Simon Campbell

Planning a club trip: Part one

A major benefit of club diving is getting the chance to leave the crowds of pay-as-you-go divers to head off in small, specially tailored club trips. This article gives you a basic starting point for planning a successful expedition.

What are the advantages of organising your own expedition?

• Well of course, it gives you freedom to do what you want. A great deal of adventure has gone from diving with the arrival of the dive charter boat. You get on, they take you to a wreck that’s been seen by 1,000,000 divers then they bring you back. Surely, the excitement is in specifying and then finding the site?
• If you CHARTER a boat you should talk to the skipper and suggest what you want to do. If you have done your research and planning right, then armed with his local knowledge, you can really do something different.
• RIB or shore diving allows you to go exactly where you want. Take advantage and do something different.

How do you get people involved, and who?

• Depends what you are doing really. If we are running a club trip in the branch someone will suggest an area or specific site. Depending on the site chosen they will be encouraged to assemble a team and plan the dive themselves. If they don’t have the skills we train them. Of course it’s important that the Dive Manager is a Dive Leader (for sites already known to the branch) or an Advanced/First Class Diver (for new sites to the branch).
• It is essential to have people on the trip qualified in first aid, oxygen administration and basic life support. Clearly if boats are being used you will need someone who is a qualified VHF user, boat handlers and of course, navigators!
• If training is to be undertaken it is also really important to have instructors with the right qualifications and skills to teach effectively.
• Other considerations also need to be taken into account such as proximity to gas. If there isn’t a compressor / oxygen / helium available nearby you will need to take your own PLUS a qualified compressor operator / gas blender. The further you are away from civilisation it’s also important to take someone who knows about fixing stuff. We are lucky in that we have an array of engineers, plumbers and an equipment technician in our branch.
• Should you have a maximum and minimum number of people worked out, as well as qualification criteria? How do you work this out?
• Capacity is always an issue unless you are shore diving. Most UK hardboats have a maximum of 12 divers with RIBS between four and 12. Obviously if you have the maximum number of divers aboard it makes the trip cheaper for everyone. Many technical diving groups however will pay a little extra from more room.

How can you make sure people are committed and won’t pull out at the last minute?

• Cash is king! I run a first come first served basis dependant upon receiving the deposit cheque! As the trip approaches ask for incremental payments. I try and get the whole thing paid a month before the actual day.

What are the main disadvantages to organising your own expedition?

• The time and effort is the main factor along with the responsibility. If the expedition goes well you MAY get someone who says ‘well done’. If something goes wrong it can be quite the reverse.
• To effectively plan a weekend trip I would say it will take you six to eight hours. A big one with loads of divers and an ambitious program can take you 12-18 hours all in.

Where do you start? Objectives?

• This really depends on your diving group; the objectives may be quite simple. Take a group of ocean divers to Anglesey for a weekend to build experience. Conversely it may be taking a group of divers to St Kilda to map new sites and chart the tidal flows around the archipelago.

1 comment

1. Zebs Ebdy on 21/05/09 at 1952 hours

   Spot on as ever Simonski in all you say.

   Keep safe

   Zebs

   DO & Trng Officer
   Pathfinder Divers - B0161

You are currently reading:

“Planning a club trip”

Chapters

• Part one
• Part two
• Summary - Top ten tips

A major benefit of club diving is getting the chance to leave the crowds of pay-as-you-go divers to head off in small, specially tailored club trips.

Club expeditions cover all sorts of diving, from day trips to inland sites to lengthy underwater adventures searching for new sites in remote parts of the country. However, organising a club trip for the first time can be daunting. According to the experts, a successful dive expedition is all about planning, delegation, enthusiasm of the group and luck with the weather.