A mother-and-son diving partnership is a wonderful thing , and all made possible with the help of a BSAC Centre
Participating dive centres
BRANCHES + CENTRES
Centres Forward
Growing in confidence
A mother-and-son diving partnership is a wonderful thing , and all made possible with the help of a BSAC Centre
Zane and Julie Venn-Morton , mother and son , are different generations at 18 and 52 respectively ; after following a snorkel experience at Discovery Cove , Florida , they decided to learn to dive . Wanting a credible place to learn , Julie completed the BSAC ‘ Learn to Dive ’ form on the website and was contacted by the BSAC Centres Advisor , who placed them with Mark Griffin at Diverstime , based in the East Midlands .
“ From our initial enquiry we had been passed on to our local club , but nothing was happening ,” Julie says . “ Once we were put in touch with Diverstime , however , we were contacted immediately and the training just rolled out from there . The training has been phenomenal , pitched at just the right pace for both of us and really well explained and demonstrated .
“ It has been an amazing experience . We both really liked the eLearning – I did mine over a few days on the train in to work , while Zane did his all in one go on a Sunday afternoon . Zane has been profoundly deaf since birth and wears cochlear implants . He has found that diving is a familiar world to him , as we communicate underwater by signing , which is something he is comfortable with , although he is verbal out of the water .”
Diverstime delivered the pool training in Ashby , about an hour away from Julie ’ s home . Next , they progressed to Spring Lakes , then Dosthill . “ The lake was very quiet and we went exploring after the drills ,” Julie says . “ This was the best bit and I can ’ t believe I have been given the confidence to do it . At 52 , I never thought I would be doing something as extreme as this . It ’ s just the start of a journey for Zane and myself , and I absolutely love learning together .”
Asked about next steps , Julie says she may resume her search for a suitable club , or just continue with Diverstime . “ We also want to join some BSAC trips and maybe think about a liveaboard in the Red Sea next year ,” she says . “ Whatever we do , it will have BSAC ’ s name on it , so we know it ’ s right for us .” �
Branch + Centre Partnership Scheme explained
Designed to support branches with their training , the model is that new members join your branch , train at the centre , then return to your branch as qualified divers .
Benefits to branches :
• There ’ s no cost to enter , and you can withdraw at any time
• The scheme enables BSAC clubs to take on more new members , year-round
• It assists with resource challenges , such as lack of instructors , or pool access
• The partnership supports and cements relations with local BSAC dive centres
More information and benefits at bsac . com / PartnershipScheme
Participating dive centres
ANDARK DIVING AND WATERSPORTS Southampton andark . co . uk
DIVECREW Crowthorne divecrew . co . uk
DIVERSTIME Nottingham diverstime . com
DIVEWORLD Sheffield learntodive . co . uk
DM SCUBA Bristol , Bath and Swindon dm-scuba . co . uk
DV DIVING Newtownards , County Down , NI dvdiving . co . uk
FREEDOM DIVING Sterling freedom-diving . co . uk
HARLYN DIVE SCHOOL Wadebridge harlyndiveschool . co . uk
OCEAN ADVENTURE DIVE COLLEGE St Neots , Cambs divenow . co . uk
OCEAN DIVING Basingstoke divenow . co . uk
ORCA DIVING Basildon orcascubadivingacademy . co . uk
ROBIN HOOD WATERSPORTS Heckmondwike roho . co . uk
SANDFORD & DOWN Plymouth sandfordanddowndivingplymouth . com
SCUBA SCHOOL Studley scubaschool . org . uk
SCUBA WALES Neath , Wales scuba . wales
SCUBA T DIVE CENTRE Falkirk scubats . co . uk
SEAWAYS DIVE CENTRE Falmouth seawaysdiving . co . uk
SEVERNTEC DIVING Shrewsbury severntecdiving . com
SLATERS SCUBA CENTRE Preston slatersscuba . co . uk
ST ABBS DIVE CENTRE St Abbs , Scotland stabbscharters . com
STONEY COVE Stoney Stanton stoneycove . com
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