Belper Sub-Aqua Club

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Address: Belper Sub-Aqua Club Belper Leisure Centre Town: Belper Telephone: 01629 822393 Email: To e-mail this business please click here Website: http://www.belperdivers.co.uk Opening Times: Wednesday Evenings Contact: Andy McKay or Sue Bowler

Description When contacting this business please mention that you found them on My Derbyshire Dales I’m one of those people who start  to panic when they see a Jacques Cousteau film on the TV, (that shows my age! In the 1970’s he was one of the first people to film under water and I believe he invented the Aqua Lung).  As I get older I still find my self feeling panicky when  in the sea or a deep swimming pool, usually my imagination starts to run riot about the expanse of water beneath me!   Imagine my surprise when Andy Mckay, an experienced diving instructor, asked me to do an editorial for the Belper Sub-Aqua Club with a view to getting people to have a go at diving. I heard myself offering to come along for a Try Dive so that I could write about my experiences!!  The challenge to conquer my fears was on and a date in early December was set.   The Club meet every Wednesday evening at Belper Leisure Centre, Andy Mckay and Sue his partner arranged to meet me there.  Before heading off to the changing rooms we talked about the equipment that we would use, and followed that with an essential safety talk.  Andy then went through some universal sign language techniques used for communicating underwater so that I could tell him straight away if I wasn’t happy!   I met Andy again at the pool side and he continued to teach me about the equipment, he showed me the correct way to put on my goggles and use a snorkel and, almost before I realised, I was swimming around  in the pool with flippers on.  After getting used to swimming with a face mask and snorkel I progressed to putting on an aqua lung for the first time.  I surprised both Andy and myself by actually feeling quite relaxed, I was having to concentrate on his instructions so hard that I had little time for the imagination to run riot.  Andy showed me how to breath using the aqua lung and the next stage was simply to lay down on the bottom at the shallow end and concentrate on relaxed breathing.  We then progressed slowly as far as the demarcation line at the start of the  deep end before swimming back to the shallow end.   Finally we swam all the way to the deep end and laid down on the bottom of the pool. All the while Andy was watching me for signs of distress and, using the proper signal, I replied that I was indeed ok! I felt very proud of myself after my Try Dive, Andy is an experienced instructor who helped me stay relaxed throughout.  I haven’t decided whether I would like to learn to dive just yet, but it is something I will certainly contemplate in the near future. The thought of diving in open water does fill me with trepidation but that would be a goal I would set myself if I took up lessons and, taking one step at a time, I’m sure I could achieve it.   More details about Belper Sub-aqua Club   Belper Sub-Aqua Club is a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club and is a friendly group of around 24 divers of mixed ages and abilities. We have a number of qualified instructors who can teach you to dive in the safe confines of the swimming pool and then take you to continue training in the sea to gain internationally recognised qualifications. As well as teaching people who have never dived before or perhaps just tried it on holiday we also welcome trained divers from other agencies.   We own a number of sets of diving equipment which we allow members undergoing initial training to use free of charge. We also own two boats which allow us to visit off-shore and remote dive sites around the UK. During 2006 we have undertaken diving trips to the coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Northumberland, West Coast of Scotland and Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands as well as Northern Ireland. Recently we have also arranged trips abroad to locations such as the Red Sea, Norway, Tobago, Maldives, Canaries and the Mediterranean. We have an active dive calendar already being prepared for 2007 with locations in the UK and abroad already pencilled in.   Why not take the opportunity of meeting us to find out more or requesting a Try Dive. The minimum age we currently accept is 12 but a parent or guardian would need to come along up to the age of 16, you will also need to be able to swim. The oldest person we have trained was in their sixties.   Contact Andy Mckay or Sue Bowler on 01629 822393 or e-mail: andy@belperdivers.co.uk   web: www.belperdivers.co.uk