Planning a days diving

PurposeTo give Ocean Divers and up the knowledge, resources, and information to plan a day diving.

Aims

Why plan a dive trip? Who is coming? Where are we going? How do we get there? What kit do we need? What are we going to do all day? What are we going to eat/drink? On the day. After diving. Overview of steps. Practical

Why should OD+ organise a day diving?

It’s way more fun to go diving than to talk about it.

EUSAC is a diving club and it’s members like to go diving.

It isn’t too hard to do, but can take a little time.

It will give you greater knowledge of diving and organising a group of people (CV building)

Shows you are keen and eager to get involved.

To go diving of course.

Who is coming?

Possibly the best way to get information out to the club is via email

Your initial email should be brief and detail;

When the trip is. Who the trip is suitable for. What information you require if someone is interested in coming.

Follow up emails should be sent out to the group with more detailed plans once you have them.

Where are we going?

If you don’t already have a site in mind, the DO & a kind DL can advise you.

Look online at some forums & site guides

http://www.finstrokes.com/ is a great resource.

Or even dive guide books.Must be appropriate for the group & forecast weather

Work out how far it is & how long it will take to get there.

Where are we going?

Weather is just about the only thin that can stop you diving.

Lots of websites you can check http://magicseaweed.com/ has wind, wave and pressure (rain) forecasts.

Wind direction and speed will affect your choice of site.

Force 6 wind or greater means pub time

BUT there may be sheltered sites somewhere

How do we get there?

Cars or vans?Cars

no hire charge, used in advance for fills Only so much space, may not be available, may not be able to tow.

Vans Plenty of room for kit & hiding from rain, can have towbar.

Hire charge, need to be collected/returned, drivers needed.

It may be more economical to use a van & car for a long trip than 3 cars due to the saving in fuel.

How do we get there?

One car at best can cope with 3 divers & kit with 2 tanks each.

Realistically 2 divers & kit with 2 tanks is safer and more practical.

If hiring a van the club has accounts with Arnold Clark (AC) based in Leith & Shorts based in Bonnyrigg.

There can be two drivers per vehicle but must be over 23 for AC unless you have sat and passed the University’s defensive driving course. Shorts are more relaxed.

Contact the Treasurer for booking codes & references.

What kit do we need?

Basic kit Mask, fins, boots, gloves, weight belt, semi/drysuit

Scuba kit BCD, Regulators & Cylinders

Cylinders need filling in advance!Any site specific kit

DSMB Boats Shot line

Check everything in advance!

What are we going to do all day?

Dive of course!Create a timetable for the day.Make sure you can realistically fit everything into the day.

Loading Travelling Brief/Debrief Lunch Oh yeah, and Diving!

Remember to take it with you!

What are we going to do all day?

An example timetable 07:00 – Meet at lockup, sort kit, load vehicles 08:00 – Depart lockup 10:00 – Arrive at A-frames, Loch Long. Brief divers

on buddy pairs, site & plan for the day. 11:00 – First Wave dives 12:00 – Second Wave dives, First wave has lunch 13:00 – Second wave has lunch 13:30 – First Wave has second dives 14:30 – Second Wave has second dive, first wave

begins packing up 15:30 – Second wave begins packing up, first

wave assists 16:00 – Depart A-frames, Loch Long 18:00 – Arrive in Edinburgh, Wash kit, debrief &

collect monies 19:00 – Leave lockup for home, pub, curry

What are we going to do all day?

Planning Buddy Pairs If possible buddy similar divers together.

Keep in mind qualification & previous experience. The two go together.

Make sure there is suitable shore cover at all times.

Remember it’s fun diving so give the instructors & experienced divers a break from training.

What are we going to eat/drink

The simplest thing to do is to tell everyone to bring their own lunches. Saves time and effort.

However, buying food for the group can make lunch time more social.

The summer months especially benefit if you sort out a BBQ.

It can be more complicated though. Check dietary requirements. Factor in food cost and tell divers. Food everyone likes?

On the day

Check the weather & have all your plans with you.

Buddy pairs & contact info Timetable Directions/Dive site notes

Tell the DO you have gone diving! If you are managing the day, follow your timetable

If you are not, watch the Manager and see what they do so you can do it next time

More about running the dive side of things on site is covered in SD & DL lectures

After Diving

Tell the DO you got back safely!Make sure all kit is rinsed, stored & the lockup left tidy.

Hold a food auction if necessaryCollect in receipts/moneyThank everyone for coming & helping.Tell the treasurer what kit was used by everyone

Head to bed/pub/curryStart all over again for next week.

Overview of steps.

Decide you want to go diving and when. Have a look at long range weather Email the EUSAC list to get people interested Collected info from interested people and work out

what resources you have Work out transport, kit, fills, and food. Finalise the site and check tides/weather (with

DL/DO assistance) Check people are up to date with kit balance Send out a reminder email Create a timetable/plan for the day GO DIVING! Debrief and pub/curry Sort out money and log dives.

Summary

Why plan a dive trip? Who is coming? Where are we going? How do we get there? What kit do we need? What are we going to do all day? What are we going to eat/drink? On the day. After diving. Overview of steps.Practical

Practicals

In groups of 3-4 practise planning the various aspects of a days diving.Task 1 – email the listTask 2 – from the information provided, assign roles to your trip participants, organise vehicle, estimate costs, create buddy pairs & plan a timetable

Task 3 – Plan an evening dive