Ever wanted to scuba dive? Sit on the sea floor? Stay under water for longer than 3 minutes? Here’s your chance to go Little Mermaid style – but with a bit more gear… Chloe explains what it is like to get involved with the UCD Sub-Aqua club
I joined the UCD Sub-Aqua club at the start of my second year of college. The Sub-Aqua club are unusual in that you have to join in September, and can only sign up in the second semester if you’re already qualified. The reason for this is simple – each year the club take a cohort of roughly 30 beginners with no diving experience whatsoever, and they spend the following few months training us to be competent 1* divers. After that, it’s up to you whether you want to continue advancing through the grades to get further qualifications through the club.
If you’re not sure whether this is the sport for you – no fear. There are two try-a-dive sessions in the UCD pool, where fully qualified instructors take people individually under water to try it out for 15-20 minutes. The day is always packed with people wanting to sample this unusual sport. Some can get a bit freaked out by breathing underwater or the amount of gear you need to put on, but the vast overwhelming majority come out absolutely ecstatic and dying to go again! When I did the first try-a-dive session, it was the most surreal experience, to sit on the bottom of the pool looking up at all the regular swimmers passing in their lanes beside us, bubbles streaming beside your face every time you breathe. My swim hat fell off when I put my mask on, so most of the try-a-dive became an impromptu exploration adventure in hunt of the swim hat, but oh well.
It’s super popular, and always over-subscribed for this reason. The club take on as many as they can, and for the next few months, we spend 3 hours every Tuesday night getting trained in. We follow the CFT course, which is recognised globally and will allow us to dive anywhere in the world. It’s also very comprehensive, so by the end of the course you really know your stuff, which is massively beneficial over weekend courses as this knowledge will keep you safe out there in the sea.
Each evening, we spend an hour and a bit in a lecture hall, going through CFT slides, then relocate to the pool where we assemble and put on all the gear, get in the water with instructors, and go through drills. We also do a bit of snorkel training in the pool, to keep our fitness levels up and to ensure proper snorkelling technique. By the end of the night, you’re tired, hungry and cold, but everyone is always up for a social pint in the UCD Clubhouse after!
In February, the course finishes, and though CFT don’t require 1* trainees to do a written exam, the UCD Sub-Aqua club like to give us a quick test to make sure we know enough to keep ourselves safe out there. After so many months of lectures, no one has any trouble passing. We are also required to do a pool test to pass our 1*. This involves tasks snorkeling and diving. Some tasks are related to fitness, most to technique, and some to safety precautions. The club are really great helping everyone through the test, and even though some don’t pass the first time, they’ll get through on the second or third attempt with so many fantastic people around ready to lend a helping hand and show you where you went wrong. Again, celebratory pints after are always welcome!
So you’ve passed your written test, your pool test, surely that’s it? Nope. The final step to getting your 1* is your 3 water-fitness snorkels and 5 qualifying dives. Each year over Paddy’s Day weekend the club packs up its (multiple, very heavy and gear-laden) bags and heads to Malinbeg, in the back ass of nowhere. It’s always a great weekend, so best of luck to the cohort of 2016!
