THAT FIRST PLUNGE

The brother of the Club's diving officer (& the Webmaster for this site) takes his first 'real' trip underwater at the age of forty plus and wishes he had started earlier...

Introduction

Although I had snorkelled as a child (and during adult life whilst on holiday), I just never seemed to get around to scuba diving, even though I had always wanted to. It's probably the one thing that I have been envious of about Tim and also respected him for his skill and knowledge. At this point, even though I could offer more praise, I'll stop before I inflate his ego too much! I had made plans in 1999 to take the plunge and do a diving course but they never materialised so, it wasn't until May 2000 when plans came together and it actually happened.

Background

Not ever having been much of an athlete and now, also into that difficult time of life (40+), I wondered if I had left it too late to take up diving. However, after being enthralled by several of the David Jason diving trips on TV (he's older than me) and, reading numerous articles in diving magazines about auntie Alice aged 65 enjoyed her first diving trip... I decided if they can do it, so can I... Like so many other people, I chose to gain my first real experience of scuba diving (and hopefully, a qualification) whilst on holiday. On a previous occasion I had done a one/two hour 'try Dive' session in a pool and in shallow water at the beach but never got around to progressing any further.

Tim, my brother, having a wealth of experience as a diver and also being the club diving officer, offered me his advice and warnings about gaining qualifications whilst on holiday but I had preempted him. In 1999 I was on holiday in Kalkan, at this time I visited Dolphin Scuba Team to see what type of operation it was, without availing myself of their services. They appeared to be very professional but being inexperienced, I decided to find out moor when I got home. However, I did receive some favourable comments from qualified and non qualified divers who were using the outfit during my visit.

On my return to the UK I scoured the travel brochures and surfed the Internet to find any info and feed back. The most useful piece I found was, a well respected and reputable tour operator in the UK recommended and used Dolphin Scuba Team. They had even sent a party of incognito diving instructors out from the UK to test them, they returned happy giving a glowing report. Satisfied, I went through the process of booking a course with them, direct via e-mail & fax to cut down on travel agency and tour operator fees.

Diving Report:

In a word, FANTASTIC, everything I had expected and more! The diving in Turkey was great, not a great deal of underwater life where I was allowed to dive but the terrain was pretty good. I must admit though, as I was concentrating on my training I probably didn't see half of what was there. Probably not the same for the marine life who would be having a laugh at me trying to be a fish!

I only saw Groupers, a few small European Barracuda, a couple of Cray fish, a Squid and some Fire Crackers (I think they were called - like a big multi-coloured centipede). At some of the dive sites used by the dive operator, dependent on the time of year, there are Sharks, Conger, Turtles & Dolphins. In fact on one of the days that I didn't dive, there was a small group of Dolphin playing around near the dive boat, typical of my luck! Oh yes - 'the viz' - the question all divers ask about, it was good, 20m+ in all the areas I dived in, the water was also nice and warm, between 19-22ºC giving limited exposure suit requirements.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for my wallet) I did my course in the second week of my two week holiday, if it had been the first week I feel sure I would have purchased further days for diving with pleasure and interest in mind, as opposed to diving with the restraints placed upon a student of underwater skills. I only wish I had taken up diving a lot earlier in life because I have a lot of catching up to do. The most important part of the course for me was, obtaining my qualification as an Open Water Diver (PADI syllabus), in readiness for my planned trips to Goa and The Maldives.

I am sensible and level minded enough to realise that I still have a lot to learn. Like driving a car, I am only at the stage of the first few days without 'L' plates however, I intend to get back in the water (under supervision) as soon as possible so I can continue to gain experience and further skills, like life itself, you never stop learning...

PS. Thanks to my instructor Alison for the expert tuition!

NB. If you are a club member and have dived in any of the areas shown here or in the travel section, how about submitting a report to the Webmaster for inclusion in the Club Dive Log???

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