Please contact us for more information.

Cork Sub aqua club is looking to recruit about fourteen beginners with no prior diving experience to begin instruction and pool training in November 2008. The training will be towards CFT and CMAS one star and two star certification. Training is free of charge except for pool costs (should be about 100 euro); but you will have to join CFT and Cork SAC. Training nights will be Mondays 7PM ( a little bit earlier on pool nights to allow time to get changed), with theory classes and pool work on alternate weeks. The training will be in Ringaskiddy near Carrigaline about 15KM from Cork.

A medical will be required, you should also be able to swim 200 meters in a pool (any style and not timed).

You will eventually be expected to get your own equipment but for initial training we can borrow from existing members. If you had a wetsuit or semi-dry to begin with that would be good.

The one star course is planned to run until mid December 2008.
This qualifies you to dive to 25 meters (obviously after some qualifying work in the sea, and becoming dived up to that depth) with a two star diver, or thirty meters under certain limited conditions.

The CMAS certification is recognized world wide.

Two star course will run in February.

We will also take people with prior qualifications but as part of a separate crossover course to run in January 2009.

Contact 086 1089435 if you are interested.

Two Star Tests Oysterhaven 27 July 2008

Originally uploaded by riordan_david.

James Branich, Michiel De Rooij, and Stephen Barry along with Candidates from Blackwater SAC and NMCI SAC at their Club Diver tests. All the Candidates passed, Congratulations ! Stephane Portrait, and Finbarr Murphy from Blackwater were Mon 2 testers, along with Declan O’Grady Lucie Kirby and Don MCCarthy form Cork, Fiona Duggan participated as a Mon 1. Olin O’Farrell Dave Riordan and Gerry Horan helped out.

The NMCI candidates John Ryan and Will Jagoe are the first ever to complete the certification from that club which as only been in existence for a few years.

Hopefully then if the weather improves we will have plenty of time to get the open water qualifying snorkels and dives done before easter, ready for the good stuff over the sumer.

We can use a half hour by the pool side from 9 to 9:30 for briefing and equipment assembly, but candidates are to be in the pool by 9:30. Everything has to work like clockwork, if some people have problems with some of the skills, or if after our open night we discover that there are too many crossover candidates to cope with given instructor numbers, then we can arrange another pool session on the 26th.

9:00…. Carry up gear.
Get into wetsuit / togs.
9:15…. Brief (try to find out who the slower swimmers are likely to be and put them in smaller group for later).
9:20 ….. Assemble SCUBA equipment with assigned instructor:

9:30 to 9:40.. ish
6 lengths of pool freestyle
2 lengths of pool backstroke
9:45 … ish 30 second breath hold, 5 mins after end of swim.
Out of pool, kit up (helpers needed), buddy check.
10:00 Step entry.

Descend in 2 .5 meter section (people can stand by to put extra weight in BCD pocket if needed).
Mouthpiece clearing and Retrieve dropped mouthpiece
Buoyancy Adjustment, fin pivot.
Buddy Breathing.
Alternative Air source Breathing

10:15 go to 5 meter section.
DSMB deployment, instructor demos, each crossover does once (snorkelers above to help deflate SMBs).
Maintaining Depth at Stop on the way back up.

Towing and E.A.R (expired air recussitation).
Crossover candidate tows instructor and exits, other crossovers follow.
Instructor repeats with each crossover in his or her group until all out of pool.

11:00 Out of pool, shower, disassemble and carry down gear.

Because everyone will already have a dive qualification the lectures should go fairly quickly.
11:30 Introduction to Course and CMAS * (CSAC instructor who couldn’t do pool).
11:55 Hypothermia * 20 min TBD
12:30 Hand Signals * 20 min Dave
12:55 break for coffee. Bring sandwiches if you want but eat them in the cafeteria.
13:15 Dive Tables * 45 min Dave

2PM aim to finish, we can use an extra few minutes for questions, sign off documents, or if a lecture runs over time etc… but 2:30PM is he latest we will leave.

The CFT/CMAS ** crossover lectures: CPR, and Respiration and Circulation; will be done later in the year.

Paul and Donal hard at work at the serious business of extended range training.

Entering the water from a pier fully kitted with a twin set and stage bottle is not easy and may require the assistance of a buddy.

Donal lends his boot.

Practice makes perfect, so the next time that Donal comes across a serious pier blockage, he knows exactly what to do.

It was a foggy day, so we had planned on doing just half the distance for safety reasons, but then the fog lifted and most people did the full swim. About a nautical mile. There was a barbeque to finish.

Rory Snorkel

The fin swim fundraiser is usually held sometime at the end of April / Beginning of May, and it is hoped that most people will be fairly fit and confident from their qualifying snorkels and dives by that stage. One rare sight was that of Rory using a snorkel, we didn’t know that he owned one, but it seems that he must have found it in his attic somewhere.

Mags And Paul

Good to see Mags and Paul back in action, they power ahead despite not using fins, and in the case of Mags, not using a wetsuit. Water temperature is 11 to 13 degrees at this time of year. They were first back to shore despite doing the full distance.

Don leads Jonathan to shallow end

I hope everybody enjoyed the pool training. Beginners, crossovers, existing club divers, and extended range divers all used the pool sessions to practice their skills and to try out new equipment before the start of the dive season. Thanks to everyone who helped out and loaned equipment.
Thanks to Donal O’Connell for the photos.

Don Training Jonathan	Celia shows Gemma mask clearing
Gemma Removes Mask	Gemma Clears Mask
Helen practices duck diving	Clare tests drysuit with Gerlyn
Brendan and Lucas practice buddy breathing	Derry practices with rebreather

This is a message for new members who may wish to join Cork SAC. I’m just going to detail our pool and lecture plan so that you know our schedule. New divers will need to be available for all three pool sessions. Divers with some experience will need to make one Pool session.

Pool Sessions in the Nationa Maritime College of Ireland 5m pool: (NMCI)
Fitness Test: 12 lengths (2 on your back); 30 second breath hold within 5 minutes of completing swim.
Scuba and Snorkel training. Try a dive for new members.

Dates:
January 28: 10am to 1pm
February 4: 10am to 1pm
February 11: 10am to 1pm

Directions to the NMCI: From Cork: Take South Link Road. Take Douglas Estuary Link Road exit. Take third exit off this road. Signposted for car ferry. Follow Car Ferry signposts until you reach Ringaskiddy. Past the town the NMCI is the exit on the left after NVD.

Lectures scheduled for Saturday February 3
For all new members (except CFT qualified divers) regardless of experience.

Snapshot of the Lectures and Pool Work that needs to be done:

Trainee Diver Lectures:
Intro to Course and CMAS
Hand Signals
Intro to Dive Physics
Diving Equipment
Decompression
Out of Air
Effects of Pressure
Buoyancy
Dive Tables
CPR

Trainee Diver Pool Snorkel Exercises:
Basic Snorkel Techniques
Surface Dives
Mask & Snorkel Clearing
Ditch and Recovery of Masks & Fins
Entries
Forward & Backward Rolls
Snorkel 25m no Mask
Fin 25m underwater with no mask
Tow 50 plus with EAR

Trainee Diver Pool Scuba Exercises:
Mask and Demand Valve Clearing
Assembly/Disassembly of Dive Equipment
Buddy Breathing and Shared Air
Out of Air
Buoyancy Control
Doffing and Donning of Scuba Underwater
SMB Deployment

PADI Crossover Lectures:
Intro to Course and CMAS
Hand Signals
Dive Tables
Hypothermia
Respiration and Circulation

PADI Crossover Pool Assessment:
You will be assessed by our club instructors on your basic Scuba techniques. You may require more pool sessions depending on this assessment.
Note: Medical needs to be completed (including Chest X-Ray) before any open water training begins. Open Water training will begin in February.

Snorkels begin each Sunday from the 11 February.
Dive training will begin after the five open water snorkels are completed.
Any remaining open water training will be completed at the Easter weekend. Keep this date in your diary. (April, Fri 6th – Mon 9th)

Cheers, Don.

Please let us know if you’re coming, by filling in this form.

Originally uploaded by rf_keane.

This is one of the pictures taken at Pool Praining sessions in NMCI at start of year. The pool photos were taken by Donal O’ Connell.

These photos ( and others) can be viewed in the members section under Rorys Photos. (scroll down page – on rightside)