Get into diving 2008.

With the dive season and personal holidays rapidly approaching, now is the time for members of CPA to refresh those diving skills, break out the equipment for a pool session and practice those rescue drills in preparation for some fun and adventurous diving..

With this in mind, your dive club are organising classroom, pool and open water sessions in the coming weeks to allow you to get up to speed along with your fellow club members. Every Tuesday for the next four weeks, these sessions will include the following:

Classroom sessions

The aim of these classroom sessions is to provide divers with the skills to prevent accidents and manage potential accidents through defensive diving, good dive planning and leadership.

Start time: 7.00pm

Location: School hall, Crosfield School, Shinfield

Objectives and Agenda:

Dive equipment maintenance review

Diver rescue review

Defensive diving and the buddy system review

Dive leadership review

Dive planning, decompression, tables, computers and air calculations review

Diver safety review for dive leaders and marshals

Pool Sessions

The aim of these sessions will be to gain in-water practice in preparation for boat diving, along with rescue practice and open discussions on techniques, skills and further reviews.

Start time: 8.00pm

Location: Swimming Pool, Crosfield School, Shinfield

Objectives and agenda

Equipment configuration and testing in water

Buddy checks, pre-dive planning and boat diving techniques review

Rescue scenarios including role-play

CPR and O2 administration practice

Open water sessions

Location: Portland Harbour and Wraysbury

Dates: To be confirmed. First Portland session will be on 16th March.

The aim of these sessions will be to take our rescue skills to open water. We will be practicing at Portland Harbour using the Tornado.

Objectives will include:

Boat handling skills practice (for qualified boat handlers), including:

Man overboard and collecting divers safely.

Anchor and shotline deployment

VHF radio procedures review

Boat accident avoidance discussions and practice

Open water rescue practice – including AV and towing to the boat.

Rescuing a casualty into the boat

Basic boat maintenance, launching and recovery procedures

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Who are these sessions for?

Anyone thinking of doing ANY diving this year should take part. Any club member wanting to take part in club diving must be up to speed, and should attend at least one classroom and one pool session.

Who is organising these sessions?

Your committee is organising these session, along with Andy Hepburn, John Brown and others that have expressed their support. If you would like to assist with any of the activities you will be more than welcome – and we would value your input.

What will I gain?

Hopefully everyone will benefit with improved skills, readiness and practice. We also hope to have a great deal of fun during these sessions.

What does it cost?

Nothing. You already pay for your club membership through your subs, and these activities are a part of your membership.

Do I need to register to take part?

No, just turn up on any Tuesday in March for a session.

What happens next?

Come along any Tuesday for a classroom and pool session – and be prepared for active participation. Bring your equipment for the pool session – and come armed with any questions that you may have about diving.

Please contact any member of the committee if you have any questions or suggestions. We want you to be a part of these sessions, and we trust that you will let us know if you have any more ideas – or if you can help out in any way.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesdays in March!