FREE ice diving courses in Norway

[Dean coote]

I have January pretty much free and want to give my time to fellow divers.
Three day ice diving course based on four people on course all kit (nice for you to bring own body kit ) ill provide full face mask coms lead tanks safety support and transport to and from dive sites.
Four dives , 6hrs theory inc survival education and chainsaw use.:)

Conditions , full medical needed, if you want a qualification card either from PADI or PSA ill have to charge you 30 pounds . No card the course is free...

I can help with hotels and travel arrangements.

Dean

[Mcroft159]

Hi Dean,

Very interested in your offer, Ice diving is one of the 'special diving experiences' that I want to try.

Where about in Norway are you, which airport? so I can see about flights and accommodation etc, what dates are you thinking?, any special requirements needed, I am Padi trained to MSD, with wreck/deep/nitrox certs have done almost 500 dives, mostly UK, dive all year and am 57 years old.

Mark

[Dean coote]

Hi to answer pms and other enquires . At present norwegian.no are doing the best flight deals they leave from gatwick to Bergen. But Check your local airports.
Accomadation, raddisson sas hotel possibly the best hotel in Bergen , about 100 pounds a room plus breakfast . prices vary based on two people a room.

Bus from airport to most hotels is 10 pounds ish . the service is every 15 mins. Takes 35 mins ish.
Im willing to pick people up and drop them back to the airport but ill charge the same money as the bus.
Dates from 2nd to 31st . tell me when you want to come and ill pencil you in .
First come first serve . singles welcome just tell me if you want to be alone or part of a group.

I really really dont want advertising or to be part of an article . just come and have fun.

Dive sites will vary due to the weather . January last year was -40 wind chill made that a barmy -60 ish. Dive sites will be Bergen , voss ,under a waterfall in the moutains.

If there isnt any ice .. ill take you to a wreck depending on your qualification or nature dive or hunting or we do what you want.

Finger hurts !

Hope this helps

Dean

[Dean coote]

The actual dives are conducted one on one with a instructor.
So your qualification level is a beginner + and at least 12 yrs old.

Im also open to help out if BSAC instructors want to teach a course .

Dean

[Victor Jam]

Hello Dean & Mark, thanks for the thread.

My name is Bry, I'm BSAC 'Sports' and I have done some ice diving earlier this year under supervision. I'm fairly used to the cold water conditions and I'm interested in the course. At the moment it's just me.

is the Radisson £100 per night with two sharing? How many nights do you figure? I'd say at least two if we are completing four dives and six hours theory, maybe three.

Please, how far is Bergen from the dive sites?

Regards

[Dean coote]

Good morning .
From the 2nd to the 7th is booked from the 7th to 9th there is possibly one person, so there are places for three more.
From the 20th to the 24th is booked.

Dean

[Dean coote]

Hello Dean & Mark, thanks for the thread.

My name is Bry, I'm BSAC 'Sports' and I have done some ice diving earlier this year under supervision. I'm fairly used to the cold water conditions and I'm interested in the course. At the moment it's just me.

is the Radisson £100 per night with two sharing? How many nights do you figure? I'd say at least two if we are completing four dives and six hours theory, maybe three.

Please, how far is Bergen from the dive sites?

Regards
Hi Bry
The sas hotel is about £100 per room two is ok three there is normally a extra charge. The prices change a lot .

The best thing to do is search the hotels yourselves and work out which ones you fancy.
Ill pick you up from the hotel and take you to the dive site. depending on weather 39 mins 0r 1hr +
Night life and shopping in Bergen is,, err lively :) .

Three nights would be easier and less stress for you . Two nights are ok ill just work you a little harder :)
Dean

[Pinecooler]

Hi Dean,

I have to commend you for what you are doing it is very kind.

I jumped up and down wetting myself nearly at the thought of being able to do this but had a nagging feeling that something else was happening around then.

Then I remembered, the birth of my first born is due on the 20th of january and although I would miss a lot of things to go diving that is something that is unmissable.

I hope you have a fun and productive few weeks and I look forward to anything else that you may organise in the future.

[Victor Jam]

Sounds like places are filling up quickly Dean, sounds like you have got some interest. If the 7th to the 9th have availability, I'll provisionally book as a single. I don't want to absolutely confirm for another week yet (costs, calender etc) but if the 7th to the 9th becomes full please let me know.

Thanks Dean.

[Dean coote]

Hi Dean,

I have to commend you for what you are doing it is very kind.

I jumped up and down wetting myself nearly at the thought of being able to do this but had a nagging feeling that something else was happening around then.

Then I remembered, the birth of my first born is due on the 20th of january and although I would miss a lot of things to go diving that is something that is unmissable.

I hope you have a fun and productive few weeks and I look forward to anything else that you may organise in the future.

Many thanks , Best wishes with new born to be.

Dean

[Dean coote]

Sounds like places are filling up quickly Dean, sounds like you have got some interest. If the 7th to the 9th have availability, I'll provisionally book as a single. I don't want to absolutely confirm for another week yet (costs, calender etc) but if the 7th to the 9th becomes full please let me know.

Thanks Dean.
Ok , penciled in.
There are still two places left on these dates.

Im off to blighty tomorrow, (two weeks ) so im not sure when ill post again, until i sort out tinternet .
Gatwick should be fun then off to sunny Barking yoo hoo .:)

Dean

[Dean coote]

Back a little early :)

Dean

[Adrian Kelland]

Back a little early :)

Dean
I'd be back early if I had to go to Barking!

[Dean coote]

I'd be back early if I had to go to Barking!

Barking ... yip yip :)

[Dean coote]

All places are now taken.

Thank you

Dean

[Victoria]

Hi,

Could you expand on what you mean by a full medical? As in an HSE diving medical? Why would you need that to do an ice diving course? I was under the impression that an HSE diving medical is only a requirement for diving that falls under the The Diving at Work Regulations 1997...I might be wrong about this though.

Thanks.

[Dean coote]

The UK normal diving medical doesnt meet Norwegian standards. The HSE diver medical does.

Anyone here attending a course would need a proper medical.

Hope this helps ?

Dean

[Victoria]

I would love to do this course in Norway but an HSE diving medical in Aberdeen costs £240 so it's a bit much for me really!

[Dean coote]

Best to shop around.

Just out of interest . If some one in the uk was involved in a diving accident how would the insurance view a diver without a valid diving medical ?

Does a self assessment bsac form cut it ?
Dean

[Victoria]

I have tried all the HSE recognised medical doctors in Aberdeen - it's not cheap.

As far as I know, the self-declaration BSAC form is adequate. HSE medicals are only needed for commercial diving/PADI instructing etc. in the UK.

From the BSAC webiste:

Medical Examinations for Fitness to Dive
Prior to 2000, periodic medical examinations by doctors to determine ‘fitness to dive’ was a requirement for new and renewing BSAC membership.

The current self declaration process replaced this procedure and has become an established system. Coupled with the support of the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee (UKSDMC) for those divers that could not self declare, the system has worked well.

Some members may still wish to obtain a medical examination, in addition to the mandatory self declaration process – for their own peace of mind. Only a UKSDMC referee however can endorse a UKSDMC ‘fitness to dive’ certificate.

There are two options for those that want a medical examination:

A medical examination from their own GP
or
A medical examination from a UKSDMC referee
- and a UKSDMC ‘fitness to dive’ certificate can be issued

[PeteM]

Best to shop around.

Just out of interest . If some one in the uk was involved in a diving accident how would the insurance view a diver without a valid diving medical ?

Does a self assessment bsac form cut it ?
Dean

Yes the self assessment cuts it, as does the PADI self assessment in 90% of the world.

And why would any insurance have a problem with the diver not having a medical even if one is required following an accident? I can see Assurance potentially having a problem following an underwater medical incident but cannot see any circumstances where lack of a medical would be a problem in an accident

[Dean coote]

Big statement 90%.

Who does it serve to get a student in the water quickly without seeing a doctor ? .
When the time comes to get my kids a diving course ill get them checked out by a diving doctor irrespective of cost or convenience .
But thats only me and my choice. i respect your choices.

Bottom line Scandinavian law dictates a diving medical for students.
If your NOT a student the medical is your choice.

Dean

[Victoria]

But you aren't talking about just going to see a doctor. You are asking for a full on HSE approved diving medical that is usually only required for commercial divers and professional instructors and that costs a lot of money. £240 for a medical to go on a recreational diving course is a bit much.

Please read this to understand more:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/diving/ma1.pdf

I'm not having a go, I just don't understand your requirement. Does scandinavian law actually specify an HSE medical or just a medical? Because I've spoken to someone who did a PADI ice diving course in Oslo and they didn't have to get an HSE medical or even a normal medical...

You don't have to have a medical before you can dive in the UK unless you know yourself that you have (or are likely) to have a pre-existing condition that could effect your diving and if you do then that's when you go to your doctor.

[Edward]

I'm not having a go, I just don't understand your requirement. Does scandinavian law actually specify an HSE medical or just a medical? Because I've spoken to someone who did a PADI ice diving course in Oslo and they didn't have to get an HSE medical or even a normal medical...

You don't have to have a medical before you can dive in the UK unless you know yourself that you have (or are likely) to have a pre-existing condition that could effect your diving and if you do then that's when you go to your doctor.

Dean,

Your profile indicates you are (or were) a BSAC member therefore you should know the UK requirements, or are you just trying to fleece the forum members.

Edward

[Janos]

Quite a few countries require a medical signed by a Doctor. Spain certainly does, and when we did a club trip to the Medes one of the docs in the club did a series of tests on us all and signed us all off.

I can well believe that Norway requires a higher standard still. I don't think Dean's trying to fleece anyone - after all - the medical would be done in the UK.

Janos

[Victoria]

I'm not accusing him at all of trying to fleece anyone - I was just a bit confused as to the requirement of an HSE medical - which is super expensive in Aberdeen!!

I had a look at PADI ice diving courses in Norway and none of them specify the need for an HSE medical, just the usual self-declaration form. And then someone also mentioned on YD that they did an ice diving course in Oslo and they didn't need to get one either.

[SoggyBottoms]

Dean,

Your profile indicates you are (or were) a BSAC member therefore you should know the UK requirements, or are you just trying to fleece the forum members.

Edward

Edward, what's the skinny here? How is he able to fleece forum members?

Is this something your keen eye has seen before?

Is it a variant on the Nigerian 419 scam? If so thanks for warning us all. :eek:

[Dean coote]

I copied this from the LDC website.

Open Water Medical -for those about to start diving.
£40
Malta/Gozo/Spanish Medical- for those diving in countries that require a medical done within the past year.
£40
Both of the above medicals include:

Full physical examination
Lung function tests
BMI
Urinalysis
Blood pressure.

This medical covers what you need to be on a course with me in Norway.
If you come along dont want a qualification card and only want to have fun . You dont need a medical.

Last Bsac center i worked at was in Mallorca 12 years ago.
Before that the club i belonged to was portsmouth command club in 1980 , passed my E,F,G test with a lady called Margaret rule.
Started with a club in East ham they dived (i swam ) at Becton open air pool .Lol that was in 1976.

UK rules n regs , to be honest aint got a clue what you lot are up to .:)

Im not the PADI center in Oslo.

Dean

[Adrian Kelland]

Started with a club in East ham they dived (i swam ) at Becton open air pool.
Sure it wasn't a settlement tank at the sewage works? ;)

[Hickdive]

Seems bizarre that this would be available in Norwegian if it wasn't acceptable?

http://www.colona.com/PADI/MedicalStatement-Norwegian.pdf

[MattS]

Hello Dean,

Please don't take this the wrong way. I am posting in the capacity of being in the forum moderation and sysadmin team. And may I just just say that we are in the middle and must deal with the concerns of those on multiple sides.

These are the BSAC forums, intended to facilitate BSAC members who, for the most part, are engaged with diving and teaching diving not-for-profit. The terms of posting in this forum being stated at the top of every page.

To be as clear as I can be, the forum is not intended to be used as a free advertising channel; despite many, many diving instructors, holiday companies and other interested parties that make no contribution to BSAC, seeming to think it should be.

Could you, for the sake of clarity, state whether you are expecting to receive any sort of profit or benefit in kind from your offer, as I note you will be teaching under the auspices of commercial training agencies (PADI, PSAI).

[Dean coote]

Seems bizarre that this would be available in Norwegian if it wasn't acceptable?

http://www.colona.com/PADI/MedicalStatement-Norwegian.pdf

Hi
LEGE PHYSICIAN is a doctor . The form needs to be signed by a doctor.

Dean

[Dean coote]

Hello Dean,

Please don't take this the wrong way. I am posting in the capacity of being in the forum moderation and sysadmin team. And may I just just say that we are in the middle and must deal with the concerns of those on multiple sides.

These are the BSAC forums, intended to facilitate BSAC members who, for the most part, are engaged with diving and teaching diving not-for-profit. The terms of posting in this forum being stated at the top of every page.

To be as clear as I can be, the forum is not intended to be used as a free advertising channel; despite many, many diving instructors, holiday companies and other interested parties that make no contribution to BSAC, seeming to think it should be.

Could you, for the sake of clarity, state whether you are expecting to receive any sort of profit or benefit in kind from your offer, as I note you will be teaching under the auspices of commercial training agencies (PADI, PSAI).

Hi MattS
Kinda guess to moderate you should read my posts and possibly whats been written.( With respect )

My offer ; I have January pretty much free and want to give my time to fellow divers.
Three day ice diving course based on four people on course all kit (nice for you to bring own body kit ) ill provide full face mask coms lead tanks safety support and transport to and from dive sites.
Four dives , 6hrs theory inc survival education and chainsaw use.

Conditions , full medical needed, if you want a qualification card either from PADI or PSA ill have to charge you 30 pounds . No card the course is free...

I can help with hotels and travel arrangements.

Dean

I do this not to benefit myself other then to go diving and meet some new people.

Dean

[Dean coote]

Sure it wasn't a settlement tank at the sewage works? ;)

Possibly would have been cleaner ! :eek:

[MattS]

Kinda guess to moderate you should read my posts and possibly whats been written.( With respect )Hi Dean, kinda guess that points scoring against moderators is unnecessary and ill advised. The question is plain enough, you just have to answer it.

I do this not to benefit myself other then to go diving and meet some new people.There you go, wasn't so difficult after all.

Thank you for your cooperation

[Hickdive]

Hi
LEGE PHYSICIAN is a doctor . The form needs to be signed by a doctor.

Dean


Looks like what we have here is a failure to communicate.

In the UK you do not need a medical to undergo recreational diver training. You fill out a self-declaration annually and, provided none of the answers to the questions thereon is 'Yes', that's all you need to do.

If you do answer 'yes' to any of the questions on the form then you need to consult a sports diving medical referree (i.e. a Doctor authorised to conduct diving medical examinations by the UKSDMC). The UKSDMC referree may charge a fee.

You can also get a Doctor to sign off on a medical declaration for recreational diving, any GP will do, they don't need to be authorised by the UKSDMC. You need this if visiting and diving in a country that still requires a medical certificate signed by a Doctor, for example Norway. That's the kind of form I gave a link to. The GP may charge a fee for this. As someone pointed out earlier in the thread it can be handy if you have a tame GP as a club member to carry these things out cheaply. If the GP spots something amiss then they refer you to a UKSDMC referree. The links to LDC diving medicals at around £40 are just this sort of signing off, with the added benefit that you're dealing with a Doctor with diving medical knowledge.

However, for commercial divers e.g. someone working on a North Sea oil rig they require a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) diving medical. These can only be carried out by HSE authorised Doctors and involve a much more thorough examination, fitness and blood tests. There are only a relative few HSE authorised Doctors and, since the test is for business and involves lab work, it is much more expensive. Commercial Divers can obviously write this off against tax as a necessary business expense.

By insisting on an HSE medical you're asking for something entirely different from a medical declaration signed by a Doctor.

I would expect that people who want to participate in your course and be certified would need to provide a declaration like the one I linked to signed by a Doctor but I would not expect them to provide an HSE Medical.

[Victor Jam]

Hello Dean

I thought I'd better get an update to you re: bookings your ice diving course.

I'm going to have to give up my provisional booking after alot of consideration. I am going to be visiting Norway for diving but probably not this winter. Also I decided that I did not want to repeat my training

I'm still trying to get a trip organised for trained ice divers to dive in the Alpine Lakes at Taucherhof, but this is not as easy as it sounds!

I am certainly interested in what you are doing but I felt I needed to commit one way or the other. I'd be interested to know if you are planning any further experiences for your trained ice divers. Good luck Dean and thanks for your help.

Victor Jam

[Dean coote]

Hi Victor
Will i offer this again ? NO to much hassle.

Ill help you with organizing your trip but i dont want to run it.

Dean

[OneDragons]

Hi Victor
Will i offer this again ? NO to much hassle.

Ill help you with organizing your trip but i dont want to run it.

Dean

Shame you have been made to feel this way.

Diving would do well to have more people willing to give of their time so freely for other divers in organisations outside of the BSAC.

[MattS]

Diving would do well to have more people willing to give of their time so freely for other divers in organisations outside of the BSAC.I guess the point here is that being a member of BSAC makes it a damn site easier to give up your time freely for other divers, as long as they are BSAC members.

Between my partner and I, we have been running courses, chartering boats, organising holidays and social gatherings for divers, for around 15 years. Offering those opportunities as a non-BSAC member or allowing non-BSAC members to participate, creates a mass of paperwork, insurance and liability issues, that we would rather not have to deal with.

[Edward]

... Offering those opportunities as a non-BSAC member or allowing non-BSAC members to participate, creates a mass of paperwork, insurance and liability issues ...

And that's the area most don't understand.

Edward

[Dean coote]

And that's the area most don't understand.

Edward

Mr Haynes
You seem dead against this offer and seem in general very negative . Why ?

Dean

[Mike Halligan]

I guess the point here is that being a member of BSAC makes it a damn site easier to give up your time freely for other divers, as long as they are BSAC members.

Between my partner and I, we have been running courses, chartering boats, organising holidays and social gatherings for divers, for around 15 years. Offering those opportunities as a non-BSAC member or allowing non-BSAC members to participate, creates a mass of paperwork, insurance and liability issues, that we would rather not have to deal with.

I fear you are right, and that there are few other options. Perhaps we just don't appreciate the true value of BSAC membership. ;)

[Dean coote]

I copied this from the LDC website.

Open Water Medical -for those about to start diving.
£40
Malta/Gozo/Spanish Medical- for those diving in countries that require a medical done within the past year.
£40
Both of the above medicals include:

Full physical examination
Lung function tests
BMI
Urinalysis
Blood pressure.

This medical covers what you need to be on a course with me in Norway.
If you come along dont want a qualification card and only want to have fun . You dont need a medical.

.

Dean


This medical meets all requirements for a student here.
To come here and ice dive but not receive a qualification card you dont need a medical.

Hope this clears things up .

Best

Dean

[danjoe]

So are all the places gone now ???

[Dean coote]

Sorry , yes all places are taken


Dean