This days diving was the most intense shore diving I have done for almost a year. It was a very early start to get at Babbacombe Bay by 08:30 to beat the rush and so ensure a spot with the limited parking places there. It also meant that we were one of the first customers at the beach café.
I was teamed up with Wendy; or rather Wendy was teamed with me. The viz was not that good and has been better but still a lot of life mainly crabs in abundance, still a very good dive.
JC Diving were also running a rescue diver course and I volunteered to help out if then needed any ‘dead or dying divers’. Anyway I was to be a ‘lost diver’, with Tigger calling for help. We had a simple dive to start with and then I ‘settled down to be rescued”. Tigger when to the surface and called for help.
I tried to make friends with a fish, I called him Bill, but like all friendships with fish they don’t last long!
Some 40 minutes later Tigger turned up to check if I was alright, which I was, and we played a few games of rock scissors paper to pass the time. I get board rather quickly so we didn’t pay for long.
Just as I was leaving I was found and rescued! From then on the rescue played out very well. The delay in getting to be was cause by one small error, by not marking the spot where the surfacing diver called for help. The diver drifted and so when they started the search for me it was in the wrong place.
Ok it was an error but the divers on the Rescue Course will never let that happen in a real emergence, so it will save the life of a diver if it ever happens.
After the debrief I had a cup of hot chocolate and then Wendy and I went out for another dive a bit short this time as Wendy was running against the clock to get back to her house.
A day with some good diving and I learnt a lot, a great day overall.
Or link to the video Babbacombe Bay 11th July 2010
