Callum, PADI Open Water Diver Course
As a medical student, I have always had a strong interest in human physiology, especially in extreme environments - whether it was the long-term effects of microgravity on the musculoskeletal system of an astronaut, or th eimpact of reduced atmospheric pressure and hypoxia on a mountaineer 8,611m above sea lvel on the summit of K2. Despite this, I have never looked into the effects of depth on the human body. In order to learn more about being at depth and to fulfill a life-long ambition, I decided that one of the best ways to do this was to jump into the deep-end (no pun intended!) and learn how to become a SCUBA diver.
The 'gold-standard' of entry level SCUBA diving is the PADI Open Water Diver course. The course consisted of three parts. Firstly, I had a lot of homework to do! Students are required to work their way through the Open Water Diver manual which contains five knowledge reviews (basically, mini-tests) and I had to learn how to plan dives with a recreational dive planner. It is vital to plan a dives depth and time to stop too much Nitrogen building up in your body, leading to Decompression Sickness (DCS). Acquired knowledge was assessed by closed-book examination on the first day of the course.
The second stage of the course involved the confined water dives - SCUBA diving in a swimming pool! This was a geat opportunity to put the theory into practice, by carrying out vertain emergency scenarios and even by doing a simulated dive using all the protocol and hand-signals we had learned up to that point. We completed all confined water dives in one day (five in total).
The third, final and most exciting part of the course took place over four dives in two days. In order to qualify as Open Water SCUBA Divers, we had to take paer in four open water dives to a maximum depth of 18m. I carried these dives out at Ellerton Park lake in North Yorkshire. Open water dives 1 and 2 consisted of practicing the basic skillsI learned in confined water, such as taking my mask off and replacing it at depth, or traking down a lost regulator! This was a great experience and incredibly enjoyable.
The following weekend consisted of dives 3 and 4 - my qualification dives. Here I had to demonstrate that I could navigate underwater using a compass and a heading which is surprisingly tricky whlst trying to maintain buoyancy! In addition, I had to perform an emergency ascent - a simulated 'out of air' scenario! Hopefully one I'll never have to perform in real life. I found these final dives to be the most challenging, as they were a little more involved than those the week before. It was a great feeling to emerge from the water as a fully-qualified Open Water SCUBA diver having gained skills not only in how to dive, but also communication and planning. Without an appropriate plan, dives can turn dangerous quite rapidly and likewise without ensuring communicating with your buddy is adequae, normal situations can become confusing and adverse.
This course was a great way to refine a broad skillset. I feel as if it has given me a more systematic way of approaching organisational problems, such as ensuring all your dive equipment is fitted together correctly and fully-functional. My abiltiy to communicate professionally and concisely with other poeple was tested, as was my appreciation for safety and surprising as it may seem, diving and medicine are similar in the way they provide task-loading and multiple challenges to deal with under-pressure. As a result, as I progress in both my diving and medical careers, I can translate and hence, develop skills between them both.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the stadd and JCR at John Snow College, Durham University who gave me this amazing opporutnity. Without the John Snow Development Fund, I would never have been able to become a diver and experience the sport and skills that come with it. As I receive my Open Water Diver certification in the post, I am already looking forward to progressing towards becoming an Advanced Open Water Diver.