[spongebobb]

hi phil ,
glad the diary has been of some use , its obviously just a brief overview of what goes on , on the course .
the stuff to learn before i went , well the diving theories and gas laws are the same , the knot thing is a yes !!! the more you can do the better . the biggest thing i can say is be prepared to treat the nine wks as a job ... be ready to learn and get stuck in , there is more to learn than just being underwater , the area i probably learnt most was topside operations , and to be fair this is where most of the work is done , the experience you get regarding working under the water is very small as you can imagine . the academy teaches you how to get in and be competent at rescues as well as being comfortable in / underwater . they do give you some experience of underwater tools , we did a week using lift bags , airlifts , chainsaws , brushcarts , and cygnus readers ( measures the metal thickness ) all great fun , the time in water varies from day to day , ranging from 20 mins to an hour , you will dive just about every day .
it is a good 9 weeks , but like i,ve been told over and over the best way to probably put it is , like doing your driving lessons and then your test , then having the licience to go and become a good driver !!!
diving is the same it gives you a licience to go and get the vital experience !!!
hope this helps some
if you want any more info just let me know ...