Trainees working hard on Diver 1 course
From the moment you place your head under the water and take your first breath, be it through your snorkel or regulator, you’ll be immersed into a world of beauty and mystery. You’re almost guaranteed to see something of interest on each dive, in turn feeding into your sense of adventure and desire to know more about the unique world that is underwater.
Following on from a successful open day and try-a-dive event, our group of trainees have been working hard over the last number of weeks beginning their Diver 1 star course.
As part of the entry requirements for the course, participants had to complete a series of continuous swims namely a 200 metre swim, a 50 metre backstroke swim, and then do a breath holding underwater for 30 seconds within five minutes of completing the above swims. All of this was done in the facilities of Fermoy Leisure Centre pool.
The course for Diver 1 star consists of lectures, pool and open water snorkel and scuba training. The trainees began their lectures covering the following topics; introduction, dive physics including buoyancy and effects of pressure, diving equipment, CPR, decompression and dive tables. All the above lectures were ably presented by Blackwater Sub Aqua Club instructors.
The next step in the trainee course was pool snorkel training. Using the fantastic pool facilities of Fermoy Leisure Centre, the trainees completed several pool sessions in which they learned and completed the following skills; snorkelling, mask and snorkel clearing, methods of entry, surface dives, forward and backward rolls, finning 25 metres underwater with no mask, snorkelling 25 metres with no mask, ditch and recovery of mask and fins and tow 50 metres including emergency breaths.
Each of these exercises must be completed with proficiency, and without a doubt every trainee excelled in all the skills. Well done to each and every one on great work over the last number of weeks.
Now, this will enable the trainees to progress to open water snorkels for the next part of their training journey.
Each candidate must log three open water snorkels of at least 30 minutes duration. During each of these open snorkels they’ll practice; entries, buoyancy adjustment, finning and snorkel diving, mask and snorkel clearing, towing, group safety, snorkelling without mask and snorkel and snorkel dive to at least 6 metres.
It is great to see such a large enthusiastic group so eager to learn and enjoy snorkelling and scuba diving and become members of Blackwater Sub Aqua Club. All their hard work is paying off as they progress.
Well done to all candidates, and a special well done and thank you to all our instructors and assistants who kindly gave their time, knowledge and expertise to every training session.
We’re all looking forward to the first open water adventures of the trainees and what lies ahead for them.