In November 2019, soldiers from 106 Regt RA deployed to Malta on Exercise Cockney Abyss 3 in order to gain BSAC scuba diving qualifications through the MOD Approved Centre Dive Deep Blue and follow on our programme of introducing soldiers to the sport of scuba diving.
Some of the team had absolutely no diving experience and were wondering how they would handle the new challenges of breathing, communicating and operating in a totally alien world under water. The group had a lot of mixed experience with some people having dived in Malta previously whilst others were converting from PADI qualifications to BSAC.
On the first day of the course we were introduced to our instructors (Amy and Jack) and had the opening briefs delivered about the basic equipment, safety and diving in general. It was certainly an eye opener for some of them. Were they up to the challenge? How would they cope with learning a lot of new skills with unfamiliar equipment within a short space of time?
Diving is not a holiday sport, what looks like a very benign environment can rapidly become hostile and even the most experienced can easily succumb to the effects of narcosis. There is a lot to think about even before getting into the water. Have you got all the correct equipment? Is it fastened correctly? Has your dive buddy checked his kit? In the event of an emergency your dive buddy will potentially be your life saver. So, equipment familiarity and functionality were tested repeatedly until it became second nature.
The first sessions were pool based where everything from setting up the equipment, basic drills and safety were conducted. At this time of year, the end of diving season the weather had started to change, and the wind started to blow at different times around the island. This made the seas rough and especially challenging when entering the water. We had to carefully select where we would be diving dependent on the direction of the winds coming across Malta.
Practice makes perfect and all of us no matter our experience had to practice our skills and underwater drills as many of us had not dived in the last 12 months.
The instructors were brilliant, and they needed to be as their patience was no doubt tested as the team grasped the basic skills through repetitive practice and trial and error. Gradually as the day’s instruction went on people began to slowly gain confidence in their equipment and in their newly practiced skill set. It was a challenging but learning environment.
Very soon the beginner’s team had mastered a variety of essential skills that were used by BSAC divers and the experienced divers had dusted off their knowledge and become familiar with their kit. Removing their air sources and switching to their alternate air source known as an octopus, a wide range of hand signals generally the only means of communicating underwater. Buoyancy in the water, unmasking drills and others. The practical side of diving was supported by daily theory lectures that reinforced the practical skills as well as giving more in depth diving knowledge and an understanding of how things work under water. This was useful covering the effects of diving on the body, how to plan to go diving and the things one should think about, what to do in case something goes wrong.
The BSAC Ocean Water course is well structured course allowing people to learn at a comfortable pace. A step by step approach that builds an individual’s knowledge and confidence at the same time, followed by a test to reaffirm what has been learned.
The range, duration and depth of the diving increased over the following days of the course from our initial practice dives to diving in wrecks, caves and caverns. Whilst some dives were easy, going from the shoreline, others involved us leaving in boats to other parts of Malta. As the weather changed the sea at times became quite challenging with the waves creating problems for entry and exiting the water. The scenery and the wildlife were fascinating. Even though the seas around Malta are not teeming with brightly coloured fish living in coral there was plenty for everyone to be amazed by. The wrecks that we dived upon were purpose sunk by the Maltese government to encourage divers and wildlife.
“Taking part in Ex Cockney Abyss 3 has been amazing, I have loved every minute of it learning new skills and working with others. It’s by far the best thing I’ve done in the Army Reserve so far.”
Gunner Chetri who recently passed out of recruit training to join the Regiment and is now a BSAC Ocean Diver.“I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this trip, building on what I learnt last year I have felt more confident and familiar under water and I want to go on to learn more. It’s a great opportunity.”
LBdr Li Sports Diver
We managed to dive a variety dive sites all of which offer different challenges including diving off boats and shore dives.
Diving in Malta was an amazing experience and is some of the most challenging adventurous training that the Regiment has done. As a team, we learnt new skills every day, overcoming personal fears and testing our fortitude, ability to take instruction and assimilate information and all this under water in a totally different environment. I saw the soldiers grow both in courage, confidence and ability as individuals and as a team. The opportunity to introduce the members of the Regiment to the world of diving and for them all to complete their BSAC Ocean Diver has been fantastic. This now enables them to go on and develop their skills to the next level, with many of the team keen to gain their next BSAC qualification and further their knowledge and experience.
The Regiment hopes to progress these divers and encourage more soldiers to dive with the military through future expeditions that we are planning. These will all be part of a structured build up through learning and practical experience.
Major RDP de Silva Jay
265 Bty
106 Regt RA
