Newbie, why is it so hard to find myself a buddy?

[martin church]

Hello BSAC people I entered into this great sport of ours only 3 months aggo.
I joined a bsac club but was advised I couldnt be trained till november so i went the padi openwater route.
5 people were trained with me & I was the only one who was so keen that i went out & bought my gear.
This meant I never had a natural buddy once my course ended & even to this day 3 months & 9 dives later I still cant go diving at the quarry.
Why is it so hard to get people in this sport to help out the newcomers? Take them under your wing (pardon the pun) & guide them in the proper direction before people like me just turn their back on the sport because they cant get to dive or worse still break the unbreakable rule & go dive alone in frustration.
Kind regards.
Martin Church

[Rich]

Hello BSAC people I entered into this great sport of ours only 3 months aggo.
I joined a bsac club but was advised I couldnt be trained till november so i went the padi openwater route.
5 people were trained with me & I was the only one who was so keen that i went out & bought my gear.
This meant I never had a natural buddy once my course ended & even to this day 3 months & 9 dives later I still cant go diving at the quarry.
Why is it so hard to get people in this sport to help out the newcomers? Take them under your wing (pardon the pun) & guide them in the proper direction before people like me just turn their back on the sport because they cant get to dive or worse still break the unbreakable rule & go dive alone in frustration.
Kind regards.
Martin Church

Unfortunately for the sake of not waiting 3 months your diving has started not as you intended. Some branches have to operate waiting lists etc, this may be because it is a popular branch of BSAC, therefore one that may be worth the wait.
The way I see it, as a diver who obviously wants to pair up with a regular buddy, is to rejoin a bsac branch, do the relevant pool assessment and take the ocean diver lectures.
Getting to know fellow divers of your grade would give you the advantage of having many options of buddies to dive with.
I have a regular buddy, we came through Sport Diver together last summer and have though our club got to know several others of a similar level who we occasionally dive with. The club becomes a sort of 'family' and you get to know folk, who you may wish to dive with in the future. Thats one of the many plus points of joining a branch.
Hope this helps, anyway.
Regards.
Rich.

[John Williams]

Because you could not get what you wanted and were impatient
(or was it just overflowing enthusiam?) you turned your back on the BSAC branch system and went another way to where you wanted to go.

There ARE many ways to skin a cat...and there is no single corredct way to do it.

You never told us why the branch could not train you until November.

Did you mean that they could not start until November?...or that they explained that on a once-a-week basis that it might take until November to get qualified? There's a HUGE difference.

Did YOU have a deadline to meet? (a diving holiday booked for October!!!)

Anyway - you turned your back on the way accepted within your chosen BSAC branch and went and did it your way. Diving is a Sport where others must depend upon the reliability and security of others. They like people to react in a calm and predictable way.

Your running off to a school to get your own way MIGHT be seen as impulsive, unreliable, selfish and unpredictable.

Now I'm not saying that it WAS any of those things...but it was pretty impulsive.

What if your buddy said "I don't want to go deeper than 20m today...but you decided (on impulse) to drop down the wreck a little further and went to 25m...or 30m...or deeper?


You sound like you want to follow the rules (recommendations) when you say you'd rather not dive alone. But your actions point in a different direction.

Might I suggest that this powerful desire to crack on and do more before the support is there to make it safer could be putting potential buddies off.

You seem to want to get to third base on a first date...and that NEVER works out! (I've tried that before too!)

I hope you find what you're looking for...and I hope it is within the BSAC. Your enthusiasm sounds like something that many branches might need...but also something they may be a little wary of.


All the best


John

[Nigel Hewitt]

I joined a bsac club but was advised I couldnt be trained till november so i went the padi openwater route.

Fair choice but don't expect the club to catch up with you. Come November they'll have time to dive with beginners. Currently, I'd guess, they are doing more adventurous stuff with last years intake. Your OW probably doesn't cover the sort of thing last November's starters can do routinely by now.

This meant I never had a natural buddy once my course ended & even to this day 3 months & 9 dives later I still cant go diving at the quarry.

*shrug* Don't blame them if you trolled off and did your own thing. Doesn't the school you learnt with do diving? I am PADI trained and mine did so I didn't have a problem going diving. However OW is *total newbie* and BSAC certified people have to be up to a certain level before they dive with *total newbies*. I suppose I could dive with you but I don't have much diving booked you're qualified for.

Why is it so hard to get people in this sport to help out the newcomers? Take them under your wing (pardon the pun) & guide them in the proper direction before people like me just turn their back on the sport because they cant get to dive or worse still break the unbreakable rule & go dive alone in frustration.

In November they'll have a nice new bunch of trainees and you'll see a lot of *taking under wing* and *guidance* but these guys don't get paid for it so let them do it at their own pace. Beginner training, especialy pool training, happens in the winter.

I can sympathise with your problem. If you're enthusiastic go back to the school and see what sort of diving they do with their qualified students. Also go back to the club and do their course too. Then you end up with two groups to dive with and complementary training. You get to do lots of diving and you are *bilingual*.

Just don't throw one lot of training in the faces of the other instructors. They will already know the differences and nobody likes a know-all who doesn't. With the right attitude everybody likes you, you progress fast and get invited on lots of dives.

I hope it works out for you.

nigelH

[martin church]

Just to clarify my situation.
I am a shift worker, double day shifts to be more precise so a years training would end up as 6 months I cant ask my boss for every other wednesday off due to my position in the company.
So I assumed (always a dodgy thing to do I know) doing a padi course was the way forward, for me.
As with all hobbies its nicer to do things with like minded people so joining the BSAC was always going to be my next step & also I thought a chance to improove Myself & get further training as I feel you never can know enough about a sport & the more you know the more you can put back in.
I seem to get the feeling that some people think I am gungho & could possibly put others at risk.
Thats simply not true, I am very sensible im also a first aider at work & a shift supervisor, I am however a very enthusiastic person, I would never put myself in a dangerous position unless somebody elses life depended on what I did next.
The fact I did a padi course is I realise part of the reason I am finding it hard to get a dive buddy outside of club activities. obviousley I can dive with the club now but were fast aproaching winter & Ive not been in the sea yet only my local quarry which noone in the club enjoys.
I also do call into question how in 3 days over 2 weekends PADI can licence somebody to dive which is also why I went to a local bsac branch to join after I did my openwater padi course I was not a member of it before!
I joined because I felt I didnt know enough about what I concider to be a very dangerous sport.
Maybe I've gone about it the wrong way I dont know but I do know if I continue experiencing hurdles I will turn my back on the sport because I dont want to become another statistic to the detriment of this sport.
one other question that worries me totally off topic but why do dive magazines enjoy putting awfull pictures of sharks bareing there teeth which quite frankly puts me right off getting in the sea.
Regards Martin

[Mike Halligan]

Martin,

First off, didn't your OWD course tell you to chill out?

So, you've joined a local Branch in the hope of going diving and you fear that Winter's approaching. Have you expressed your fears? Does your Branch not dive in October, November and December? The sea isn't closed just because the days are shorter. We just have to be that bit more slick in our dive organisation.

If you've trained in a quarry, you may look a little over-confident to a Branch that dives mainly in the sea (you say they don't like quarries). Taking you on a first sea dive at this stage might need a little arrangement, even coercion. Are you able to offer someone a lift to a coastal location during the week?

You seem very aware of impressions given at work. Have you given as much thought to how you present to the Instructors, Advanced Divers and Officers in the Branch? If they seem wary, is it because they have reason to be?

We all know what PADI OWD means, and equally what is still to be done to reach other BSAC grades. Please don't denigrate the effort you and your Instructor have put into OWD by questioning its value. Your DO and TO know precisely how to handle it. Try to find out how many other members came through the OWD/AOWD route, and ask what was their experience (and what is their advice).

If you see all these things as hurdles, then that is what they will be. Try to see your situation as a learning experience, not a testing one and then it might become a more pleasurable progression to full integration within the Branch.

HTH

Mike

[Bren Tierney]

Martin,

It would be a shame for you to jack, just because you can't find a buddy. It's also a shame that a hobby you've obviously taken to wasn't made more immediate and accessible for you in the forst place, but them's sometimes the breaks.

You could try and go back to BSAC now, but as has been stated, it'll be under their terms, in their timescales and after sitting their entry-level exams. Only you can answer whether you'd be happy, after already getting cert'd, with that. It certainly won't hurt you to re-sit the course work and re-do the skill-sets, but you MAY find it just more appropriate to actually get out and do the thing you've been waiting to do for a while now - diving with a buddy/buddies of your own level or those with more experience who are prepared to dive with and keep an eye on you.

I've no idea where in the UK you are, but if you're a shift worker who can dive during the week and weekends, then hook-up with our crowd, Yorkshire Divers - and NO, you don't have to reside in or be a native Yorky to be a member; we've over 1200 members from all over the UK and aboard, ranging from Newbies to Technical divers to Rebreather users and instructors from all agencies. There are no club-subs to pay (as we're web-based) and we accept all divers from all diver training agencies, including PADI and BSAC, as long as you have a commitment to safe diving and a willingness to learn and progress in the sport.

We can invariably find you a buddy on a regular basis, again you've not said where you live/dive etc. so that would help if you let us know.

Have a look at the following URL, go to the 'Need a Buddy' section, post a brief intro on yourself and be specific about the kind of buddy you'd like and the kind of diving you want to do and where, and then see what response you get.

Good luck and dive safe.

Hope that helps,

Bren.

[Vic]

> You could try and go back to BSAC now, but as has been stated,
> it'll be under their terms, in their timescales and after
> sitting their entry-level exams.

That's not true.

Under the SALT scheme, Padi OW crosses over to OD. A responsible branch will expect a checkout dive, but there's no need to re-qualify.

Vic.

[Bill Bird]

I think the thing that you have to remember is that there will always be a different approach between PADI (primarily school/business based) and BSAC (primarily branch based).

PADI have a vested interest in running courses on a short term basis - so that they can get the next course started. They are a business, and tehrefore their instructors are going to available for whatever's scheduled. Therefore they will always meet the customers requirements.

BSAC branches rely on their instructors to instruct! These instructors are every bit as professional as their PADI equivalents, but they cannot always drop everything to teach individuals. Bearing in mind a branch may be doing during the year Ocean Diver training, Sport Diver training, Dive Leader training and Advanced Diver training, and they probably have limited amounts of time to do this, then everything has to be programmed into the year. Therefore, Ocean Diver courses cannot be run "on tap". Then the Ocean Divers want to their Sport Diver. Equipment can limit numbers. In addition, these people also want to dive, frequently have families and a job as well, and therefore they have to balance their time better. However, most branch instructors I've come across DO give up appreciaebl amounts of time to help newbies out.

As for getting a diving buddy. Early on you'll probably have to have a number of different ones - subject to time and availiability. Nobody should be put off by the fact that you've decided to do a PADI Open Water Course, but you've still missed vital elements of the BSAC Ocean Diver Course which means that you are still going to be regarded as in training. Doing the missing bits, will catch you up. The fact that you want to learn more, does you great credit.

What I'd say to you is be a bit patient, soak in the atmosphere of the branch and get to know people better. Once you've doen that and caught up, i think you'll start getting on dives and accepted into the branch - and maybe find a regular buddy.

Bill

[Martin Church]

Martin,

It would be a shame for you to jack, just because you can't find a buddy. It's also a shame that a hobby you've obviously taken to wasn't made more immediate and accessible for you in the forst place, but them's sometimes the breaks.

You could try and go back to BSAC now, but as has been stated, it'll be under their terms, in their timescales and after sitting their entry-level exams. Only you can answer whether you'd be happy, after already getting cert'd, with that. It certainly won't hurt you to re-sit the course work and re-do the skill-sets, but you MAY find it just more appropriate to actually get out and do the thing you've been waiting to do for a while now - diving with a buddy/buddies of your own level or those with more experience who are prepared to dive with and keep an eye on you.

I've no idea where in the UK you are, but if you're a shift worker who can dive during the week and weekends, then hook-up with our crowd, Yorkshire Divers - and NO, you don't have to reside in or be a native Yorky to be a member; we've over 1200 members from all over the UK and aboard, ranging from Newbies to Technical divers to Rebreather users and instructors from all agencies. There are no club-subs to pay (as we're web-based) and we accept all divers from all diver training agencies, including PADI and BSAC, as long as you have a commitment to safe diving and a willingness to learn and progress in the sport.

We can invariably find you a buddy on a regular basis, again you've not said where you live/dive etc. so that would help if you let us know.

Have a look at the following URL, go to the 'Need a Buddy' section, post a brief intro on yourself and be specific about the kind of buddy you'd like and the kind of diving you want to do and where, and then see what response you get.

Good luck and dive safe.

Hope that helps,

Bren.


Thanks for the invite to the site Bren, very impressive, nice link to a site about portland harbour too.
I am not about to jack I've spent nearly 2k on kit if I jacked it now the wife would kill me :)
I think I'm going to continue my PADI training & just get out there & do it, after all whats one mans medicen is another mans poison.
The post was originaly put up after a few long months of trying to find a dive buddy at my local quarry site.
It wasnt about having a go at the bsac way of doing things which i feel some may have thought & quite rightly tried to defend.
Thanks guys for all of your input which has been taken on board.
Yours sincerely
Martin Church.
P.s Bath Area in deepest Somerset Bren.

[Bren Tierney]

Under the SALT scheme, Padi OW crosses over to OD. A responsible branch will expect a checkout dive, but there's no need to re-qualify.

Vic.


Thank you Vic,

Granted on the check-dive, but either way, it still doesn't get round other club members finding themselves in the old 'Am I allowed to dive with this person as he's from another angency......ask the DO....' and if he/she says no (when this guy can quite rightly turn round, when/if informed that he'll have to wait until a diver of sufficient experience is available, and ask why can't I dive, I'm cert'd?), then this guy will still be waiting - the very thing that put him off in the 1st place.

He's been accused of being 'impatient', took that 'impatience' and went to another training agency and now wants to dive; I was merely reviewing his options. Or will you now insist on making this your usual Broadway Production also?

Bren.

[Bren Tierney]

Hey Martin,

No sweat. Good luck mate and hope you find what you're looking for. If we can be of help (we have a large contingent based on the SW Peninsula/Bristol/NDC etc.), then please just shout.

Take care and dive safe.

Bren.

[Vic]

> either way, it still doesn't get round other club members
> finding themselves in the old 'Am I allowed to dive with this
> person as he's from another angency......ask the DO....'

Yes it does. The rules for buddy pairs are published and well-known. Anyone going through the line of questioning you've mentioned just doesn't know what he's talking about.

> He's been accused of being 'impatient', took that 'impatience'
> and went to another training agency and now wants to dive

Indeed. He chose his path, and is now seeing the consequences of that choice. There are ways to solve the problem, but moaning isn't one of them.

> Or will you now insist on making this your usual Broadway
> Production also?

Hmmm. All the words appear to be in English, so it's just the sentence that isn't.

Vic.

[Bren Tierney]

There are ways to solve the problem, but moaning isn't one of them.

> Or will you now insist on making this your usual Broadway
> Production also?

Hmmm. All the words appear to be in English, so it's just the sentence that isn't.

Vic.

Oh dear, and sadly as expected, more great & welcoming PR from a BSAC wallah there Vic - sporting all your usual 'charm' and predictably pithy condescension. So he's now a 'moaner' too, eh?? Again, none of your responses have even verged on helpful, rather you go for the uber-anal syntax analysis which, ironically, is perfect in its construction: you (subject) Broadway Production (object). Alas, you've acquired something of a reputation for this kind of behaviour here and elsewhere, but, and with Martin still no closer to being welcomed into the BSAC fold, what ever floats your boat mate. Is this really the best you can do? Sort it out mate.

The Prosecution rests.....

Bren.

[Andy Nye]

Now that looks like ANOTHER PROTENTAL MEMBER LOST.....

Though the old diver system. ;-|

[Keith Lawrence(BSAC)]

[FX : LOUD cough...]
Now now gentlemen, do I have to amemnd the forum T&C to specifically exclude cuddly toy hurling? :-)

K

[C Ingham]

P.s Bath Area in deepest Somerset Bren.

Which is not that far from Bristol. If you don't mind a bit of travelling you might like to try Severnside SAC. We have a number of members (including me) who first started out with PADI. We are a large club and do lots of diving. Also we have over 80 members so no problem getting a buddy.

The club meets on Monday nights at Henbury Pool at 8 pm and then at our Dive Centre in Bristol docks from around 9 pm. Feel free to drop in and say hello or send an email to <a href="mailto:info@severnsidesac.com">info@severnsidesac.com</a> for more information.

Also see the 'contact us' section on our web site.

Chris Ingham
(PADI Open Water Diver, BSAC Advanced Diver, TDI Advanced Nitrox Diver etc.- which shows you just how easy it is to cross over agencies)

[Bren Tierney]

[FX : LOUD cough...]
Now now gentlemen, do I have to amemnd the forum T&C to specifically exclude cuddly toy hurling? :-)

K

Hey Keith,

Nothing of the sort mate. It just seems weird that if a newbie/other diver comes to this, or any other site looking for access to or how to join 'Britain's Governing Body of SCUBA', then he should be afforded the warm reception that he/she might expect and not the apparently tired and jaded views of one so ensconsed in where he places his colon.....be that a matter of punctuation or his ability to articulate through it. ;-)

Dive safe all.

Bren.

[Steve Walker]

Now that looks like ANOTHER PROTENTAL MEMBER LOST.....

Though the old diver system. ;-|

Precisely! No point in repeating what I've said on the Club Matters forum but this factor is at the heart of the declining membership issue AFAIAC
Steve

[Chris Cherrington]

I haven't laughed this much in ages. I though this old PADI/BSAC stuff had died.

Martin (if you are still reading mate) there are some alternatives - like a BSAC school - something no-one seems to have thought of. That would get you up to Sports in a week and then you could dive with other BSAC divers in your branch...

Enjoy the diving...

Chris.

[John Williams]

Bren,


It was you that gave this newbie duff information.

Vic merely pointed out the error in your communication.

There was nothing condescening or patronising in his post...which is more than can be said for yours.

What Martin needed was a welcoming comment. He needed to understand why he was meeting resistance and be told exactly where he stood - so that he could move forward within the BSAC.

Your post, whilst welcoming him to Yorkshire Divers (almost and advert really!) - actually set him back to square one.

To do so was not only incorrect but devalued what he has already done. For once I have to agree with Vic and stick up for the facts and not your own dodgy interpretation of the situation

Dive Safe


John

[Andy Nye]

Hello BSAC people I entered into this great sport of ours only 3 months aggo.
I joined a bsac club but was advised I couldnt be trained till november so i went the padi openwater route.

**** This is where you was ILL ADVISED & basically your own fault in a way,,,,,,, WHY ?

a ) If a club can't offer you a service, then why join ?
b ) If they haven't the time to sit down and explain why they
have NO instructors to help you progress, then why join ?
c ) If this is the way they treat you as a quailified diver, so
be what ever banner you was trained under, how do you think
they would look after furture training requirements ? why
join .
d) Why didn't someone in the club say " stick around for a few
weeks and see if you like us and what we do before parting
with your money... you wouldn't buy a second hand car
without a test drive ,,, would ya ? *****

5 people were trained with me & I was the only one who was so keen that i went out & bought my gear.

*** Out the 5 of you, you should have been the one they should have listened to and helped out the most, because you are willing to show you are keen for having all your kit, the BDO should have said " WOW, we got a new member here, welcome , can you make this week end for a dive to let me see how confident you are, then we can sit down and see how YOU would lkike to progress ****

Andy.

Can't you relocate and move here to Dover, because your my sort of member.

[matt]

Hi Martin

Looks like you touched a few nerves with your post.

Why is it so hard to get people in this sport to help out the newcomers?

Well it isn't, you just have to find the right people.

Some clubs do have a problem training in the summer as instructors prefer to spend their time diving offshore. If you stay with the sport more than a year you will not want to spend your summer diving in a quarry either. There are other clubs which train all year or organise dives suitable for the less experienced.

Take them under your wing (pardon the pun) & guide them in the proper direction

Believe it or not, this is what BSAC clubs do best. The entry level training courses (whatever agency) provide the minimum knowledge and skill required to survive underwater. Diving is a bit like chess in that it takes a relatively short time to learn the moves but you spend the rest of your life mastering the game. BSAC promote the idea of experienced divers accompanying the less experienced, so if you have a problem someone is there to sort it out. In fact a good experienced buddy will help you avoid problems in the first place. This is rather important considering that diving is not a very forgiveing sport, what with not being able to breathe water and all.

As you have seen from the responses to your query divers tend to have strong opinions, it sort of goes with the territory. The plus side is you can always find someone willing to share an opinion or offer advice at a club night. As you have found you may not always like what you hear, but that does not mean it is bad advice particularly. Anyhow the collective experience in most BSAC clubs is usually a huge benefit to the newly trained.

So in my honest opinion a club is exactly what you need at this point. Have a look at the branch locator for a list of clubs in your area. Give them all a ring and find out which one suits you. Make sure that you ask them if they will recognise your PADI qualification.

You should keep in mind that we are not just BSAC divers. We are people too and we help only when we enjoy it. By all means be enthusiastic, but I don't suppose you would like it much if I came up to you and demanded to be trained or taken diving... If you want to go diving with a club by far the best thing to do is get involved, turn up for the club nights, make attending the dives you are qualified for a priority, offer to help where you can, make sure people know who you are. Sure it takes more effort than going to a shop and paying for a service but in the long run you will get more out of it. Generally the people that complain most about their dive clubs are the people that have least to do with them.

There are BSAC schools which can provide training and suitable dives if you really don't want to be involved with a club. Similarly some PADI schools will organise dives and buddys for lone divers.

before people like me just turn their back on the sport because they cant get to dive

Oh dear. UK diving takes some patience, an amount of commitment and more than a little effort. Weather, tides, visibiltiy and lots of other factors (like the wife) all conspire to stop you diving. If your willing to give up at the first hurdle you will not last long. It certainly is not impossible to go diving in the UK even with little experience. Find the right club or dive centre and Roberts your fathers brother.

or worse still break the unbreakable rule & go dive alone in frustration.

You are apparently a trained diver. You should know exactly why solo diving is not an option for you at this stage. If you don't then your training has been woefully defficient. I hope you do find the right group of people who you can dive with and safely extend your diving experience. If you do not there is a high probability that you will hurt yourself.

Regards
Matt

[Paul Oliver]

Chris

Very well said, the kind of respoce often lacking and very similar to that i would have done had Martin lived closer to Canterbury.

Regards

Paul

[Keith Lawrence(BSAC)]

This litle personal spat stops here on these forums, take it to private email if you must. I trust that I have now made myself perfectly clear.

Keith L

[Martin Church]

Hi Martin

Looks like you touched a few nerves with your post.


Yep great new start.
I cant believe this has got to this stage, it was never intended by me to upset or provoke but it seems to have in spades.
Sorry guys I'll bow out here.
Yours sincerly
Martin Church.

[Adrian Kelland]

:=Hi Martin
:=
:=Looks like you touched a few nerves with your post.
:=

Yep great new start.
I cant believe this has got to this stage, it was never intended by me to upset or provoke but it seems to have in spades.
Sorry guys I'll bow out here.

I hope not Martin

Apart from the side issue of Bren and Vic going 'off on one', now removed, there have been valid points here.

I was a little surprised that the branch said November to start training, October or even September is a little more like it. However this may be when instructors are available. Major difference with PADI here - Club v Business. If thats their timing, so be it.

So you have decided to do your PADI OW over summer. Hopefully you have done some diving for pleasure also, although you might find this more expensive outside of the branch.

Now to the Autumn/Winter period. You should be able to do your BSAC Sports Diver with an extra couple of Ocean Diver lesson to cover differences in the OW/OD training. The branch SHOULD accept the OW qualification. Now this may not start until the New Year, after the branch OD training. What to do before then? Well you could practice existing skill in the pool. There might be an Oxygen Admin course, either in the branch, or regionally, and other diving related courses.

It may seem to your branch that you have rushed into things, you haven't. You made use of a summer that otherwise would have been dive less. I don't know which branch you joined. One of the Bath branches had a DO who was PADI trained and became a BSAC instructor, another BSAC TO (Uni I think) has just stepped down as the Regional Coach, so there should be the flexibility there for you.

You will have to be flexible with them too, branch instruction is a goodwill thing. Instructors give up their own free time and are not paid, often paying their own expenses also. If you do train with them, it won't harm to offer to pay car fuel or drive, buy lunch, you get the idea.

If you continue to be unhappy with your branch, look around you. Chris Ingham has made an offer, and there are other branches in Somerset.

Adrian

[Nicole Mehta]

I sort of did what you've (inadvertently) done. I did a PADI course and then turned up at my BSAC Uni branch and told them I knew how to dive.... I ruffled a lot of feathers and upset a lot of people.

I now know how wrong I was.

As lots of people have said, branches are run by people who give thier time and skills for nothing and while they put a lot in, there is often only so much time people can give, while also making a little time for themselves.

Stick with it. It's frustrating at times, when you want to do more and get on, but try and see it from the point of the TO who has lots of people wanting his and instructors time, maybe all the instructors are already in the middle of teaching another course?

You've had a few offers and invites, take people up. Go to clubs and see what you think of people, and if you like them.

Good diving.

Nicole

[Bill Bird]

Yep great new start.
I cant believe this has got to this stage, it was never intended by me to upset or provoke but it seems to have in spades.
Sorry guys I'll bow out here.
Yours sincerly
Martin Church.

Martin,

Don't feel guilty or sorry about this. It's not you. There's some good advice and offers on the thread. Really if it's going to start to get acrimonious between two individuals, then they should really carry on there argument privately. Keeping going on a posted thread isn't right, and I - for one - am glad that Keith stepped in. This kind of public disagreement doesn't do anyone any good.

I hope you find a branch and take to it like a diver to water.

Regards.


Bill

[Darren Woodward]

Hello BSAC people I entered into this great sport of ours only 3 months aggo.
I joined a bsac club but was advised I couldnt be trained till november so i went the padi openwater route.
5 people were trained with me & I was the only one who was so keen that i went out & bought my gear.
This meant I never had a natural buddy once my course ended & even to this day 3 months & 9 dives later I still cant go diving at the quarry.
Why is it so hard to get people in this sport to help out the newcomers? Take them under your wing (pardon the pun) & guide them in the proper direction before people like me just turn their back on the sport because they cant get to dive or worse still break the unbreakable rule & go dive alone in frustration.
Kind regards.
Martin Church

Sorry you have had problems. I cant speak for all clubs but this is how oure works.

For entry level Ocean Diver training, a pair of new divers is allocated to an Instructor. That team stays together through the training. When ready and the pool assesment passed its on to open water diving, then usually a dive leader will join to make buddy pairs for the open water dives. Missing training sessions is not a problem. We just catch up later. Many of our instructors also work shifts. As with everything a little give and take is needed on both sides. When OD training is completed then its a similar format for sports diver.

If you were to join our branch (not really appropriate as were in Leicester) you could simply fall betwen the gaps of our training plan. Not a problem You would be welcome to join club dives at weekends, there is always someone logging for a buddy, although you would have to wait until there was an instructor free who could the take you under their wing to continue your training. how long could you wait, how long is a piece of string. Its nothing personal just having limited resources.

I do hope you find a branch that will accept you and you are happy with. Diving with a club is all about making with friends, and friends make the best buddies.

Good Luck

Darren