Dive Rutland are a school week host for Project Dive Cornwall during the week of 9th - 15th July and a few of our staff members will be down supporting, so we thought it would be nice to finish our week with a few days of club diving and for our club members to come and say hello to the students we have been hosting on their final night at Porthkerris.

For those who have not been to Porthkerris before, it is a relaxed and informal atmosphere as per the picture above clearly shows! The diving will suit all divers and an ideal opportunity for those who are photographers to practice their skills on the abundance of wildlife. For more information you can visit the Porthkerris website.

The diving is very easy going with mainly reef/scenic dives in the 15 – 30m range, those more rust orientated also have a few options, you can read the blog written by club member Tim Sleight about our last trip that will give you an idea of what we could be diving.

The minimum qualification is PADI Advanced Water or equivalent

8 spaces which is based on the accommodation sleeping eight persons, but if more persons wish to come then this can be accommodated as there is camping on site.

​All divers must have their own SMB and reel AND know how to deploy as this is a key safety aspect.  Do not have an SMB or do not know who to deploy then join one of our SMB Speciality courses

So Friday saw our merry band of divers travelling down to Plymouth for what had become know as the 'place of unicorns'.

This trip was the rescheduled, rescheduled, rescheduled and yes you guessed it rescheduled.. trip.  This trip was originally planned for September 2019, moved to June 2020 then that virus forced us to cancel, moved to October 2020 then cancelled for weather, moved to May 2021 cancelled for weather and FINALLY saw us travelling down in April 2022

Hence everyone thinking it was the place of unicorns and just a mythical place.

Everyone arrived safely and we sat down to a meal and lots of laughter in our new home for the next couple of nights the Borringdon arms.  What we can say is rooms comfortable and food - well if you are ever in Plymouth go try the food... we can strongly recommend it.

The only thing is DO NOT try and drive your car down to the pub, leave it in the carpark at the top of the road.  The van stayed at the Dive Centre all weekend and we walked 'home'.

Day one saw everyone up for a cooked breakfast and a walk to the Dive Centre to get kitted up and the boat "Seeker" loaded.  This weekend we were diving with Indeep Dive Centre who are based in the yard at the Mountbatten Watersports Centre.

Then ropes off and yes.. the mythical place became very real.  You could not have chosen a better day for those whose first UK boat trip this was... seas flat and sun out.

First Dive was The Persier, we were expecting great things as the viz the previous weekend was outstanding at 10 - 15 metres.  Not to be for us, maybe 1 - 3 metres but you could still make out the boilers standing proud and with a gentle swell moving you backwards and forward and a torch you could make out the wreck as you swam around.

The second dive after a surface interval of pasties and hot drinks we dived The Mewstone Ledges a reef.  A gentle swell accompanied us on this dive but it was a very pretty dive, you just had to move slowly and look in the nooks and crannies and so many sea cumbers!

After unloading the cylinders and putting them in the filling station, locking up the van we took the walk back to the accommodation, we had already booked our table for the evening - how could you not resist the food after last night.

Showered, some of the group took a walk, returning for pre-dinner drinks, diver tales and an evening of chat

Day two started with a full cooked breakfast for those a little brave.  Why brave?  well wind forecast was indicating a strong wind for later in the day, hence the early breakfast as this was all being anticipated.  The weather as always never does what the weather forecasters say by the time we got on the boat and it was an earlier start it had already picked up.. so the dive plan was going to be fluid as originally we wanted to dive the Scylla and James Eagan Layne

Dive one was the Scylla but it was lumpy... giant stride in when told, get on the line and get under the water and regroup was the order of the day and you could feel the swell down on the wreck and if you choose to swim around the side of the wreck you needed that torch.  On the top of the wreck the fish were out in force and visibility much better.

Dive two due to the wind and lumpy seas we came inside the breakwater walls to dive the Breakwater Fort, which is known as the last resort dive site... as you can generally always dive this site.  It has some very nice coral fans on it.

As with any trip it is not just the diving that makes a trip but the group of individuals who join us.  There were so many moments on this trip.  A trip of laughter and occasionally some random conversations. Below is just one example...

• How many slices of bread are there in a loaf of bread and how to you structure your lunchtime meals to use those slices!  Yes this really was a conversation!  Maybe this will be a social media post at some point in the future.... it was hilarious.

​Thanks to everyone who came -  Luke Connolly, Ben Green, Keith Horsted, Marly Lysandrou, Pete Hotchkin-Jones, Tracey Roberts, Tim Sleight, Alan Starkey and Bridget Weid

And for the eagle eyed amongst you, you will notice we have one diver missing from the pictures above... that is Luke.. who sat the dive out when these pictures were taken.

Persier was a 5,382 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 as War Buffalo for the British Shipping Controller.  In 1919, she was sold to Belgium and renamed Persier. Between 1934 and 1941 she also held a passenger certificate. She was driven ashore on the Icelandic coast in a storm in February 1941 which put her out of action for two years. Returned to service in February 1943, she served until 11 February 1945, when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-1017 with the loss of 20 crew.

The tiny island of Great Mewstone was once inhabited, from 1744 until the early 19th Century, and evidence can still be seen of a turreted building on the eastern side of the island.  The Mewstone is now only a home to a colony of birds.  

The dive is just out to sea from this rocky island where a reef of gullies stretch out.  Taking the SW route and staying within a maze of gullies.  The marine growth is a little bar in sheltered zones but where the gullies fun the water there are a splendid display of dead mens's fingers and jewel anemones. 

HMS Scylla was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy.  She was build in Devonport dockyard and after an active role was de-commissioned in 1970 to be finally bought by the National Marine Aquarium.  She wasn't purchased for sailing but instead her life was to end underwater as an artificial reef.  

This site has a dive trail set out on it, you just need to find the orange line that takes you to the various sites.  Start below the steps of the fort, heading away from the fort you will come across two towering concrete blocks, which in-between sits a Tavy Boat.  This was sunk by the archaeological society for training budding marine archeologists.  
Follow the rope and you will find the TASK.  A triangular framework which is covered in sponges and dead mans fingers.  Then onto the Glaucus, a cylindrical metal tub fallen of its back legs.  This was used by a couple of divers from Bournemouth BSAC who lived in it for 7 days at 10m in 1965.  Then onto the CSWIP a training structure for welding inspection and back.

As divers, we have answered a call from the ocean. Whether it is the floral, fauna, or the wrecks that litter the ocean floor we are drawn to the sea. At Dive Rutland, we aim to also be an advocate for the ocean. Without the ocean, we cannot have life on Earth.

We teach all of our courses in line with the 10 tips for Divers to Protect the Ocean Planet. Realising that our students already do most of the work for the speciality, we have decided to formally include the Project Aware Speciality into our open water course. This gives our students the tools to become a voice for the ocean. The Project Aware speciality unites scuba divers and water enthusiasts to make a difference. By earning this certification, you'll learn how you can make a difference for ocean protection every time you dive or travel.

If you are already a diver, and want to learn more about how you can help the ocean, why not sign up for our next Project Aware Course?

Want to learn more about coral? There is a dedicated Project Aware Coral Conservation Course as well.

In September, we hope to offer the Dive Against Debris Speciality doing a water clean in a local water source, stay tuned for that one!

What it means for you? When you complete your open water course, you already have one speciality. If you choose to integrate your drysuit qualification, you are two steps towards your advanced open water qualification.

Once you complete rescue diver and have five specialties, you are able to apply to become a Master Scuba Diver, if three of them are Project Aware Specialties, you join the even more exclusive Project Aware Master Scuba Diver community, showing your dedication not only to mastering your diving skills, but advocating for the ocean.

Are you a rescue diver, 18 and over and not sure what to do with yourself this summer, then why not take your first steps with us and become a Dive Professional?

We promise it will be fun, if not a little hard work at times.

We are offering an ‘on the job’ Divemaster Internship – where you will gain invaluable experience from truly working in all areas of our dive centre whilst working towards your Divemaster qualification.

As a minimum, you need to be available on: -

• Thursday pool session 7pm – 9pm
• Saturday’s all day including evening pool session
• Sundays – 1st and last Sunday of the month – normally but we are a small and busy dive centre so do train on additional Sundays and midweek.  The more involved you are the more you will get out of the internship.

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The times detailed above are over and above the time you will need to spend on completing the performance requirements of the PADI Divemaster certification.

For committing your summer to us, then in return you will be involved in working in the dive centre - all areas, including

• Operating and day to day management of the compressor
• Assisting with repairs to equipment
• Managing the logistics of pool nights, open water sessions and dive trips
• Assisting in the shop
• Working with other members of the Dive Rutland teams assisting students whilst expanding your own knowledge and skills to the required Divemaster standard.
• Undertake Surface Support and operational site logistics
• Marketing and social media campaigns and creation.
• Guidance and mentoring from our very own onsite PADI Course Director - Tracey Roberts

Subject to meeting the PADI Standards and requirements of the PADI Divemaster course the PADI Divemaster certification

First Aid at Work certification – valid for three years

Equipment Discounts

For more information on the Divemaster course see our Divemaster Web page or to discuss this or the summer internship please feel free to phone Tracey or Bridget or just drop us an email 

The Divemaster course as per the PADI Instructor Manual recommended hours is 50 which means you could achieve in a little as 8 days, but remember as per all other PADI courses, performance requirements do have to be met.

Just because you can do it in 8 days, does that mean you should?

On a condensed short course option you will become a Divemaster, but what are the drawbacks?

• You will rarely if ever get to work with real students as a result, a lot of your training will be simulated, and parts can only be played so well.
• Generally (and we are speaking generally) the shorter course option tends to meet the bare minimum performance requirements for certification. True mastery is not always achieved

 
Do not despair if undertaking a short course fits with your schedule; this can still be  is a good option.  We would urge you to see it as a 'boot-camp' you have to have completed all of the elearning Diver Theory and pre-reading prior to attending the course.
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​After the course, we do recommend you come back at times to suit and gain real application of divemaster skills by working with real students and our professional team members.

​The short course is ideal for university students who have limited breaks to still gain a professional qualification in the small time they have.

By completing over a longer period of time you will be working with the Dive Rutland professional team and your mentor assisting on actual courses which exposes you to students that are in training during your course and not role-playing exercises as used in the short consolidated course option.

You will become more involved in the running of the dive centre, working with qualified and unqualified divers, risk management, logistics and dive planning.

The extended course options are great for divers who have a little more time and want the benefits of working with real people in real training to gain real experience.

​Here at Dive Rutland, we offer both options.  Our short course is ran over an intensive two-week period, or you can choose a the long option which works on a flexible schedule but this is still a formalised training programme.

By taking the option to complete over a longer period of time with Dive Rutland, you will not be a lacky or ‘kit monkey’; the activities you undertake will be directly related to your Divemaster course but to an agreed schedule.  Every professional in the team has to prepare the required equipment for the course they are running, and you will be exposed to all of this activity, including fetching and preparing your own equipment just like your professional mentor does.

​You will be involved with real-world experience of working within our dive operation as this is an important element of the course and you becoming a great Divemaster.

We believe in high quality training, what we ask is you look around and find the mentor and dive centre who delivers high quality training and you and they fit together after all this is about your journey not just the dive centre, it’s a partnership.
 
Our Trainee Divemasters work with Tracey our onsite Course Director to ‘pick’ their mentor, someone they aspire to be or would like to work with but Tracey will always be there for guidance.  You might even choose Tracey.  Whoever you choose you will still get to work with other instructors and professional staff as no two individuals work exactly the same way, it is all part of the learning process.

You are looking for an adventure or experience, looking for a complete change of career or even wanting to gain huge amounts of diving knowledge and improving your diving skills and are considering joining a Divemaster course and have questions.

This article is to help you in preparation on your journey to becoming a Divemaster

To start on the Divemaster course there are a number of pre-requisites: 
 

• Minimum age of 18 years old -Junior Divemaster programs are available
• PADI Rescue Diver certification or equivalent.
• Medical clearance signed by a physician
• A minimum of 40 logged dives - as a general rule, you should have sufficient diving experience to be able to focus on the students and divers under your supervision.
• Completed EFR Primary and Secondary Care training within the last 24 months
• Mask, Snorkel and Computer as a minimum

During your Divemaster course and actually EVERY professional course afterwards you will be asked to complete a number of swim tests.  For Divemaster these are: -

• 400 metre swim
• 800 metre Snorkel swim
• 15 minute tread water
• 100m tired diver tow

 
Although not difficult, you do need a level of fitness to complete. These are timed and the faster you are the more points you get and remember Points make prizes.
 
Why are professionals asked to complete these types of tests? As a professional in the dive industry you will be responsible for the safety of students and customers, being fit is part of your ‘duty of care’ to your client.

In-water skills -  Brush up on your skills.

Remember back to your open water course and the skills that you were asked to complete in the pool? Those are the skills that you will be asked to demonstrate as part of the skills circuit during your course.
 
Practise them and do not worry if they are not demonstration quality that is what your Divemaster course is for. In order to demonstrate the skills you need to first be confident in completing the skill. As part of your course we will teach you how to demonstrate the skills.

​We have a playlist of the skills being demonstrated by Dive Rutland's resident Course Director Tracey Roberts available on our Youtube channel.

​Start reading through your Divemaster theory, read diving magazines and books as well.
 
Read printed materials written by those in the industry as well as outside of it. After all being a professional is not just about diving there are so many soft skills required to be successful such as selling, marketing, website design and communication with a customer all very important. Each of our staff members has their own specialist area and a library to suit.  

Gain knowledge about the marine animals and environments that you will be diving in, this makes your dive briefings more interesting and customers will always ask questions - be prepared.

By now, you will have started to collect equipment. The more of your own kit you have, the more comfortable you will be, making your Divemaster course easier. It is not enough to just know your kit. ​Get up to speed with the latest dive equipment and developments going on in the industry. If the opportunity arises go diving in different types of equipment as there is no ‘one size fits all’ and your students and customers will ask questions about equipment, helping customers understand their options allows you to make their diving more enjoyable.

​This is the question that gets asked the most by potential Divemaster students.  Ideally by now you should have a full set of dive equipment, being in your own equipment means you are comfortable and it truly fits.

As a minimum by now you should have have a mask, snorkel and computer.  
 
Make sure your mask is comfortable and is your friend as there is nothing worse than mask fog when you are underwater and responsible for students.  You need to be able to see at ALL TIMES.

All divers should carry safety equipment and as a minimum have 1 visual and 1 audible signalling device something like and SMB and whistle.
 
Compass so you can navigate – again you should have one as you completed navigation exercises as part of your Advanced open water course!
 
Maybe something to write on and write with – this will help you when you do your mapping exercise as part of this course.  They are also useful occasionally to be able to communicate with your buddy and / or your instructor.

​Having a great attitude is very important.  At times things will be more challenging than you anticipated.  Just because it appears difficult does not mean it is impossible.

We have provided you with items to think about as part of your preparation towards becoming a Divemaster, but there are other things to consider as part of that journey

• Where to train
• Who to train with
• Do you do the course as a set 9 - 10 day short / intensive course or over a longer period of time

We will be publishing additional articles and linking forward and back to this blog as we publish them

In the meantime if you have any questions then please contact us to discuss, our lovely staff will be please to help.