Two Diving Related Books...

Just finished both. Excellent reading for divers and non-divers alike. Well worth the money which wasn't alot anyway.



The first is 'Diver' by Tony Groom. It spell's out his life as a royal navy mine clearence diver, the role the unit played In the Falklands War and his time as a saturation diver In the north sea. This book was very funny, full of black military humour, a alltogether excellent read.

The book came with a DVD of the author reading and commenting on a few of the books chapter's too. Also contained on the DVD is a segment about life as a saturation diver on the north sea oilrig's. This was very Interesting to me as that's my goal. It showed you life Inside the saturation chamber, conditions In the bell and how the 28 day dive worked. This is the authors website.

http://www.deep-sea-diving.com/



The second book was 'North Sea Divers - A Requiem' by Jim Limbrick. This was a sobering book detailing the death's of all deep sea divers In the north sea during our countries search for oil and gas. The book is Intended as a tribute to these men who died between 1971 till 2000. The authors website.

http://www.jim.limbrick.btinternet.co.uk/

First Ever Dive...

**Fanfare**

Performed my first ever SCUBA dive on Saturday at a local pool and it was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of it, I even surprised myself just how comfortable I was. First step in this journey of mine very much taken then.

I contacted a local dive group called the Fife Kelpies, they setup a try dive to see If I was comfortable In the water, could swim and that I generally wasn't a complete plank. I also learned how the SCUBA gear worked, how to find neutral bouyancy, clear my regulator, clear a flooded mask, water entry, safe ascent and removal of diving equipment and putting it back on under water. Lot's then.

This is the club training guide taken from the Kelpies website.

http://www.fifekelpies.co.uk/index.htm

Elementary Diver Course Overview

	Pool Training		Theory		Open Water Assessment
	Basic Fitness Assessment		Introduction to diving		Buddy Check
	Mobility & Confidence		Air filled spaces ascent & descent		Safe entry and buoyancy check
	SAA Ascent procedure		Principles of SCUBA		Controlled descent
	Buoyancy skills		Physics & the diver		Neutral Buoyancy
	Out of Air Diver recovery		Buoyancy management and BCDs		Follow dive plan
	Basic Diver Rescue		Metabolism, Respiration and Circulation		Mouthpiece drill X 3
	Simulated Dive		Decompression part 1		Clear Mask X 3
			Accident Avoidance		Correct hand signals
			Protective clothing		Follow SAA ascent procedure
			Open water diving		Complete safety stop at agreed depth
					Monitor buddy during ascent
					Inflate BCD at surface
					Check Buddy
					Exchange signals with shore
					Safe exit from water

A Little About Me And This Blog Of Mine...

I don't have a romantic or Interesting story attached to my ambition to become a commercial diver, I just find it fascinating. I guess it was triggered when as a young lad my uncle took me to the north of Scotland while he and a mate went diving. I sat on the shore playing with all the spare gear thinking it was all jolly good and exciting. "Definitley something I wanted to do" I thought to myself.

I've wanted to learn to dive for a such long time that it's a joke I haven't done so by now, I'll put that right very soon though. Tomorrow in fact.

This blog is going to join me on my journey from complete novice to accomplished deep sea diver. Let's see where I end up.