At the end of February we started an Ocean Diver course for a few new club members that wanted to learn how to scuba dive. In March along came Covid-19 with all the restrictions which included a ban on scuba diving in Wales. Our training had ground to a halt mid way through the course.
As the months went on and restrictions started to slowly ease we needed to complete the course. With NDAC not yet open and swimming pools still closed in Wales, we were in need of some confined water for our trainees.
We were granted access to Glyn Neath Lakes by the land owner but the bottom is very silty and not ideal for trainees new to the world of scuba.
Over 2 days our club members came together (at a distance) and we built and sank a new training platform to be able to get our trainees in the water. They were lucky enough to also be part of BSAC’s E-learning pilot scheme and were able to complete their theory online.
The platform is also used by other scuba clubs that use the lakes so we were able to contribute something to the wider scuba community.
This was an excellent example of teamwork and collaboration to solve a problem. The building and sinking of the platform was hard work but we all came together and fun was had by all – even those on tea and coffee making duties!