Training Courses

By Nic Faulks Background I learned to dive back in 1996 at university. My instructors back then tended to be post graduates who owned their own kit. Kind patient people who would not only teach us, but would lend us their kit too. When I was one dive short of qualifying as a Sports Diver,

August 2014 by Nicola Faulks I learned to dive back in 1995 at university and never really thought about diving on anything other than open circuit. Then 3 years ago Simon got a re-breather. It beeped a lot. But he seemed to enjoy it. Being economical on air, I thought that I wouldn’t hold back

There can be no doubt that one of the single most important skills to master in diving is buoyancy control and trim.  Perfecting this aspect of your diving is a major step towards safe, comfortable diving and it can also have a positive impact on the amount of breathing gas you consume, the amount of

Looking around the room at the other participating candidates it was soon evident that between us all, was represented a few thousand dives, most of which had been completed in the UK. Likewise the lecturers delivering the theory part of the course were themselves not without considerable experience, with two National Instructors, Andy Hunt and

Read about us on the BSAC Website Not strictly a course report as such but instead an account of two recent club pool nights at which members had the opportunity to experience using a range of full-face masks. Normally associated with commercial rather than sport diving, full-face masks have a number of advantages when diving

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a potential life saving machine which in certain circumstances can literary bring the dead back to life. The Club’s Diving Officer, Andy Hunt, perhaps mindful of an increasing number of members aged over 50, decided that this might an interesting but potentially life saving course to organise for the

This course is the next stage up for budding marine life enthusiasts from the Observer Course. It was organised by Carrie Pillow the North East Seasearch Coordinator and was based in the Harbour Café in Eyemouth , Scotland. Day one of the course centred on how to fill in the Recorder form, which is far

In preparation for the clubs forthcoming expedition to Mull , it was decided to organise a GMDSS VHF radio operators course, so that we could make use of the clubs fixed GMDSS radio’s on the two RIBs.. Whilst many members of the club had already acquired the old VHF licence, few had taken the trouble

With Club plans in full swing for the updated survey of a mysterious cannon site off the Farne Islands on the 40th anniversary of an original club project on the same site, a group from Tyneside 114 headed down to Hartlepool to undertake the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) Introduction and Part 1 courses. With this aim

What do UK divers do in winter when they are bored with trips to the Lakes or cannot face another dive in the coldness and murkiness of Ellerton? They go on courses! Nic, Tyneside 114’s energetic training officer, arranged a Seasearch Observer training course (the entry level) for the last Saturday in March, promising the

It sounded very promising, £10 for a session learning the basics of underwater photography with all the expensive photographic kit provided… The event itself was organised by the Newcastle Dive Centre, who deal with Inon and Fuji photographic products. Steve Warren from Ocean Optics made the long journey North with all sorts of goodies to

The wreck appreciation course comprises five theory lessons, two dry practical sessions and two open water sessions. During the theory sessions (which were run over two full evenings for me – as a late comer to the course;) topics such as wreck location, ship construction and layout, marine life, wreck diving equipment and techniques as