12 • try something new
The Try Dive Monday Daytime Due to an unfortunate incident with a quad bike and an over enthusiastic horse, I have pulled my back and badly bruised my leg. Not ideal for getting into a wetsuit and breathing apparatus. I need a stunt double!
Dive 90
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t’s not every Monday evening that I ask the boyfriend to dress up in a rubber suit and mask but, relying on the fact that he is usually up for anything, I ask and he gamely agrees. No, we weren’t trying out the latest fashion suggestion from Gok Wan, or anything else you might have imagined – we were off to learn how to Scuba dive. With the summer on the horizon, and the likelihood of rain and gale force winds, your thoughts may turn to golden beaches, crystal clear waters and a bit of guaranteed sun. If you have ever imagined a James Bond moment where you are swimming serenely in and out of the coral reefs amongst the marine fish alongside a dashing companion, you might be interested in reading on and finding out how you can learn to do just that. Dive 90 is a local Cheltenham business specialising in Diving Tuition and you would think by writing this article, that I have a burning desire to learn how to dive, but in truth I happen upon their shop whilst buying sausages in the butchers next door. I decide diving might be a very interesting t hing to learn how to do and I go inside for a closer look. The little shop is a tardist. Inside I find a whole range of diving equipment and I also note that Dive 90 arrange holidays to great diving resorts such as Egypt, The Maldives and Spain. I enquire further with an extremely knowledgeable man called Steve, who turns out to be the owner. He tells me all about the business and how Dive 90 offer everything from taster dives – called Try Dives – to PADI Open Water Courses through to organising two week diving holidays. I decide I might like to do a Try Dive to see if I could cut it as a deep sea diver. “Calm down”, says Steve, “a Try Dive is simply a 2 hour introductory lesson to see if you would like to go on and learn more about diving”. So, James Bond Ideas aside, I ask if I can sign up for a Try Dive the following Monday evening.
May 2010 • Severn Village Living
Village Living Severn 1.indd 12
Monday evening I have recruited a Glamorous Assistant to take my place, and he hasn’t insisted on a fee. Excellent. Maybe the promise of rubber enticed him. We head off to Brockworth Pool, just 10 minutes up the road, for an 8pm start. Armed with a towel (him) and a camera (me) we feel confident and ready to dive. We arrive poolside and start to feel rather intimidated. A group of people are looking extremely knowledgeable, climbing into wetsuits and sorting out their diving equipment. Glamorous Assistant looks a bit worried. We then meet John, the instructor, who is very cheerful and immediately takes control. Glamorous Assistant goes off to change into his wetsuit. He comes out of the changing rooms to ask me for money for the locker and as he does so, a fellow diver kindly signals that he has the wetsuit on back to front. Seeing as he hasn’t even made it into the pool yet, it seems there is some way to go. Getting Kitted Out After fitting his breathing apparatus and flippers (or ‘fins’ as the professionals call them) John, a fully qualified PADI Instructor, starts the safety briefing. He goes through the breathing drills. Don’t hold your breath seems to be an important one, although he says that the natural reaction is to hold your breath underwater so you have to make a concerted effort to tell your brain to breathe. Then he moves onto hand signals which are essential to communicating underwater. And finally, how to equalise, which means balancing the pressure in your ears
www.severnvillageliving.co.uk | tel: 01452 730023
19/4/10 14:42:15