New Commercial Diving School

[Dangerous Dan]

I'v just recieved information on a new commercial diving school opening within the UK. This follows the closure of 'The Underwater Centre' at Fort William and promises so much more but do you think it will actually live up to this or will it just fail like all the other HSE Schools. I was just wondering what all of the Commies thought of this and if employment is available for the potential graduates.
One of the reasons im wondering is that i'm doing my HSE Commercial Scuba next year with Plymouth University.

[Digger]

Well, you might as well get the HSE ticket Plymouth are offering, as above anything else it's cheap as hell for the course. Would stand you in good stead for diving jobs or any application where you're technically working as a diver.

Also gives you the chance to go up to building sites where the kids are making a right mess and hold up your card, conveniently covering the Scuba bit. Apparently looks very very similar to an HSE inspectors ticket, then tell them you'll be back that afternoon, and laugh as you walk past later and everyone's got their boots and hats on and they're not throwing scaffolding across the road any more!

[Dangerous Dan]

Yeah that could be quite a good laugh I mean career.
One of my other reasons for this is that i am hoping to do the HSE Surface Supply and Top-Up course to be able to work offshore - eventually/hopefully!!!

By the way heres the address for the new HSE School: http://www.professionaldivingacademy.com

[PrettyFishies]

Those courses look great but I've got buckley's chance of passing the medical, already failed it once before!!

What's the work oppos like though, aren't they thin on the ground??

Regards

AnneMarie

[ANDY 64]

Yeah that could be quite a good laugh I mean career.
One of my other reasons for this is that i am hoping to do the HSE Surface Supply and Top-Up course to be able to work offshore - eventually/hopefully!!!

Then forget the diving and get a RoV pilots tickets....

[NotDeadYet]

Yeah, an awful lot of the new offshore kit is aimed at being diverless, and depths are far beyond those divers can reach (the new African fields are in 1000's of metres of water). The Norwegian sector I am told is phasing out diving completely. Getting an ROV ticket is probably a better investment for the future unless you want to be doing civils or fish farm diving. I'd looked at doing the Pt 1 (as it was then) 7 or 8 years ago and even then diving was looking like it was on its way out offshore so I've gone into the engineering side, currently doing a masters in offshore and underwater engineering. There's still a market for commercial diving but the good work is going to be harder and harder to get. Even at the best of times, you'd still need a skill like welding or NDT to sell yourself.

[bubs]

I noticed on their website all courses include a drysuit and undersuit!! how fantastic do all the courses and you could have a nice little sideline buisness. ( well it does nt say hire only!!)

Plymouth course is good- but pretty difficult to get on to now- as so many people have cottoned on to the fact its good value for money. They always offer a lot less places to number of students- last year bless em the students had to do an 8am swim in the quarry in november!! to check they could!

Also a lot of people i know who ve got the ticket are struggling to find work with it- its good as a extra qualification to give you the edge- but certainly not do the course get a job from it, as perhaps it was in yester year.

[Dangerous Dan]

I recieved an E-Mail today from the 'Professional Diving Academy' refering to my enquiry on course material.

Dear Daniel,

Thank you for your enquiry into courses at the Professional Diving Academy. We do not have our literature printed yet so I have noted below general information on the school which I hope you also find of interest.

Our first course is now underway with the next one commencing 7th March.

We have great backing from the diving industry for our courses, as we have decided to put emphasis into real and practical experiences for students - not just teaching you to go underwater but to be able to work underwater.

So, we have a full experience waiting for you including the safe use of the following underwater tools and systems: 1. hydraulic tools such as impact wrenches, hammer drills, breakers and grinders. 2. underwater cutting (old pipelines, ship plating) 3. underwater welding 4. underwater rigging (can you safely set up, and complete, a lift of an underwater pipe to flange it onto another?) 5. use of underwater video systems

All of our courses qualify succesful students to the UK Health and Safety Executive Diving standards (or 'Competences' as they are officially known).

Facilities.
We have a new 9000 sq.ft building which contains our main lecture rooms, large diving chamber and diving tank, clean workshops and storage facilities. It of course also has a canteen area, offices and student areas. Other facilities which will be added as the school progresses will be welding test bays and NDT (Non Destructive Testing) workshops.
The Diving Tank:
This is a well lit, clear and impressive diving tank with decking surrounding it at entry level. This is where Dive Control operates from for these early dives.

The first part of our courses involve student assessment in the relatively safe conditions of this large tank (7m long x 4.5m wide x 3.5m deep). These easy diving conditions allow students to become familiar with the equipment, the diving terms used, and become part of the team required to run safe diving operations. This is also the facility used when we train in specialist techniques including diving in Enclosed and Confined Environments (the equipment may be on view to students).

Decompression Chamber in the base:
A superbly fitted out 1.8m twinlock (two compartment) decompression chamber is installed within the base. This chamber is used for the 50m chamber dive which all candidates should experience - you will be compressed to the equivalent of 50 metres depth whilst breathing air (will you, or won't you get nitrogen narcosis?)
It is fitted out with:
dive control panel with pneumo/depth gauges, gas analysis, BIBS masks (Built in Breathing Systems for oxygen decompression), and all of the other equipment required to satisfy Industry safety standards).
The Diving Vessel:
This is the best diver training vessel and set up we have seen anywhere in the world! She is a 40m long, 15m wide self propelled flat decked vessel with an enormous amount of space for diving equipment. All facilities required to provide a professional teaching platform are also on board - a warm lecture room, workshop, canteen, showers, toilets and drying room. Four main equipment modules are mounted on the deck of the vessel:

1. Dive Control - a large control cabin housing the dive panels to run diving through the wetbell, basket and a surface diving station.

2. Decompression facility - a 54" (1.37m) DDC typical in size and fit-out as you will find on air diving sites. Fully fitted with BIBS, bunks etc. 3. Compressor room - a large container housing a 20cfm HP compressor and a 135cfm LP compressor along with control systems and decanting facilities.

4. Wetbell and Air Basket - see below.

We have the facility to dive off both ends of the boat and also off each side.

The Professional Scuba and Surface-demand (i.e. umbilical fed) diving stations are at either end of the vessel with superb access via ramps into the water (you will however also be taught other methods of water entry such as ladder and 'jump' as these will more typically be found in the industry). Anchor laying and handling is a requirement to put the vessel on its dive station. You will experience this invaluable activity to assist you when confronted by this once in the industry - at least you won't be 'green'.
Air Basket and Wetbell:
On opposite sides of the vessel we have a Wetbell system and an Air-basket system. The Basket is used at the end of the Surface demand course as a typical way of water entry from an oil platform or large diving vessel. The Wetbell is obviously the culmination of training for the Complete Air Diver course and this system acts as a 'safe haven' for the working diver with a dome providing an 'air bubble' into which the diver can put his head, along with being a safe point from which to carry out decompression. A main umbilical carries hot water for the suits, video signals, communications, power for the lights, and the air supply connects to the wetbell from the life support equipment at the surface. Umbilicals for each diver then feed from a manifold system inside the wetbell.
Instructors and Industry Contacts:

The partners in this new venture run a commercial diving company and were frustrated with the poor quality of students coming into the Industry via the training regime at previous UK diver training schools.

When the last one went into Receivership it was decided the time was right to set up a school with a totally different training philosophy.

Whereas we still follow the HSE Assessment of Competency we knew we had to commit to training people in the skills required by their potential employees to try to achieve a more skilled and useful class of diver.

Our courses are strongly biased this way and we will not have you sitting on the seabed simply 'blowing bubbles' in order to log the amount of time and supposed experience to 'qualify' you as a commercial diver.
Our courses drive you hard and successfully graduating is not guaranteed.
But if you want to be accepted by the industry, then come and work hard, and start to be a new breed of Trainee Diver with the backing and knowledge of the Professional Diving Academy behind you - and a new respect!

Our first full course starts in January - why not be one of the first to qualify through this superb new facility?

If you wish to discuss anything regarding the courses please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Chris Tatham our School Manager - feel free to do so either in the evening or during the day.

Chris Tatham Tel: 01369 701 701 School Manager

Best Regards
David Smith and Tom Brannan
Directors

[ANDY 64]

How many times is the word CANTEEN used

No mention on which hats and masks you will qualify on........
How you can learn to wet weld in this short a time, i don't know.
No mention of Cox's bolt guns or simply banging ....


Oh well, never mind.

[Sandman]

[QUOTE=Andy the Commie]How many times is the word CANTEEN used QUOTE]

Maybe the canteen is really good

Fort William is open for business and doing commercial courses.

www.theunderwatercentre.co.uk

I wish there was work for commercial divers as I have always fancied doing it, never fancied spending £0000's on a course to get no work from it though.

Cheers

Simon