I’ve spent the last few weeks in Hobart, Tasmania to gain my ADAS Scientific diver certification through the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies with Simon Talbot.
The first pool day set the tone and pace of the course as ten other students and I were assessed on our swimming speed and endurance, free diving, rescue techniques and scuba skills before being introduced to some of the new equipment we would be using over the course.
The rest of the course took place in Hobart’s local Derwent River, with magnificent views of the city and iconic Mount Wellington. Below the water and at a fresh 15oC (locals here consider this ‘warm’), I immediately found myself surrounded by some of the least visually appealing and lowest visibility waters I’d ever dived… a perfect training ground for the challenging variety of tasks that lay ahead.
The dark brown and fluffy sediment lining the bottom of the river was so soft that with a slight lapse of concentration and a stray fin-kick the 2m visibility could quickly turn to a complete blackout. At any moment of the course, your standard lost buddy procedure could spiral into a timed and assessed rescue to pull a simulated unconscious diver from depth, carefully controlling the buoyancy of the ascent of both divers followed by a surface swim removing both sets of equipment and delivering consistently timed rescue breaths.
One of the real highlights of the course was getting experience with the Guardian Full Face Mask supplied to me last year by Ocean Technology Systems in the US. Aside from keeping my face much warmer than a traditional mask, the real benefits of using the mask became pronounced as the course progressed. The ability to communicate verbally with your buddy and surface team enhanced the working relationship on specific tasks such as recovering lost items, building puzzles and navigating in tough conditions. I was thoroughly impressed with comfort of the mask, the clarity of the Buddy Phone, ease of communications and can really see how it can be beneficial tool for the wide variety of diving activities I plan to do in the future.
I want to send out a huge thanks to everyone involved in the course especially our instructors Mike, Valorie and Kate and wish to congratulate all the recently certified scientific divers (and new friends). I also want to show my appreciation for those who went out of their way to look after me over the duration of the course by letting me crash on their couch, spare bed or even their boat. I’ve never felt so welcome in a new city than Hobart and look forward to the day when I get the chance to return to this beautiful city.
