A return to BSAC and instructing
At the end of 2025 I was feeling a bit like the year had been pretty ok for diving, I'd done Orkney (bits of Scapa and some outlying islands). I'd done the Thistlegorm in Egypt which was well worth getting up and leaving my other half at 04:30am. I'd done my MOD2 in Malta, which while far from perfect, had really given me an even deeper appreciation of CCR diving and I'd had a few nice dives on the South coast, even though I'd spent most of the summer (and pretty much winter) suffering from work created stress. One thing I hadn’t done was teach diving.
I'd become a BSAC (British sub-aqua club) instructor in 2017 and had taught from then until about 2023. The end of that time was heavily marked by my former BSAC club getting a bit political and unpleasant (to me, they were fine with most everyone else) and an event affecting a young friend and trainee of mine which affected me deeper than I'm entirely happy letting on.
I'm not always entirely positive about BSAC. They really wound me up over Covid and seem to be chasing PADI sometimes in a race to the bottom. When good however, their training is still solid and I always aspire to be the very best instructor I can and teach my students everything they need to know to keep them informed, happy and especially alive underwater! Some instructors are less conscientious but that’s true of any agency.
So '24 and '25 had been entirely without instructing and I was starting to miss the BSAC club structure and the ability to help people with this hobby I love. Diving (both open circuit and CCR) has given me some good friends, taken me around the world and allowed me to see things very few people will ever see and its something I really missed sharing. I finally admitted this as something of a 2026 resolution and set out to find a willing victim and a club. The victim was actually obvious, a young (11yr) old family friend, good swimmer, snorkeller and general lover of all things aquatic. I decided it was time (she was agreeable) to put her through the BSAC 'Discovery Diver' course then top that up to Ocean Diver in September when she turned 12. Club was slightly less obvious, my dive buddy who had suffered along with me in the previous BSAC club had already moved to a new club(branch in BSAC speak) and was gently suggesting I could help him out with teaching (never been gentle in his life, he pretty much press-ganged me). I agree and the understanding I could use their pool to get my little mate trained up.
So here we are, Feb '26, little mate has had 2 theory and 2 pool lessons and importantly still comes out smiling. I'm gently building up on skills like clearing the regulator and removing the mask, these prove tricky for adult learners, never mind about a tiny little person, but she's learning fast and looking forward to eventually (when warmer and less rainy) getting in real open water.
From my side, I'm feeling pretty good about making it happen. Seeing the joy in the eyes of a student and hoping I can inspire a lifetime of this hobby is heady stuff. Its reminding me that I really do want to share what I know, my (decades at this point) of skills and get people to love this hobby as much as I do. It also means I'd better keep writing and posting.