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Commercial Course No 59 - Week 1
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| Luke H & Tom practise their CPR techniques |
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This month we take a very close look at exactly what is involved in becoming a commercial diver and we follow day by day, blow by blow, as 12 new students work to complete their ADAS certification with Descend Underwater Training Centre in Albury. Meet the personalities, find out their expectations, hopes, dreams and see how they perform. We have a few international students this time, they are from South America, Israel, South Korea, Finland & Denmark. This month we follow the first month of the course, called ADAS level one, it involves work diving using scuba and takes one-month full time to complete. Next month we will watch the students progress to level two which is surface supplied equipment to 30 metres, and in the final instalment we will see how our intrepid students handle the deep 50 metre dives to qualify for ADAS level 3. Will they achieve their goals and become successful commercial divers? Keep reading over these three enthralling episodes and find out.
Monday 11th January
Day 1 - Induction day
Twelve new commercial diving students arrived at Descend in Albury to begin training for their new career. The overall feeling is excited mixed with hopeful, overwhelmed, excellent & intrigued. Instructor’s Rick Austin and Kirk Savage share the excitement as we all wonder what the next three months will bring.
The first morning is taken up with the OH&S induction and personal introductions then its straight into some theory. The rational at Descend is that the first week needs to be all theory – particularly Anatomy, Physiology, Physics and Diving maladies to ensure all divers understand the stresses that can be placed on their body by the diving environment. Also included in this week will be the DAN Oxygen administration and CPR course to ensure that all team members are capable of responding should an emergency arrive.
Meet The Students
Tom Armytage - 33 years old from Sydney
Background: Recreational Diving (8yrs) Construction Work (18yrs)
After Course Goals: Cant wait to get into the commercial diving industry
How do you feel now? Excited!!
Cesar Augusto Portocarrero Burgos - 27 years old from Peru, South AmericaBackground: Studying commercial scuba diving
After course goals: Wants to work in the commercial diving industry in AsiaHow do you feel now? Fine
Omer Servianski- 32 years old from IsraelBackground: Divemaster
After course goals: To work in EuropeHow do you feel now? Hopeful
Luke Heath - 22 years old from Townsville, QLDBackground: Recreational diver, goes out on trips when able to. Boilermaker by trade & currently work for a commercial diving company called Pacific Marine Group
After Course Goals: To gain experience in commercial diving & possibly branching off into underwater welding. Would like to make as much money as I can while still young.How do you feel now? Intrigued
Dana Lee - 23 years old from South KoreaBackground: Advanced diver/Student
After Course Goals: Getting a job in the commercial diving industryHow do you feel now? Overwhelmed
Luke Thompson - 22 years old from NewcastleBackground: Advanced open water/Enriched Air course. Pre-cast concreting
After Course Goals: To work as a commercial diverHow do you feel now? Excited
Peter Lindqvist - 26 years old from FinlandBackground: A OWD with 50 dives/ Student
After Course Goals: To get a job in the commercial diving industryHow do you feel? Excited
Jon Hatton - 26 years old from Hamilton Island, QLDBackground: PADI open water April 2009, approx 50 dives including observation of commercial operations. Mechanical engineer, graduate 2005 working past 3 years for Hamilton Island Enterprises as engineer with focus on Marine construction
After Course Goals: Use ticket to inspect marine infrastructure such as swing moorings, pontoons piles etcHow do you feel now? Ready
Michelle Woodhead - 43 years old from Galong, NSWBackground: SSI Open water diver approx 100 dives
After Course Goals: To work in the IndustryHow do you feel now? Great
Michael Dawson - 37 years old from Exmouth , W.ABackground: Open water licence. Concreter & Carpenter
After Course Goals: To get work in diving industryHow do you feel now? Good
Colin Bettles - 43 years old from Exmouth, W.ABackground: Open water diver, Builder
After Course Goals: To work in the diving industryHow do you feel now? Excited
Joachim Toftgaard- 27 years old from DenmarkBackground: Open water diver
After Course Goals: To find work in industryHow do you feel now? Tired
Select the link below for student pictures http://www.descend.com.au/training/gallery/PhotoGallery.asp?whichcategory=Commercial%20Students%20Course%2059&AreaID=17
Tuesday 12th January | | Luke T practices his CPR techniques |  |
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Its back to theory. With anatomy and physiology covered on day 1 and its time to introduce some physics principals (Boyle’s Law & Dalton’s Law) and apply these to practical diving. Barotrauma of ascent and descent and gas poisonings such as Hypercapnia, inert gas narcosis, carbon monoxide poisoning and oxygen poisoning, Then its into hypo and hyperthermia and salt water aspiration syndrome. Heads are spinning – big days – lots of information.
Wednesday 13th January | | Students test the DAN unit | |
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More theory. For a chance we look at Potentially Dangerous Marine Animals, watch the video " Dangerous Australians" and then we introduce Henry's Law and it's application to Decompression illness. like all the other diving maladies this is an in depth study and involves cause, signs symptons, first aid, medical treatment, predisposing factors & most importantly aviodance. We finish with a computer simulation of a deep dive showing tissue saturation.
Thursday 14th January | | Cesar with the full face mask | |
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Today is Oxygen Management day and we ran the DAN Oxygen Management program. This starts with cardio pulmonary resuscitation, one and two operator, bag valve mask and pocket mask, CPR practice and progresses to the demand valve oxygen equipment. Lots of hands-on experience improving CPR skills and using the DAN oxygen unit. After lunch we then did the DAN O2 exam & then marked it. Everyone passed with flying colours - (yeah they've passed their first exam)!
Friday 15th January | | Students practice life line signals in the car park | |
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Today we progress onto some theory which included lifeline signals and search patterns - both of which will be put into practice next week when we start diving. We introduce the different reserve systems and full - face masks, pony bottles, belt blocks and twin demand reserve systems. The course requires all divers to use at least two different full - face masks and at least three reserve systems. We packed all the dive gear ready for our first days diving next week and then ended the day with some revision for the physiology exam. A great first week.
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