Who am I and what diving do I do?

[Bantam]

Name
Mark W

Location
Yorkshire

First Qualified
1988 - BSAC Novice!

Club Member
York BSAC 50

Highest Diving Qualification
PADI DM / BSAC DL (nearly finished AD) / NRC SCR.

Instructor Yes/No
Not Yet...

What other training have you found most rewarding
RYA L2 Powerboat and GMDSS VHF.

What’s your standard Kit
Twin 12's and an AL40.

Where do you usually Dive
Wherever the viz is. Not unknown to drive to Scapa for the weekend.

Number of Dives
1500 ish.

Deepest Dive
66m OC
57m SCR

Longest Dive
90 minutes (see above )

Favourite Dive
UK - UC75, 20 miles off Flamborough, or else blowing bubble rings in Scapa
Europe - Rozi in Malta. Special memories
World - Big Tunnels / Little Tunnels, Grand Cayman.

Worst Dive
A rather bad experience on the Rondo a few years ago.

What dive/trip would you most like to do?
Ice Diving in Russia.
Truk Lagoon
Ginnie Spring

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you?
Relax and enjoy it.

What ONE other question should I have included?
Daddy or chips

[Garf]

Name
Gareth

Location
Haywards Heath in West Sussex

First Qualified
08/2002 - PADI OW with Jan Van der Horst in Wittering Divers

Club Member
Once. They wanted me to sit Ocean Diver lectures on a saturday but I told them I was diving the Moldavia that day. I lasted about another fortnight at the club.

Highest Diving Qualification
GUE Tech1. It took 6 months of training!

Instructor Yes/No
Not yet, but on the long road to TDI instructor.

What other training have you found most rewarding
Mark Powell's Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures. It was a turning point in my diving, and more importantly my attitude to diving.

What’s your standard Kit
Same as all the other DIR types I guess. Twin Heiser 12s

Where do you usually Dive
Weymouth, Brighton, Plymouth. Scapa once a year. Train at vobster when not sea diving. Try not to go a fortnight without getting in the water and doing some drills

Number of Dives
I haven't the foggiest, but hundreds rather than thousands.

Deepest Dive
80 metres. On air. It was neither big nor clever.

Longest Dive
119 minutes solo on the F2/Barge/Bottle run in scapa. Breathed down a twinset and the remains of an ALI80. Came up when I reached my gas reserve. One more minute and it would have been two hours. arse.

Favourite Dive
Difficult. The moldavia is ace, but I love the Kronprinz in Scapa and also the Tabarka in scapa

Worst Dive
The Markgraf

What dive/trip would you most like to do
The Brittanic. I have several hundred books on the titanic, it's been a passion since I was 12. Diving her sister ship would be, well, breathtaking.

What ONE other question should I have included?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you?
From Mark Powell. Something along the lines of "When you are stressed you can't handle everything at once so don't try. Breathe, Relax, Prioritise, and then sort everything out one by one". I remain convinced that that tip has saved my life and told Mark so on the day!

[Janos]

Bloody hell If everyone else is....

Name: Janos

Location Surrey

First Qualified 1984

Club Member London Hellfins BSAC 0898

Highest Diving Qualification BSAC AD, KISS MOD2, 4* Aquanaut

Instructor Yes

What other training have you found most rewarding One-to-one with Mark Powell. One day, no certification, learnt loads about myself and my diving. Cheap at twice the price.

What’s your standard Kit KISS rebreather and one or two stages

Where do you usually Dive South Coast. Often Brighton and Swanage

Number of Dives I don't know number of dives, but I've got 130 hours on the KISS now.

Deepest Dive 60m

Longest Dive 2 1/2 hours

Favourite Dive (so far) The Duke

Worst Dive That one with Dan E.

What dive/trip would you most like to do Many. But I'd like to dive the Victoria

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you? It's meant to be fun.

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by Janos

First Qualified 1984

Wow, you were eight when you qualified?







The board is full of muppets nowadays

[DanE]

Name: Dan

Location Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

First Qualified January 2003

Club Member Dacorum Sub-Aqua Club BSAC 0713

Highest Diving Qualification TDI Trimix

Instructor No

What other training have you found most rewarding TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures with Mark Powell. Learnt a lot, made me think about things.

What’s your standard Kit Twin 12s, Hogarthian with boots A couple of deco cylinders if required for the dive.

Where do you usually Dive South coast, with skills practice conducted in Wraysbury and NDAC depending on the skills.

Number of Dives 430ish.

Deepest Dive 58m

Longest Dive 90 mins

Favourite Dive I love submarines and steamships, but the site I can keep going back to are the Mulberrys

Worst Dive That one with Janos on the Carlisle Castle.

What dive/trip would you most like to do Britannic.

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you? Stop, Breathe, Think.

[Ralph]

Name
Ralph

Location
Hampshire

First Qualified
06/02/96 - PADI OW (then took nearly 10 years off!)

Club Member
Calshot Sub Aqua Club

Highest Diving Qualification
BSAC Sporty Diver

Instructor Yes/No
Nah. Considering IFC course

What other training have you found most rewarding
O2 admin made me feel like I might actually be of some use in a poop on fan scenario

What’s your standard Kit
Single 15, standard rec kit. Just got a 3l pony which is making me swim round on my side!

Where do you usually Dive
Between Isle of Wight and Weymouth

Number of Dives
30?

Deepest Dive
30m

Longest Dive
45 mins maybe?

Favourite Dive
Betsy Anna, Poole Bay, August 2006 - fantastic!

Worst Dive
Betsy Anna, Poole Bay, May 2007 - awful!

What dive/trip would you most like to do
Just to do much more and be much better

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you?
I've no idea! Give me a week or so to kick-start my goldfishesque memory....

[Jonathan64]

oops - double post

[Jonathan64]

Name:

Jonathan

Location

Edinburgh

First Qualified

1995

Club Member

Pentland Sub Aqua Club - ScotSac

Highest Diving Qualification

ScotSac Master Diver

Instructor

Yes

What other training have you found most rewarding

Basic Nitrox - haven't got round to doing advanced yet.

What’s your standard Kit

Twin 10s and a 7ltr stage when doing deco diving

Where do you usually Dive

Through the summer on the East Coast, through the winter in the sea lochs on the west coast

Number of Dives

500+ - like many on here I stopped logging a few years ago

Deepest Dive

54m in Loch Fynne

Longest Dive

About 90 mins in Dunbar

Favourite Dive

Cant remember the name of the site but it was in Stornoway.

Worst Dive

Not got one that stands out, but I have had a few bad ones

What dive/trip would you most like to do

Would love to go and do Scapa - just need to get it sorted.

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you?

Anything any of the instructors said to me when I was learning to dive.

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by onthetrain

Except when I dive with Sixsquid or Jo

HOI!!!
(ok... it didn't count )

[Scubee]

Name
Scubee/ Morag

Location
Berkshire

First Qualified
May 2002- PADI OW

Club Member
yes - and dive organiser for my sins!

Highest Diving Qualification
TDI Adv Nitrox/deco proc

Instructor Yes/No
Yes - May 2004

What other training have you found most rewarding
2 days in Portland learning to drive a rib.

What’s your standard Kit
twin 12's unless with students or new divers, then it is a single 12

Where do you usually Dive
anywhere - 2007 trips go from Plymouth to Brighton, plus a coupel abroad

Number of Dives
450 ish

Deepest Dive
54.2 in Tenerife
48 in UK

Longest Dive
77 mins (I think, with out going and digging out my log books!

Favourite Dive
The first time I did the tabarka in Scapa

Worst Dive
the second time I did the Tabarka!

What dive/trip would you most like to do
Aliwell shoal

What's the most useful tip ever passed on to you?
O' three dry suit really is.