| While on vacation to Crete I decided I wanted to | | | | chance to check out the equipment and get fitted |
| try scuba diving, I used to do some in the Lochs | | | | for our training dive. The training dive was before |
| and around the coast of Scotland when I was | | | | lunch and we just went into the bay where the |
| younger. | | | | diving school was. We carried our equipment |
| It was a beautiful place we were staying with a | | | | down the beach and waded into the water. |
| wide clear bay and a few fishing boats, there was | | | | There was about eight of us with two instructors |
| a small diving school just up from the beach. I | | | | to keep an eye on us. They gathered us around |
| popped in to see what it would cost and see | | | | in a circle and proceeded to show us how to clear |
| what sort of things I would be able to do. The | | | | our masks underwater, how to share a demand |
| scuba industry is regulated by different bodies | | | | valve and some basic swimming exercises to |
| depending where in the world you dive. | | | | make sure we were comfortable with the |
| I had trained in Britain where the British Sub Aqua | | | | equipment. |
| Club (BSAC) is the governing body and you have | | | | After the short lesson the instructors took us for |
| to get certified and trained by a local BSAC club in | | | | a swim around the bay, we saw many types of |
| order to dive there. They keep records of all | | | | fish and a few crabs, there was some broken |
| your training and any dives that you do in a log | | | | pottery and urns and a sunken boat. Then we |
| book, if your log book is up to date you can take | | | | stopped near a small reef and the instructors |
| it on holiday with you and show diving schools and | | | | took out some slices of bread so we could feed |
| tours your experience. The more experience you | | | | the fish. |
| have the better and harder the dives you are | | | | They took photographs of us being swarmed by |
| allowed to go on. | | | | hundreds of fish. You could feel them nibbling your |
| Well anyway the school in Crete was a PADI | | | | fingers as you fed them the bread. The fish were |
| affiliated diving school, PADI is the international | | | | so dense that you had trouble seeing anyone else. |
| version of the BSAC. I did not have my log book | | | | It was very exciting and great fun. |
| with me and it was a little bit out of date | | | | After everyone had a shot of feeding the fish we |
| anyway, the last time I went diving was when I | | | | headed back to the dive school. We had to carry |
| was at University about 15 years ago. | | | | our equipment up the beach to the storage shed |
| I would only be allowed to go on a training dive to | | | | and clean it down with fresh water, you should do |
| start with and if that went ok some shallow dives | | | | this with all equipment you use on a dive as salt |
| over the next few days. | | | | water can be very corrosive if not washed off |
| I signed up for the short day course and another | | | | metal tanks, demand valves and ABLJ's/buoyancy |
| 2 dives I can't remember the price but it was | | | | aids. We also washed the wetsuits and |
| pretty decent, not too expensive but not dirt | | | | accessories we had used. |
| cheap. | | | | Once everything had been cleaned up we went |
| The training started the next morning with theory | | | | back to the classroom and talked about the dive, |
| and book learning in the classroom. It was pretty | | | | we got our log books filled in if we had one and |
| basic stuff and I remembered most of it from | | | | were issued a certificate to say we could dive |
| when I had done my training. They just wanted | | | | down to a certain depth. This certificate would let |
| to make sure we knew what we were doing and | | | | me go for other dives while I was on vacation in |
| that we knew what to do in an emergency. | | | | Crete. |
| After the work in the classroom we had a | | | | |