Date to be arranged in early 2006

Four Open Water Dives are required.

To add variety dives will be split between two sites. Specific details are yet to be confirmed but potentially Gildenburgh, near Peterborough (www.gildenburgh.com) and Wraysbury, near Heathrow (www.wraysbury.ws) will be used.

Details

PADI Search and Recovery Speciality Course

Course Overview

The purpose of the course is to familiarise divers with the skills, knowledge, planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems, hazards and fun of search and recovery diving. The course is intended to serve as a safe and supervised introduction to search and recovery diving. The goals will be:

• to develop your practical knowledge of search and recovery diving
• to enable you to plan, organise, and make search and recovery dives

Pre course activity

All students are required to have read the PADI Search and Recovery Manual and will have watched the associated Video. Aquamarine SAA does not hold club copies for loaning out. Individual copies can be purchased from the Club Treasurer or are available from PADI retailers.

All divers are required to have handed completed knowledge reviews to the Speciality Instructor at least 1 week before the course date.

What will I need to bring on the day?

In addition to normal diving equipment, all divers will require:

• a knife capable of cutting line
• a slate and pencil
• a compass

What will we do on the day?

• Theory Presentation

Dive 1

• Briefing
• Searching for a small object in a small area of water using a circular or rope search pattern
• Searching for a larger object in a wider area using a U search pattern and a lift bag
• Detailed debrief

Dive 2

• Briefing
• Searching for an object using the expanding square search pattern
• Recover a 25 KG object with a lift bag
• Egress of object to shore
• Detailed debrief

Dive 3

• Briefing
• Searching for a 25KG of object using the jackstay method and then lifting using a lift bag
• Egress of object to shore
• Detailed debrief

Dive 4

The final dive is a student lead dive. It will be challenging!

The students will interview the instructor or assistants about a lost object that the instructor will have lost earlier in the day. (Careless I would say!) The students will then plan, organise and dive their own search. While the parameters will have been set so that they are well within student limits the search will take some time.

A Speciality Course Fee is applicable – see the training costs page on this site.

In addition students will be responsible for all travel and dive site costs as well as costs for materials.

Attendance is only open to PADI Advanced Open Water Divers or above. All students must have documented Navigation Experience.

Please lodge your expression of interest with Fiona O’Reilly.