biggie , and I was lucky enough to be that ‘ first sea-dive buddy ’ on both occasions .
Both were doing STEM subjects ( science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ) and both were young women starting out on marine-based careers . The dives had to have a scientific focus . Dissertations and graduation depended on getting dependable results to be discussed and reported . No gentle shore dive introduction here – just pure data gathering .
Both of them were superb . By the second half of the dive , the young marine biologist was running measured transects
More discoveries await in the UK ’ s shallow waters
to compass directions , counting and measuring seagrass shoots using a 0.5m grid and putting down the results on recording sheets .
Okay , it was slack water , 3m deep , but a real data collection dive , but with the added excitement of jumping in off a hard boat , getting back on a lift , and seeing fishes in the seagrass for the first time .
The second diver was an archaeologist working on the stone tools of early Homo sapiens . Off Norfolk there are areas that are really rich in small stone tools . Finding them and putting the ‘ find ’ spots on a map can guide archaeologists to areas that need to be examined in greater depth .
Again , it was a first sea dive . Shallow , but with the added interest of fairly poor visibility , and the need for a gentle drift to cover the ground . This time , a first backward roll off a RIB , a descent into a little bit of tide , then 40 minutes of intense
“ Our divers , properly trained , are capable of so much more than just swimming about with kit on !”
observation and recording in 11m of water . The surfacing drill involved a safety stop , plus a first-time re-entry into a RIB . Again , the dive yielded results that can be recorded and used in scientific reporting .
How do those young divers fit into the idea of Taking it Further ? Well , both already had a passion for their area of interest . But you don ’ t need to dive to be a marine biologist or an archaeologist with a specialism in stone tools . Both students had chosen to take their passion underwater , to take their research further .
They had done it using BSAC training at a university that had really enjoyed collaborating with a dive centre ; the partnership had produced pretty impressive young divers . Admittedly they have a lot to learn , but for me there was a bigger lesson . Our divers , properly trained , are capable of so much more than just swimming about with kit on !
My final scientist has qualified in a very different way . He chose to qualify as an HSE Scuba Diver , having first completed the basic PADI course . We ’ ve been able to complete his nitrox certification , as he has now joined BSAC . Having a nitrox fill will give him the same dive times as the rest of us in the team . He will be picking up more relevant training , so he too can take his passion for discovering new wrecks further .
The days are getting shorter , and planning for next year ’ s projects may have started already . So , my challenge for my branch is to make sure that all our divers , especially Ocean Divers , can be involved in all our projects as they advance towards the higher grades . Well-trained Ocean Divers are reasonably competent , so perhaps now is the time to make good use of their abilities , and to enjoy watching them develop . �
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