Vobster

Back to Vobster for more Sport Diver training with Nick and Julie to complete SD lessons: Dive Leader Planning/Skills Review and Diver Rescue. It was a really enjoyable day training, practising, and I learnt a great deal.

A traffic diversion, which I thought might be a April 1st thing, took us in a big loop via Kilmersdon to arrive from the other direction; then getting in took a while. Kitted up and the plan sorted, we were ready to go. On the first dive after doing skills, Julie led according to her plan, making our way to the aeroplane, exploring the aeroplane and carrying out our ascent using the the shot-line located on the tail fin- nice and slow, with a 1 minute safety stop. The stop was fine with 10kg on my belt and 1kg in my BC pocket. Julie did CBL/BLS and tow. At the training platform end of the quay, my exit - stupidly - involved beaching on rock shelf. This was more difficult than it looked and I decided I would probably use the ladder next time. Tea and debrief. I had managed not to swim about all over the place like I had done before; which Nick suggests (and it seems quite probable) that I did because of my snorkelling, in which I swim around a lot and in a way which doesn't suit scuba diving.

Second dive after the skills, followed my plan. We descended alongside a rocky slope to line up with tunnel entrance and followed concrete wall to it (Nick led through tunnel). Very dark and silty. Saw the rubber skeleton tied onto the handline at the end. Up cliff vertically and along to aeroplane - good vis here. Air was 120 bar at this point, so just time for a quick look at aeroplane and industrial dryer which Julie swam through. Again went up shot-line on tail fin - again nice and slow with 1 min safety stop. Surface and underwater swim to place nearer slipway. My turn to do a CBL and rescue. Both practise de-kit. Yasmin was great help again with bits of kit, recording times, and everything else- taking pictures, buying tea, dispensing monies, oh and navigating,..

Vobster

Arrived at Vobster early for my first Sport Diver open water training dive: the SMB lesson, with Nick and Julie. I tried out an old dive computer that Paul had kindly lent me, and a new torch (both very good). My first torch, a very small backup torch, had flooded on a previous dive.

The SMB exercise was very cleverly planned to enable us both, using a single buoy to operate it on descent and ascent stages. Julie had the SMB on the descent, we then used the SMB line as a buddy line as we swam over the top of the crushing works, I then took over the line and we descended beside the works and went along near the bottom of the cliff, before a re-ascent. My torch was good to have here. Further up on a silty slope, Nick demonstrated underwater skiing. We went up a bit further - it was a very nice feeling returning to the light, and Julie took over the reel for the ascent to the surface. We did a second dive (Vobster is a long way, so it was good to make the most of it), a nice easy swim and look round. We went down the shotline on the boat wreck, had a peer in and swam around. We then made our way over to the nearby wheel house to look round that. It has a small air-pocket inside the roof. Nick demonstrated his self-inflating DSMB and we surfaced using its line. Very enjoyable. After the dive we signed each other's log-books!

Ocean Diver Qualifier

Winter training at Vobster Quay. With Nick instructing, Julie and I had to do a bit of pilotage; that is find our way about using natural features and man-made objects as navigational waymarkers. On my turn I led from the aircraft nose, over some rough ground, past where a car used to be, past corrugated metal sheet, past boulders, past the dead tree sticking up from a deeper section, and past several concrete fence posts to the rocky so-called 'road' up to the surface. It was a good exercise and, as always, a chance to improve buoyancy etc, but I can't wait to get in the sea.

Vobster

Early start for a return to Vobster to do Ocean Diver training dives with Nick and Julie. Daylight revealed mainly cloud and a little sunshine here and there. First dive included a deep water entry (which I prefer to the slipway). I snorkelled on surface to shotline above boat wreck. We descended, paused at wreck and went across to the wheelhouse, then over to the aeroplane. I swam around far too much. Up slope over tunnel and road, and my ascent was a bit too quick. Poor visibility at times was of our own making.

On the second dive we got in down the slipway, after the effort of getting my flippers on (one of the worst parts I think) I flopped into deeper water. All together we descended gradually, following the road. My mask was very leaky and it needed several rounds of clearing and repositioning. At the rear fuselage section we did full mask clear drill and AS. I should remember to offer the octopus DV right way up! We went through the aircraft section with toilet, and Nick took some photographs. Later near the wall (I like it here), a separation occurred and we rendezvoused at surface. Better buoyancy, position and control. Re: position I think the threat of Nick's so-called 'naughty string' worked! Returning to the slipway we saw some big trout.

First Open Water Dives

We managed to find Vobster Quay, negotiating the signless and disorienting country roads, gradually homing in on it. I had overhead that Vobster is bit of a pain to get to, but also I had read somewhere that there are new signs to help people get there - yes there are some signs, right outside to congratulate you on finding it. Two dives with Dave McDonald. Drills on 9m training platform. Getting buoyancy under control. Felt floaty even with 14kg [was too heavy and overcompensating]. Saw lots trout, dinghy, and a wrecked car. Had to steady myself a lot on the platform and my flippers seemed to want to insert themselves into the gaps in the planks. Ears quite painful on ascents. On second dive (with Debbie Heaton's brother Stuart) AS and CBL. Swam through aircraft cockpit. It was a great day out and Yasmin had a nice time too watching everything going on and taking pictures. Vobster is a long drive, but worth it for training that would be difficult or impossible otherwise. There's a tea/burger van, water to swim in, and junk to swim round.