We really hope that you enjoy this copy of BSAC Talk. If you have any comments regarding this issue, please let us know by email at maryt@bsac.com

A PDF copy of this issue of BSAC Talk can also be downloaded from the BSAC Talk index page on our website at www.bsac.org/page/93/bsac-talk.htm.

Does your branch work with children and young people? Would you like to get your branch recognised for providing a great club experience for your junior members?

Then come and hear more about Sport England's Clubmark* accreditation scheme in BSAC's brand new seminar at this year's London International Dive Show.

Open to all our English branches, 'Clubmark - how to get your BSAC branch accredited' is an hour-long seminar designed to show you how easy it is to gain accreditation.

It will be held from 11.15am - 12.15pm on Saturday, 8th March and on Sunday, 9th March where our Clubmark experts will explain the real benefits of Clubmark and take you through the step-by-step process of how to gain accreditation.

Clubmark is an invaluable endorsement for BSAC branches that have junior membership. It publicly acknowledges the branch's high quality standards, its commitment to welfare and equality and its position as a club that actively welcomes young members.

BSAC currently has 24 branches working towards their Clubmark and we really want as many eligible branches as possible to take advantage of the scheme. So, if a relevant member of your branch is attending LIDS, please ask them to come to the Clubmark seminar.

There's no need to pre-book but if you would like to register your branch's interest/attendance in the BSAC Clubmark seminar, please email alisond@bsac.com.

*Sport England's Clubmark scheme has been designed to recognise the achievements of sports clubs in England in developing high quality and welcoming environments for young people.

Please Note: Clubmark currently covers England only

As part of our ongoing drive to ensure BSAC HQ's records are up-to-date, we're currently looking at our Welfare Officer details.

If your branch has a Welfare Officer but you haven't passed their details to BSAC HQ, or you have recently had a change of Welfare Officer, please let us know.

Please email your branch name and number, along with the welfare officer's name, membership number, telephone number and email address to membership@bsac.com.

Following an Incident in July 2007, the Marine Accident & Investigation Branch (MAIB) of the Department of Transport have issued a Safety Bulletin (www.bsac.org/uploads/documents/Diving_Safety/safety_talk/SB2-07.pdf) following an investigation of an Accident involving a RIB where the seats of the vessel became detached whilst in use resulting in all three persons on board being thrown into the water.

Clubs and Individual boat owners are advised to check the mountings for seats and consoles and especially in the case of glued and screwed seat pods/consoles, are therefore recommended to make the following checks:

• Physically try to move the seats and consoles by hand to ensure there is no movement.
  
  
• Check for loose screws and/or evidence of any screw movement.
  
  
• Examine the sealant between seat/consoles and the deck to check for breaks or cracks.
  
  
• Establish if there is any water seepage under the console/seat that may indicate the sealant is
  
  not fully attached.
  
  
• Where doubt exists, seek advice from a professional boat builder/repairer to ensure the seat
  
  pods/consoles have been attached in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance and remain
  secure.

In addition we would advise regular checking of the operation of Kill Cords (www.bsac.org/page/282/kill-cord.htm).

I felt it was about time I introduced myself, I am Sarah Conner (yes I know the name sounds familiar), and I was and still am the Tayside Area Coach. I am an AI and new IT and am working towards getting my FCD this year as well as my PhD so hopefully many reasons to celebrate. I am an instructor for a number of agencies and have trained with all the major dive agencies so I am very open minded to different ways to instruct and dive.

I love being underwater, as it’s where I am most happy and content. I enjoy everything from instructing Ocean Divers and watching the thrills of them first experiencing our underwater world to helping divers develop more advanced skills or just diving my Meg (Megalodon CCR), I love going into ‘things’ anything from caves (UK and abroad), under ice and into wrecks. I happily enthuse about any area of diving until everyone ends up loving it as much as me, or falling asleep.

Taking on the role of North Scotland Regional Coach was intimidating not only due to the responsibility of the role but maintaining and hopefully improving upon the good work that Dave Sydenham has done over the past 3 years, thanks very much Dave. At first I thought, ‘sure, sounds like fun and will be nice to feel useful’ Dave had sold the role well. Then at 12am 1st January as Dave shook my hand to pass the role over, fireballs were being thrown into Stonehaven Harbour and fireworks going off around us, I noticed the gleeful look on Dave’s face and thought, ‘Ah, what does this job actually involve?’ Now the panic has passed I have thought about my hopes for the region and would like your opinions.

As I said I would like to maintain and further develop everything Dave has started and established, ranging from all levels of instructor development prep sessions, instructor trainer development and First Class Diver prep sessions. I also hope that we will get more instructors qualified to instruct seamanship and technical courses of which there is more demand than instructors in the region.

Two areas I would also like to initiate are getting the Regional Expedition Diving Scheme (REDS) going in the region, we have the best diving in the UK and some of the best diving in the world so we should have a strong expedition section. We can not only enjoy some more adventurous purposeful diving ourselves but offer these trips to the other BSAC members so that way we can all appreciate the fantastic diving we have up here. For this reason all the Advanced Divers assessed 2 day trips will be advertised in our developing REDS (already warned my Tayside group – Aberdeen, you have now been told!). Any other ideas for expedition style trips do let me know. Remember to pass FCD you need to excel in expedition style diving and this will be the best way to get that experience. Every level of diver is welcome to input ideas, help plan and join a trip. If you fancy helping develop this area in the region, please get in touch.

Although I live in the southern most part of the region, I would also like to help to make the north of north Scotland and the island branches feel that they are a valued part of our region. I hope to go and visit as many as I can (perhaps via dive trips) and run any SDCs they might like if not in their area, closer to them. We are also hoping to reshuffle our Area Coaches to make sure all your needs are heard by the team. Hopefully the team will remain as committed and enthusiastic as they have been over the past year that I have known them. There are a number of spaces available and many opportunities even just to voice an opinion on how you would like to see the region develop or what the coaching team could do more of or help with. Any level of diver can get involved, you do not even need to be an instructor, I just want people who are enthusiastic about diving. We should be having our meeting sometime over the next few weeks. Please do get in touch about your current roles or how you think you could help.

I hope we will also be able to get branches that are close to each other interacting and supporting each other more, to keep the good relationship between south and north Scotland going. Hopefully we may even get a Scotland series of dive talks going so we don’t just have to read about the ones that are occurring in England!

I am always available, though this is the last year of my PhD so if I do not do something immediately feel free to nag me! You can get me on north.scotland.coach@bsac.com or 07764928656

Don’t forget to check out the regional website which will soon be updated. Do try and make sure people subscribe to the Yahoo! Group – a link can be found on the regional page http://northscotland.bsacregions.org as well as an up to date programme of events in our region.

Let me know when would be a good time to visit your branch or get a dive with you. I look forward to meeting you all at least once at some point over the next three years!

Safe and happy diving,
Sarah

Books of the Month

Oscar the basking shark is feeling hungry, but what is it that he likes to eat?

'Is it you that I like to eat?' he asks the diver, the seal and the ray.

Join Oscar in his search for a meal as he meets a variety of marine animals.

The first in the 'A drop in the ocean' series, this book includes stunning marine life photography with easy-to-understand fact boxes for the younger reader.


Oscar the Basking Shark, £5.99



Jackie the seal is upset, he doesn't think he can do anything. "What am I good at?" he asks, as he tries to jump like a dolphin, hide like a scorpionfish and see like a squid.

Join Jackie on his journey through the ocean as he meets a variety of marine animals.

The second in the 'A drop in the ocean' series, this book includes great marine life photography with easy-to-understand fact boxes.

Jackie the Seal, £5.99

http://www.bsac.org/page/887/book-of-the-month.htm

Product of the Month - Men and Ladies BSAC Jackets For more information, please go to http://www.bsac.org/page/883/jackets.htm

London International Dive Show 2008

BSAC Shop are inviting Branch Officers to place any orders for student training material in advance of the Show.

This will enable you to collect your order at your leisure over the weekend knowing that it is paid for and packed for you in advance. This way, any of your Branch members can collect on your behalf.

Simply call BSAC Shop on 0151-350-6202 with your order, payment details and branch number and leave the rest to us. You will pay no postage costs.

Alternatively, you can order online at http://www.bsac.org/page/530/branch-training-packs.htm Please enter 'SHOW' in the 'Special request' box and again no postage will be charged.

If you wish to pay by cheque, please post your order to us.

The last date for receiving your orders will be Friday 29th February.

Learning Lessons

Rebreather and Technical Divers may already be aware the HSE Website has been making available online a copy of the video relating to an Incident experienced by a Sky TV cameraman who suffered from CO2 toxicity as a result of incorrect training. The online video can be seen at http://www.hse.gov.uk/diving/video/co2video.htm

Although it relates to a specific incident this video also highlights some important points that are relevant to all divers.

Attempts to push or exceed limits, such as exceeding experience or skills, attempting to stretch out gas supplies or as in this case limitations of equipment are one the most common factors in the annual diving incident report. The video provides an illustration of what can happen when a relatively simply action of trying to reuse the scrubber material to make full use of it very nearly cost someone their life. Additionally most of us would expect to recover quickly from a CO2 hit once we return to breathing surface air. The reality is that in this and Eugene's experience above full recovery takes days if not weeks.

During initial training we tend to calculate gas consumption based on simple estimates (e.g. 25 ltr min). For the majority of our diving when things are going right such estimates may be perfectly adequate. What this incident illustrates is that when things start to go wrong very high levels of breathing rates, and therefore gas consumption, can be achieved. Any properly planned dive should therefore take account of this possibility.

The Buddy system is designed so that divers can provide mutual support to each other. Even in situations where one buddy is much more experienced than the other (e.g. instructor & student) if there is an obvious problem, differences in experience should not prevent you taking control. No matter how experienced we may be, none of us are immune from problems, for example heart attack or stroke, a competent though less experienced buddy should be capable, willing and be encouraged to provide assistance. Some instructors may take the view that when teaching entry level students they are effectively diving alone. The reality is that even with an Ocean Diver Trainee on their first open water dive their student has the proven ability, albeit in sheltered water, to recover them to the surface should the instructor have a problem.


Think SAFE - Dive SAFE
Jim Watson
BSAC Safety and Development Manager

For more detail and information please visit www.bsac.org/page/45/diving-safety.htm.

The expansion of BSAC Dive Centres worldwide continues to grow and grow and things are certainly hotting up in Egypt.
BSAC is pleased that Emperor Divers in the Red Sea are developing some of their existing and new locations in Egypt as BSAC Diver Training Centres. This will help meet the demands of new customers electing for BSAC courses and existing BSAC members to further their training.

Emperor Divers' BSAC Centres are at Sharm El Sheikh (Shark's Bay), Nuweiba, Safaga and Marsa Alam.

BSAC is very excited to be working with one of the Red Sea's flagship diving operators.

Good news for BSAC members!

If you know a friend or colleague who may like to receive this monthly bulletin, please ask them to visit www.bsac.org/page/93/bsac-talk.htm, where they can subscribe online.