Category Archive:
Posted by Submission on February 13, 2012 at 10:43 am
Last week I heard the news that Mike DeGruy and Andrew Wright had been killed in a helicopter crash. If you’ve watched Pacific Abyss, Amazon Abyss or The Abyss Live then you will definitely have seen Mike, often diving in his denim shirt and shorts, enthusiasm spilling from him for whatever marine life that was being discussed! He was also involved in the making of the Blue Planet, Life in the Freezer, the Life of Mammals and many more incredible features. Andrew Wright was a writer-producer and his most recent work was the film Sanctum.
Reading the news of their death not only saddened me for the loss of such immense talent but it made me think about my heroes in scuba diving and people who inspire me. I never really had any true heroes that made me want to throw myself into the sea when I was younger. I was not raised on Jacques Cousteau; like many people who become hooked on the wonder of the aquatic realm from watching the Silent World as a child. Images of Lotte Hass did not compel me to take up diving, nor did James Bond films entice me to don scuba.
By definition a Hero is a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, which makes it very broad for me to choose my heroes.
Firstly, I must say that I admire people like Ron & Valerie Taylor, who devote their lives to underwater photography, videography and conservation. Australian born Ron and Valerie have spent their lives in, on and under the sea. They began as fishermen but swapped their spear guns for cameras and initiated a passion for filming marine species. They are renowned for their work on the films Jaws and Jaws 2 where footage of live sharks was used. Ron Taylor is also afforded with creating the first chain mail suit used in shark tagging and feeding. In their realms as underwater photographers and artists they have also become natural patrons for the ocean and have been awarded numerous conservation accolades including the 2008 Lifetime Conservation Medal from the Australian Geographic society.
Ron and Valerie Taylor were probably the first people that I really took an interest in after I had started diving. Their work with sharks certainly affected my feelings of awe and wonder rather than terror for the creatures.
David Attenborough is one of my all time favourite presenters and although I doubt I’ve ever seen any footage of him diving, he is synonymous with underwater nature programs. His dulcet tones have described the most interesting, most exhilarating and simply most breathtaking underwater marvels you could wish to see. Not only is David Attenborough the voice of the aquatic realm but he has also spent years on expeditions and adventures all over the globe which enable him to write many of the TV series that we watch in awe. On his 80th Birthday he was filming on the Galapagos islands and whilst there filmed George the large male tortoise who is coincidentally about the same age as David. He has been accredited with numerous awards for his TV productions and his publications; he has been knighted and awarded the Order of Merit.
Carl Brashear is my final choice for now, although having done some research for this blog, I have come across many more names that are just as worthy of a mention, but maybe that’s for another time. If you didn’t immediately recognise the name, think about the film ‘Men of Honour’ with Cuba Gooding Junior and you’ll probably know the story. My admiration for Carl’s story isn’t born out of reverence for him persevering against discrimination, more for his determination to dive even after a crippling injury. As a US Navy Deep Sea Diver, Carl was involved in an 
unfortunate incident which resulted in his leg being amputated and an artificial limb being fitted in its place.
Despite being ordered to formally leave the Navy, Carl would sneak out of the hospital to regain his strength and fitness and secretly learn the mechanics of completing his job with an artificial leg. Carl managed to persuade the Navy to test his fitness before his final sign off and he was ordered to 1st class deep-sea diving school in Washington to put up a demonstration, where the tests were extremely heavy in order to prevent him from passing. Carl was made to walk around on the surface in a complete helium rig weighing 290 pounds as well as climb a ladder with equivalent weight of 2 scuba tanks. Yet, even against the odds, he passed and was able to continue with his Navy Service. He remained on active duty for 12 more years. Carl really showed that his passion was enough to drive him to success and that even with a disability he was as fit and able as any other Navy Diver.
These choices may seem a little odd but as I think it’s a very personal thing born out of a TV advertisement, a magazine article, a film or from other numerous sources. Of course there are other people who are heroic in their actions, the life boat crew that work tirelessly around the coasts of Britain, the Instructors that specialise in teaching people to dive with limitations and disabilities, people who dedicate themselves to conservation, scientists and doctors that research and treat diving related injuries and illnesses as well as the truly crazy mad fools that push the limits of our sport.
I wonder who your heroes are.
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Posted by Submission on February 10, 2012 at 10:25 am
Please be advised that due to the ice and the slope of the car park outside Sub-Mission Dive Centre, conditions are slippy and dangerous. Please do not park on either ours or Richer Sounds car park, use the adjacent streets instead. If you have cylinders for refill please be very, very careful.
Take extra care when using the pavements and the approach to the shop.
Many Thanks, Katy
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Posted by Submission on February 7, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Nick at St Abbs
Everybody talks about buoyancy control being the most important skill to master but why is it so critical? For some divers, good buoyancy control does not come naturally and it can be incredibly disheartening trying to improve and not seeing much progress. Those divers are more likely to quit diving out of sheer frustration. Here are a couple of really good reasons to keep persevering and putting the time and effort into getting your buoyancy just right;
1) Your air consumption WILL get better. Good buoyancy will definitely increase your dive time as over weighting really causes you to drain your air. Not having to put air in your drysuit and BCD all the time will also have benefits on how much air you’re using. Instead of constantly inflating and deflating when changing depth, you should be using your lung volume to its full advantage.
2) Control over your ascents and descents will improve dramatically, especially helpful if you have trouble equalising your ears. That feeling of struggling to get underwater to begin with and then feeling heavy during the dive is common and eventually you’ll manage to control your breathing to allow you to descend correctly weighted. This does take practice though.
3) Controlling your position in the water has major benefits for improving your comfort and relaxation underwater. Scuba should be a way to chill out, relax and shake off the worries of the working week and so you need total control and composure in order to do this.
4) Good buoyancy control is an absolute necessity if you’re contemplating photography. Not only will you be able to keep still taking a photo but you won’t have to hold on to anything and you’ll be able to get closer to your subject matter.
5) Your fin kicks will be more efficient. Instead of kicking all the time, using loads of energy and air, you should be able to use a more efficient and powerful kick every now and again to propel you through the water.
6) You will improve your
overall diving skills. Navigation will be easier, sending up a DSMB will be a breeze and if you want to progress to wreck or deep diving, your buoyancy control will not even be a consideration.
If you’re buoyancy could be better consider taking the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course and practice, practice, practice! Come to the pool and work on your breathing control, practice slow and steady descents in open water. Get out there and go diving. If you would be interested in more information about this training, please email Katy@divecourses.co.uk
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Posted by Submission on January 26, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Last night some of the Sub-Mission staff got together to refresh their rescue skills and practice a few scenario’s. Refreshing and practicing rescue skills is a must for any diver and it can’t be emphasized enough how important that this is. It’s important not only for a buddy who may have a problem but for your own confidence at rendering assistance. Would you step forward to help if you completed your PADI Rescue Diver Course 5 years ago and hadn’t done a single rescue skill since? It’s definitely something to consider.
Sub-Mission Dive Staff Refreshing Dive Rescue Techniques
Darren and I wanted to get staff thinking about their rescue techniques and their rescue demonstrations so Sub-Mission Staff were put through their paces starting with dealing with an unconscious diver at the surface. Then we slowed everything down in order to be able to demonstrate this affectively to students.
Due to the changing equipment configurations, emerging trends and new PADI programs such as PADI Rebreather Diver and PADI Sidemount Specialty we also wanted to keep staff up to date with different kit. So we took the opportunity to cover Rebreather rescue and practice rescue on Taffy in his Sidemount equipment.
It was a serious and extremely important topic but we had a good laugh at the same time and hopefully reinforced to the staff the importance of refreshing themselves too. Look out PADI Rescue Diver Students, here come refreshed Instructors!
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Posted by Submission on January 17, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Well it’s out with the old and in with the new. We’re not talking about eradicating the more seasoned divers but we are going to be having a few fresh ideas within the Dive Club.
Firstly, we will be organising a social evening once a month for us all to get together and talk diving! This will be the first Tuesday of every month and we’ll meet at the Dive Centre and walk across to the pub. The first Pub Social will be February 7th. We’ll also be throwing into these evenings the odd pub quiz or two, hosted by our very own quiz master Steve.
Gone Diving Days will continue to be organised by the staff as these have proved to be particularly popular. We have some great ideas for days out, from ‘wigwamming’ at Chepstow to Treasure hunts. Katy is kick starting this off with a visit to the Hyperbaric chamber at Murrayfield on February 19th.
Diving Days will be organised at least once a month, where Darren, I or other members of staff will ask divers to go diving. This is your opportunity to get out there and use your new kit, test your new skills and keep fresh and interested between trips.
We are introducing an admin fee for Dive Trips and presentations. Gold and Silver Dive Club members will get additional benefits such as not having to pay this administration fee. Gold and Silver members will also have exclusive invites to certain events that other club members won’t. We want those that pay membership each year to really benefit from that affiliation with the dive club.
If you’re a Club Member and a Rescue Diver, then you’ll also benefit from joining in on our Rescue Refresher sessions. This will be your opportunity to practice the skills that you learnt on the PADI Rescue Diver Course so that you feel confident about assisting someone in trouble.
Dive Club members will also benefit from our ‘Dive Leading’ coaching. On our days out diving we’ll encourage you to lead dives, planning the dive and briefing it, and practice navigation. We’ll give you hints and tips to improve your ability and recommend additional training that will help you even more.
There’s never been a better reason to join the Dive Club. Sub-Mission Dive Club will rock 2012!
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Posted by Submission on January 14, 2012 at 10:21 am
We’ve had a great start to the sale, it’s been busy in the Dive Centre and many of you have been grabbing some fantastic bargains. Some of the feedback that we have had has made us realise that a lot of people would have preferred the sale to come at the end of the month so the good new is that we’ve decided to extend our sale period until then. Instead of finishing the sale today, we’ll offer you the same bargains and the same discounts until February 4th but then that really will be the end. So come along to the Dive Centre to snap up a bargain on fins, regulators, BCDs, masks, watches and much more.
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Posted by Submission on January 11, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Do you need help with your underwater photography? Do you want to be able to take better photos? Do you want to be able to tweak your pictures using a photo editing software? Let’s face it; trying to control yourself and then control your camera underwater can be difficult. Then when you think you’ve got a great picture, you get out of the water to be severely disappointed with the results.
Why not join us for photography workshops here at the Dive Centre with Paul Duxfield, aka Duxy on Saturday and Sunday January 28th /29th. Duxy is a compact camera guru and writes photography articles for DIVE magazine. He knows compact cameras like no one else and will help you to get the best results from your camera. Now I hope those of you who have been nagging me none stop since Duxy was here last February will be satisfied that I’ve finally got him back to the Dive centre.
Duxy’s talk last January was one of the most popular presentations that we held at the Dive Centre during the whole of 2011. Everyone who attended found his charismatic approach to relaying photography technicalities incredibly easy to follow and extremely valuable information.
There will be a photography presentation and a workshop conducted over the weekend of the 28th and 29th January. The presentation on Saturday at 5pm will cover getting the best out of your camera regardless of what make or model you have. Duxy will explain photography fundamentals, camera settings, functions and how to get a cracking shot regardless of the underwater situation. Bring your cameras along so that you can follow along with the presentation, learn how to set your white balance and change your ISO for improved shots as well as much more. This is a different presentation to the one given last February so if you came along last time, there’s more to learn! The charge for this presentation is £15 each.
During the workshop on Sunday at 10.00am, Duxy will show you how to edit your photos to get that extra special picture. This may seem like cheating a little but it’s no different to the days of photo manipulation in dark rooms. You’ll be amazed at how your photo’s can clean up; even the worst photo could look great with a couple of tweaks. Duxy will spend more time with each of the attendees, explaining editing software and how to manipulate your shots to look like stoney cove is a tropical, warm water site or to get rid of the annoying blue shot of death on all of your holiday photo’s! You’ll be able to bring your laptops and a couple of your own photo’s for Duxy to demonstrate hands on editing techniques. The charge for this workshop is £25 each.
There are limited spaces available for each of these photography workshops so you’ll need to put your name down fast. Contact Katy on 01782 207474 for more information.
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Posted by Submission on January 6, 2012 at 11:08 am
Well, most of us are back at work and getting into the swing of the New Year. Some news to brighten up your week is that we are starting our Massive January sale on Saturday 7th. In preparation for some new and exciting stock that is expected in January, we are clearing the decks and slashing prices.
Starting at 10.00am on Saturday 7th January, the sale ends at 5pm on Saturday 14th January.
Sale items are only available for current stock and so the offers are limited to certain sizes and colours. When they are gone, we won’t be restocking! Whilst the biggest savings will be on these clearance items with up to 50% discount, there will be savings on other brands such as Northern Diver, Poseidon and many more…
So why not cheer yourself up with a new pair of fins or the torch that you’ve wanted for ages? Get your kit ready for adventure and exploration in 2012!
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Posted by Submission on January 1, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Matt Roberts’ account of his experience of Shark Feeding as the winner of the Bruce Sharkey Photography Competition.
“Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the towers
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse… Apart from the Sharks that is!
Driving through the deserted grounds of Alton towers, we pulled onto the entrance to Sharkbait Reef, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mrs Claus (Lucy Handel). Lucy popped her head around the corner and an instant ‘kid at Christmas’ smile appeared on mine and Zoe’s face. We were taken on a very exclusive guided tour of the Sea Life aquarium. To see the various fish and creatures the aquarium had on show. This privacy gave the chance to see the displays in all their glory without the usual hustle and bustle, much akin to the shopping this time of year.
After the disappointment of not being able to make the tour earlier in the year it really did seem like Christmas had come early.
After pressing my nose against the glass of every tank I could find, we were beckoned up to the feeding platform of the ocean tank. The rays and sharks had already begun to circle knowing that feeding time was fast approaching. We were giving a brief on feeding techniques and dietary requirements, donned a pair of gloves and dived in (not literally, although very tempting).
The rays were up first, once they sensed the food enter the water they circled the feeding area over and over. Slapping their fins on the side of the tank as they swam past, as if to say ‘more please’. Not deterred by the bullish presence of Xena, the rays led by Larry’s effervescent grin, soon gobbled up all we had to offer.
We then had the pleasure of feeding Xena the warrior Leopard shark (personal favourite). She has been trained to feed at a feeding board. The board is held in the water and the food is presented just in front of it ready for her to engulf it with a huge slurp. Although controlled and relaxed, you could feel the raw power as her eager nose bumped into the board.
Finally it was the turn of the Blacktip and Bonnethead sharks. Their extremely hesitant and cautious nature was evident throughout the entire time while we were viewing the Ocean tank from above, but none more so than when we attempted to feed them. The rays had made their way across to the feeding area and were keen to indulge further. The sharks only managed to feed on a small number of passes as the attention from the rays seemed to really dissuade them, almost to the point they seemed fearful. Another example of how media hype and tall stories has vastly exaggerated the reputation of these truly superlative creatures, and their apparent thirst for blood.
A truly unforgettable experience, for Zoe and I. Thank you to Lucy Handel at Sea Life and Katy Bloor at Sub-mission for making is possible.
The day’s events struck a nerve as any encounter of this kind should. It reaffirmed the need to care for and support these delicate creatures and our fragile ocean to ensure aquariums are not the only place to gaze in wonderment at the beauty the oceans have to offer.
As so, training for my next fundraising event is imminent (providing the doctor allows it). I hope to complete an Olympic Triathlon late 2012. That’s a 1.5k swim, 38k bike, followed by a 10k run. Anyone wishing to join me or sponsor me call in the Sub-mission shop for details.”
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Posted by Submission on January 1, 2012 at 1:26 pm
So 2011 is over. I feel like I’ve watched the year rush by like a dog with its head out of the car window, tongue hanging out, enjoying the wind going past my face. It’s been a pretty epic year, even if just for the fact that after so long together Darren finally proposed to me. Okay, so it may have been heat stroke but I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by.
I thought I would share with you a few of my highlights from 2011 and maybe you could let me know what your highlights have been.
Firstly, I think that Darren and I getting through the application criteria and then being accepted onto the PADI Course Director programs must be the biggest event of the year for me. Not only did we succeed in reaching the pinnacle of the PADI ladder but we both had a fantastic time along the way and met some awesome people who we will keep in touch with for years to come. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time but our hard work and experience made it bearable.
The Fin4Finning was a great success in July and I am so proud of everyone’s determination to not only complete the distance but to raise money and awareness for Sharks. It was a brilliant idea of Ian and Jenny Ratcliffe and with over £4,000 raised made is a worthwhile event that will hopefully be bigger, better and harder in 2012.
We have taught some absolutely fantastic Instructor Candidates this year so we must congratulate Jenny, Yvonne, Ian, Nick and Paul on their achievements. We then had to say bon voyage to Jenny and Ian who are now enjoying life in Brunei.
The Dive Centre has hosted some pretty awesome guest speakers, which have been a hit with Sub-Mission Club members. Mark Powell, Paul Duxfield, Rory Golden, Dr Jules, Lucy Handel and Maria Munn gave us plenty of food for thought and offered some real inspiration to many of you.
I have loved the relaunch of Project AWARE, the new mission statement and focus area’s. The ability to interact with the website and it’s social media feel are a winner in my eyes and it’s great to get recognition for Sub-Mission’s efforts with news articles being posted on the front page about ‘Bag Free for a Week’, Fin4Finning and the arrival of Finn. 2011 also welcomed Bruce Sharkey who has proven to be a tricky, mischievous little shark who is hoping to do continue to create a stir in 2012.
A few other mentions; Congratulations to Phill who proposed to Lauren underwater back in January. Congratulations to Kieran for plucking up the courage to ask Sonia to marry you and we’re sorry we ruined your romantic Jacuzzi evening on the liveaboard!
Well done Matt for your half marathon and the fantastic fund raising that you managed to pull off.
All of the Instructors will agree with me that we have once again had an action packed year and we’ve laughed all the way to the water (and underwater at times too). There are too many students to mention here, (although I do remember every single one) but you’ve all been fantastic. You’ve worked hard, over come difficulties and then gone and had some bloody good dives after your courses. Well done to all of you who completed the Master Scuba Diver Challenge last year, a major achievement and recognition of your Scuba Diving expertise and experience.
It’s a great time to make plans for diving in 2012 and we hope that you will join us for more laughs, more adventures and more fun this year!
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unfortunate incident which resulted in his leg being amputated and an artificial limb being fitted in its place.
