Scuba Diving Adventure

I recall 35 years ago attending life saving class being run by my school. Over a couple of terms we worked our way through the Bronze medallion and then the Bronze Cross of the Royal Lifesaving Society at the local swimming pool. Some of my school mates were into diving and brought their gear to the pool to practice. I remember having a go and finding an interest that was to stay with me for a long time.

It was not until five or six years later when I was working that I was able to start training and joined the Scottish Sub Aqua Club. Many sessions were spent in the pool swimming underwater with bricks, jumping in and donning the equipment laying on the bottom, buddy breathing using the same regulator, swapping your equipment with your buddy, breathing from a Fenzy (yuk!) etc. Training has got a lot easier these days but it never did my diving skills any harm.

I was just beginning the open water work when I got married! Diving had to wait another seven or eight years before I could afford to train again. This time I received a PADI course for my birthday and followed it quickly with their advanced follow up. Thoroughly enjoying the diving, which at the time was in the clear waters of Cyprus I crossed over to BSAC and completed my Dive Leader course.

Now I was diving regularly for the next 20 years - the odd year off but in the main getting in 50 or so dives a year. I took my BSAC Open Water Instructors ticket and Advanced nitrox qualification and was happily carrying out pleasure dives in the Red Sea, the North Sea, Sound of Mull etc when disaster struck!

No, no accidents happened. I had begun diving with twin 12 liter tanks and had suffered a series of back problems and knee strains. I am 5 foot 8 inches and reasonably strong, but the twin set was simply too heavy. Yes I could carry it and managed it better than some of my 6 foot friends. But I was simply not enjoying the diving anymore!

I became reluctant to go out diving, stopped putting my name on the diving list and slowly stopped going down to the club meetings. Yet I still want to go diving - what should I do?

More to come......