SCUBAHUB
Combat Divers at HDS event
THE HISTORICAL DIVING SOCIETY IS holding its 32nd Annual Conference on Saturday 18 November 2023 . The conference is open to everyone with an interest in diving history , and will take place at the UK head office of offshore engineering contractor Subsea 7 , in Sutton , South London .
Speakers include :
■ Mike Whelam , former Royal Marine Commando and author , presents his Historical Vision of Special Forces Divers . His book , Combat Divers , will be available to purchase at the conference .
■ Karina Kowalska , author , academic and owner of a Polish diving museum
■ Sven Erik Jørgensen , founder member of the Danish Historical Diving Society
■ Finn Linnemann , former Commander in the Danish Navy and international advisor on mine-clearance operations
■ Peter Dick , founder member of the Historical Diving Society will present a light-hearted look at diving through images
Tickets are priced £ 40 for the day and include lunch , refreshments and free parking ( parking on request , subject to availability ). Full details of the conference , the speakers and the programme can be found on the HDS website : www . thehds . com / events / annual-conference
Members embrace flexible training
WITH THE NEWLY REVISED DIVE LEADER course and Oxygen Administration SDC now live , BSAC has seen a rise in the number of members choosing to study via eLearning .
Both Dive Leader 2023 and Oxygen Admin training materials are now only available in digital formats , either as a digital training pack or via the BSAC eLearning platform . And , since its release earlier this summer , almost two-thirds of members purchasing the Dive Leader training materials have opted for online learning .
Head of Diving and Training , Dom Robinson , said the popularity of BSAC ’ s eLearning shows there is a real appetite amongst members for more flexible ways to study .
“ Around 60-70 % of people who purchase the DL23 materials so far are choosing eLearning . This highlights how keen members are to get on with their training , and shows that there ’ s a real demand for flexible learning options .
“ It also indicates just how beneficial eLearning can be , not only to trainees but also to our clubs and their instructors when it comes to progressing members through their training goals .”
The updated Dive Leader 2023 syllabus has a renewed focus on dive leading experienced and inexperienced divers , dive management and rescue management in order to better support members who also want to go on to become instructors .
An updated Oxygen Administration SDC has also been launched to coincide with the refreshed Dive Leader syllabus . O2 Admin is no longer part of the Dive Leader training but is a mandatory prerequisite for awarding the qualification .
Also available on eLearning , the Oxygen Administration course has been updated to reflect the latest teaching on subjects such as Immersion Pulmonary Oedema ( IPO ) and also contains an optional module for people who haven ’ t received BLS training , such as Ocean Divers and non-divers . It is hoped that this will encourage people to gain this important qualification earlier in their diving progression .
For more information on Dive Leader and Oxygen Administration updates and digital purchasing options available , go to bsac . com / diveleader02update
PHOTO : RICK AYRTON
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The bell on the wreck of the USS Jacob Jones
Get ready for Guz . tech
SOME OF BRITAIN ’ S MOST INFLUENTIAL DIVERS ARE ORGANISING A TECHNICAL conference to take place in Plymouth this autumn .
Guz . tech will be held at Plymouth University on 25 November this year ; the title is inspired by ‘ Guz ’, a traditional naval name for Plymouth itself . Organisers say it will celebrate the best recent diving adventures from all around the British Isles , focussing on the diving career of one of Britain ’ s greatest ever wreck divers .
Co-organiser Fran Hockley , a BSAC National Instructor , said : “ We know that there have been some amazing recent expeditions of exploration and discovery and that more are planned across the UK and Ireland . Come to Guz . tech to hear everything about them . We will aim to keep costs low , to make it available to as many divers as possible . There will be a get together in the evening for everyone who fancies it .”
Tickets are available from Guz . tech – BSAC members can use the promo code BSAC70 for a £ 5 discount on the £ 30 price . More speakers will announced in the run-up to the event .