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I'm Allison and learnt to dive with the Harrogate British SubAqua Club a few years ago. I tried a Try Dive at The Hydro not really sure what it would be like and found the experience of being weightless underwater amazing and the prospect of being underwater not as alarming as I had thought it might be! I joined the club and learnt to dive starting with pool sessions at The Hydro and theory lessons at the club house, moving on to quarries and lakes where all the safety drills one has to be proficient at are practiced, before jumping into the North Sea. With local weekly training sessions, training occurs at your own pace; any bits that you find tricky can be repeated in warm safe conditions until you are confident to move on. The instructors are very patient! All the equipment you need to begin is present at the pool and the club has some open water equipment available for loan so purchasing your own kit can happen at your own pace as well as the learning to dive. The first time I
jumped in the North Sea it was a total revelation. Not the temperature (I was prepared for that and in a dry suit and thermals) but the variety of things to see and the colours of the local underwater life. Until you have been there it's hard to realise what diversity of life there is in UK waters. Since my first foray under the sea I have become hooked to exploring the underwater world in both the UK and abroad and have had some of my most mind blowing experiences under the sea. I have become involved in monitoring the sealife in the UK and taken up underwater photography so I can show my friends and family some of the amazing things I have seen. Learning to dive in the UK and diving in a club allows you to gradually increase your experience and confidence in different conditions so you progress, at your own pace, throughout the BSAC training levels.
