Are we all clear? I know a Divemaster candidate who is proud of announcing to people that he is becoming a Master Scuba Diver. He’s not (and at the level he wants to dive, not knowing the difference is a bad sign…).
A Master Scuba Diver is someone who has completed:
You don’t have to do anything other than the above to get this rating – if you qualify, you just ask your instructor or local dive centre to certify you with PADI. They’ll help you fill out an application form, attach a photograph and post it to PADI. It’ll cost you quite a bit of money (about 26 British pounds when I did it) for a certification that doesn’t actually entail any diving but the idea is it’s a prestigious rating that sets you apart among recreational divers.
PADI Master Scuba Diver decal
Not sure about that! But you’ll get a shiny new certification card, a wall certificate, and a decal too, if that’s your thing… Plus, instead of carting a wallet-load of certification cards around, you can just take this one (and Deep, and Nitrox, because the card doesn’t specify WHICH Specialties you did).
It’s taken me long enough, but I recently completed the PADIRescue Diver course. During the Open Water course, there is emphasis on self-rescue (cramp removal, regulator recovery, and so on). The Rescue course teaches you the skills to rescue other divers, and proactively resolve problems where necessary. The Emergency First Responder course (first aid) is a pre-requisite for this course.
The theory aspect was very interesting – there’s a lot about the psychology of stress, and application to the particular environment that divers place themselves in. Unlike a mountain climber or a horse rider, a scuba diver is in an element that is hostile to human life: you can’t breathe water. So a clear head and swift action is essential, as well as resolving problems immediately when they arise. By the time you get to this level of diving, bolting to the surface when you get into difficulties is completely out of the question (not that it’s ever really an option after you get out of the swimming pool on your Open Water course!).
Kate rescues Corne (payback time!)
The practical aspect of the course involves dealing with unresponsive and panicked divers, and effecting various rescue scenarios. Kate and I practised some of these skills in the pool in preparation for her Instructors’ course. When it was her turn to be the panicked diver underwater, she displayed a level of malevolence and forethought that I hope never to experience in real life! She accidentally unclipped her own weight belt, and then yanked off my mask and removed my regulator. I was wiser the next time, and jumped onto her cylinder so that I was out of reach. Decisive action is often required in these situations. The alternative – if you’re going to get injured trying to assist – is to allow the other diver to exhaust themselves, and then perform a rescue.
There are no dives as such – you will do rescue skills as part of your dives, but many of the skills (such as the ones shown in the pictures) you will practise on the surface, in the surf zone, and on the beach. The skills can be quite strenuous. I also found it tiring to be the panicked diver for Kate to practise skills on – uses a lot of air! One thing that was immediately obvious was that it’s important to be in reasonably good shape to be a safe diver. Not being able to do things for yourself means you definitely won’t be able to help another diver.
The Rescue course is a prerequisite for Divemaster and Master Scuba Diver (and Instructor, obviously), but should also be seriously considered by divers who plan to move on into technical, cave or deep diving. It’s a great confidence-builder, and if you’re the sort of person who finds themselves not enjoying dives (or the build up to them) because you imagine all sorts of problems arising, this is a very good course to do.
Finally the conditions that bring exceptional diving have arrived. The lack of any strong south easterly winds and the occasional days of northerly winds have started to clean up False Bay and we have had reasonably good conditions. It only gets better from here on.
Saturday and Sunday were spent doing Open Water dive course training and we dived 5 DSD students. The conditions were great with good visibility and everyone had a good time. Wednesday we spent on the boat doing three dives one after the other. There were 15 of our divers for Grant to deal with during the day (and at least 15 mini chocolates eaten) and we covered the Deep Specialty, Open Water qualifying dives and fun dives. Clearly it was a heavy day because when I saw Grant this afternoon he was leaning on a walking stick!
A diver over the stern of the Princess Elizabeth
Clare has also achieved Master Scuba Diver status (Advanced plus Rescue Diver plus five Specialties plus 50 logged dives) not to mention she is our master photographer. We have a pile of CDs of photos at home for many of the people that dive with us full of your pictures and I will give them to you next time I see you.
A pouty horsefish on the SAS Good Hope
We did the first dive on the wreck of the SAS Good Hope and spent a brief time on the MFV Princess Elizabeth. Grant dropped the shot right between to two wrecks and the visibility was great so we could see both wrecks at the same time. We found a horsefish and then a bunch of pyjama sharks all curled up together.
Lindsay, Kate, Tinus and me descending onto Pie Rock
The second dive was to Pie Rock where Lindsay and Tinus qualified as Open Water divers (congratulations!), and the third dive was to Outer Photographer’s Reef where we saw a few boxes of ammunition as well as a few scattered shells, walls of brittle stars, doublesash butterflyfish and had seals follow us around for the last half of the dive. Kate was continuing with her Deep Specialty course on this dive.
Doing skills at Pie Rock
The sea was flat, the visibility was great and all three dives were great fun. The conditions look set to repeat themselves this weekend so the boat is calling.
A wall of brittlestars on coraline algae at Outer Photographer's Reef
We are planning a full weekend of diving to suit everyone, to some of the less dived sites, and there are a few people that we haven’t seen in a while: Bernita, Gerard, Maurice, Danelene and André, Richard and Belinda, Dirk, Marinus, Dean, Alina, Hilton, Sarah F and Sarah H, to name but a few… No excuses!!! This weekend is going to be a weekend of fun dives with good conditions and Saturday we will do a day of boat dives:
First launch: DEEP to the SAS Fleur at 40 metres (for the Deep Specialty course and those already qualified)
Second Launch: a mysterious wreck for Advanced divers (20 metres)
A pipefish among ammunition at Outer Photographer's Reef
Grant picks us up and drops us off at Long Beach with the boat so it is really easy. Any of the courses such as Advanced, Deep, Wreck and Photography can be started on these dives.
On Sunday we will dive the sevengill cowsharks (max depth 12 metres) and or the Clan Stuart wreck (max depth 10 metres). The boat fills quickly on a weekend with such great conditions so text me as soon as possible if you are joining!
