Diving on moorings

[Billyo]

Ah sorry thought this would be a year round thing. I spent a while diving in Oban, mid winter can be a fairly unpleasant experience!

 

[William_H]

OP has snorkel mask fins and wet suit so the obvious thing is to get in the water and get some experience on his own mooring. Any problems of visibility currents etc will soon become apparent. Of course he can inspect and maintain at least the upper part of the mooring. And of course clean the hull etc. My mooring is only 3 m deep and I found even though I have a scuba tank that free diving was mostly adequate. Often you can replace shackles without removing the worn one and double up on worn chain.
Diving with a buddy seems like a good idea but has it's own problems. If you have problems clearing your ears you feel you are holding your buddy up and you can spend more time looking out for your buddy than doing the job or enjoying.
I found with my tanks that annual inspection (in Oz) became a pain and they went for many years without inspection. Eventually I gave them away partly because the authority bought in requirement for mandatory professional inspection of moorings every 2 years.
For moorings I would consider one of the 12v pumps available for diving. Less weight to manage and ideal for limited range when mooring servicing.
Yes I did a course a long time ago. They teach you about the dangers of Nitrogen narcosis and the "bends" neither being a great concern for shallow short time diving. But also the dangers of lung embolism. Don't hold your breath when ascending. Very important at almost any depth. They also teach you through exercises the need to resist panic when things go wrong. ie they get you to remove weight belt mask tank etc and to refit while remaining under water. But mostly they just get you used to the new environment. I think for what you have in mind just getting used to being there snorkelling will get you experience. Just watch out for strong currents. good luck olewill

 

[Ric]

I have a miniB system: probably the salesman at the boat show saw a mug (me) coming. But I did do a PADI course for their minimum qualification not really because I respect paper but because I thought that I might as well get some practice.

I think having the dive kit on board is potentially useful, certainly for inspecting moorings. 10m is about the limit I'd like for the miniB system, or for solo diving come to that. Cost about £600 new (but for that price I got the fancier version with dual DVs etc).

Course cost iirc about £400 but doubtless you might find cheaper.

There is consensus that BSAC is better than PADI. Well, it is much better I believe in the thoroughness and level of its training, but on the other hand (a) you probablly won't need that for your mooring inspections so don't spend the months in cold and dark gravel pits doing the training, and (b) BSAC is almost completely unknown abroad. Unless and until BSAC start to get their quals onto lists, let alone recognised, in other countries you're better off with a PADI qual imho. I say this with some experience: my sailing partner is a BSAC 'dive leader' and had dived hundreds of times all over the world, is nitrox trained etc. I've dived a handful of times and have PADI 'open-water' (the lowest qual). Yet it's me that has to present a certificate if we want to get a bottle filled or go diving when abroad. BSAC gets 'que?' and a shrug. Sad but true (BSAC members on here please do something about this! Write to the bufties in charge and demand an international publicity drive. It's just so British to be smug about how our system is better while meantime foreigners beat us in the real world despite an obviously inferior system.)

BSAC did start to offer training overseas in the nineties, and were slung out of CMAS as a result (CMAS members are only permitted to carry out non-profit training in their own countries). CMAS certification cards are recognised worldwide. BSAC is still not a member of CMAS, but it is now possible to get a CMAS equivalency card with a BSAC qualification through the Sub Aqua Association. You just have to pay some money to BSAC...

I believe SSAC (Scottish Sub Aqua Club) is still a full member of CMAS and I think their cert cards are issued automatically with CMAS equivalency marked on the card.

PADI training system is very good and thorough (I have PADI Divemaster, as well as BSAC Advanced, and TDI Trimix), and their salaried instructors teach a very tightly controlled syllabus. However, it is more oriented towards resort diving in clear, warm water since this is where the vast majority of their training schools are based. BSAC (and SSAC) training is club-based and oriented to cold and low visibility UK waters, but the instructors are volunteers and the syllabus is not so tightly controlled so training standards vary more. There is absolutely no "consensus" that BSAC divers are better trained than PADI divers (or those from any of the other training agencies) except amongst some rather smug BSAC divers that I occasionally encounter.

 

[ashtead]

Some interesting thoughts here on risks and rewards. As a relative novice PADI diver with a Nitrox cert who has dived for a few years in warm waters I would think twice about venturing into cold and low vis home waters just to check a mooring without having learnt some practical skills in a safer environment in company of others. Normal recreational diving is for the pleasure of the dive or observing fish or wreck etc so in reality no pressure or result required apart from returning safely in good health . The OP intends to carry out a task upon which potentially the safety of his vessel depends and carrying out tasks underwater is often more complicated than expected as anchor recovery in warm Waters shows. Likely that costs of kit i.e. BCD tank etc would outweigh the charge made by a qualified third party to carry out a check . Obviously dependent on availability of required divers but a number of bodies exist and I am sure email to say police or navy sub aqua clubs might locate an ex police or navy diver who might be prepared to provide contacts for you and if you wished to be present give some back up for your plans if you want to be self sufficient after gaining some experience from those with greater expertise.

 

[Skylark]

Out of interest, I've just looked at the PADI website. They offer a phenomenal array of supplementary courses, many of which are fully integrated within BSAC qualifications. PADI exists as a profit making organisation and does a great job with true global reach.

It's very true that BSAC instructors are, in the main, volunteers and it can take a long time to attain grade/qualification depending upon the resource available within the branch and the willingness and availability of the instructors.

Standards are maintained and additional support is available if required by a network of Area and Regional Coaches.

BSAC exists to promote branch diving. Members are encouraged to progress their skills and to make a contribution to the running of the branch. The system embraces safety and progression and the more a member puts in, the more he/she will get out.

I was a diver before a sailor and BSAC seamanship training sparked my interst in the latter. My training included boat handling, charts tides and weather. I think this is a main differentiator as BSAC divers arrange and execute their own dives whereas in general PADI divers present themselves at a given venue and go diving, the details having been done by the professional, paid staff.

I have a BSAC qualification called National Instructor and this means that I've spent a lot of time training and examining new instructors at the various grades. I've rarely come across a rather smug candidate it's usually the opposite. Most BSAC divers give their time freely and willingly and welcome all, regardless of their affiliation, to share the privlefge of being in the underwater environment safely in the company of like minded individuals.

 

[GrahamM376]

I decided to have a go at diving some years ago after we had a net around the prop and I couldn't hold my breath long enough in very cold water to clear it. Bought some second hand gear and went along to local BSAC branch for a pool session. Very soon learned it would be risky to go it alone without some training, which I did to BSAC Sport Diver level + a couple of add-ons. Have dived out here with local PADI group and no problem with BSAC qualification being accepted. I only dive occasionally now, always alone and mainly on the mooring which I replaced a few years ago. Working under water is easy enough, main problem is dodging the police as a licence has to be obtained before every dive in the Ria and they often refuse.

List of equivalent qualifications here - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/training/qualifications.html

 

[Tammany]

A padi dive course would train you safely to 18m so would be ideal but as already mentioned you are supposed to dive with a buddy although i would dive to 10m on my own if it was my own boat and risk. I did the padi course in Egypt and it's good fun but diving in UK waters is a different thing altogether especially on the east coast as you can't see anything lol. I've snorkelled under mine regularly though for regular cleaning.

 

[Lodds]

Difficult one that is. I’m both BSAC and Paddy qualified and might be tempted to do that myself and alone if I couldn’t get a buddy. BUT I would need to understand the waters I was diving in and I certainly would be advising a novice that it was a good idea though. There are so many consideration to take into account when diving inshore, offshore and coastal waters. As an example, the waters might seem calm on the surface you get down just below the surface and then you realise the current is strong and away you go. As a minimum you need to get some training. Your life is worth more than the cost of employing a skilled person to do the work.

 

[zoidberg]

You might look at the RNLI stats for an indicator of how many 'failed divers' they recover from our waters each year.

 

[lw395]

You might look at the RNLI stats for an indicator of how many 'failed divers' they recover from our waters each year.

But you'd need to look at what sort of diving they were doing. A high proportion of those getting into trouble are involved in deep, technical diving and/or a long way from shore.
Being in 10m of water is pretty safe if you have taken on board the basic training and use some common sense.

I'd suggest getting a try dive at a PADI centre as a good starting point. I did this, followed by a 5 day course, which I really enjoyed. It cost a few quid but paid for itself with a few hull cleans.

 

[Lodds]

But you'd need to look at what sort of diving they were doing. A high proportion of those getting into trouble are involved in deep, technical diving and/or a long way from shore.
Being in 10m of water is pretty safe if you have taken on board the basic training and use some common sense.

I'd suggest getting a try dive at a PADI centre as a good starting point. I did this, followed by a 5 day course, which I really enjoyed. It cost a few quid but paid for itself with a few hull cleans.

lw395 you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. to suggest that most accidents involve deep technical dives or off shore is totally ill informed. There are a number of incidents involving inshore sites look up "Vobster" for a start.
Suggesting that shallow diving is "Pretty Safe" is typical of someone with little dive experience.

 

[scubajohn]

ex instructor bsac/ssi
you must get trained up, bsac are the best but as said its a slow proccess but once trained, under and away you go safely, with confidence

 

[Skylark]

As the Governing Body for the sport, BSAC has produced an annual diving incident report since 1964. The 2016 edition runs to 50 pages and makes for an interesting read, if you're so inclined. It is compiled with input from many sources including MCA and RNLI.

http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1038&sectionTitle=Annual+Diving+Incident+Report

During the 2016 reporting year, there were 11 fatalities. Of these, 5 were BSAC members. The 10-year average is 13.7 with 6 being BSAC members.

Based upon the available facts, the report covers causal / influencing factors involved.

 

[GrahamM376]

lw395 you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. to suggest that most accidents involve deep technical dives or off shore is totally ill informed. There are a number of incidents involving inshore sites look up "Vobster" for a start.
Suggesting that shallow diving is "Pretty Safe" is typical of someone with little dive experience.

Even experienced divers pushing the limit get into trouble in calm inland waters. I've dived in Dorothea quarry several times but am well aware 20+ have died there.