Graham\’s Dive\’s and Rants

Diving Agency’s and Training

i have seen alot in various forums about different ways on how we should or should not dive, now when i started i looked around at a few agency’s but i couldn’t deiced what agency to follow for my course/diving progression there are so many all claiming to be the best, i asked a few friends and posted on some forums, asking why people chose that style with mixed results. some dam rude and others informative.

Now to go into some history i started in PADI and went to rescue diver, then i wanted to go deeper and cover wrecks, my real fascination for diving, so i was looking at some technical training, after the various comments from members and Representatives of these agency’s i chose IANTD advance nitrox and deco procedures. now due to the diving and Training i was getting from a really good friend, (who i might add never slagged off another agency), i only did a days training and then the testing skills and plans etc, i have since then gone onto deeper wrecks and better diving away from the standard.

But still not happy with this i wanted to go deeper still and get to these wrecks that are not dived often (more chance of goodies), this involved Trimix, again i looked at agency’s out there, i wanted to give another agency a go so to speak, i was given a name and most people know him by his experience Mark Powell. now i had looked at doing the ADV nitrox and deco with him but i was eager to move on and wanted the course NOW, but now after a few good dives around 260 i was looking for somthing else to add to my diving skills,

I met up with Mark and embarked on the course, now as i have done previous courses and sailed through i thought this would be the same, to my surprise it wasn’t after 4 days i was told No not yet i want to do another dive I’m just not happy. this hit me like a sledge hammer i couldn’t believe that i was told No, why i did every thing he wanted why? i couldn’t bring myself to ask. Secretly i knew it was my style, in your face and to hell with anything that may go wrong “it won’t happen to me”.

i left Portland that night and drove what seemed miles back home IT WAS but it seemed longer tonight, i sat around a few days thinking bollocks I’ll just dive anyway that ended in the Salsette Netting problem, again down to the style of diving that i was doing, and a lucky escape for me, but it made me rethink what it was i was doing that was so bad.

i got back into the water a few days later with some banter from friends, but i still wasn’t happy, so i called Mark up and asked if he would be able to do that dive, now this was abit selfish because i wasn’t to bothered about the course i wanted someone there to dive with that was good, to make sure things go well and then i can sod off diving, We met on the Quay at Weymouth and set off diving The Rotorua, now without thinking i planned the dive better looked at plans of the wreck sorted the kit out the night before and added extra for a safety margin, on the boat i had nothing to do, normally i would be fixing kit last minute adjustment etc, but this time no i was ready well in advance.

one thing popped into my head at that point Finbar had said on a previous trip if you are going to do this diving you need to be squared away before hand, i looked at my kit and smiled mmm i was. the dive went great i enjoyed everything about it even down to running the DECO (as for the mars bar I’ll wait until i get on board next time). once on the boat i couldn’t remove the coat hanger smile Demons gone and i felt great, but somthing else i enjoyed the dive like i have never done before, it had that little extra because i had planned and executed it without a hitch.

we dekitted and sat down for a chat on the dive we discussed what happened on the Salsette and in the end Mark said i had passed my Trimix course, “it was like diving with a different diver”. The problems i faced on that dive had changed me in such away i could never go back to what i used to be like, don’t get me wrong i still have allot of fun but i plan more and i am always looking for dangers.

so this was it i had moved from PADI through to Trimix with TDI and have at last found not just an agency to follow but a good instructor to teach me, and not one of these people who think they need to sign the form because i have paid for it, but because they think you are good enough to have there name associated with you.

to the other designer agency’s you can keep your training and the kudos that you think it Carry’s, the one thing in life that i have learnt is that the best Don’t have to ram it down your throat. to the people who slagged me off when i asked the question, i wouldn’t give you the time of day and one in particular I’d put my fist in your gob so you couldn’t talk such crap again, belive me your no ambassador for you agency.

thanks for reading Safe diving whatever agency you follow

Graham

August 19th, 2006 Posted by grahammills | Uncategorized | 3 comments