The Battlefords Scuba Community invited the public to join them at one of the regular dive sessions in early January at the Battlefords Co-op Aquatic Centre. Eighteen members were joined by seven new faces who shared in the activities. A potluck breakfast was followed by a variety of activities in the pool.
Some of the trained divers enjoyed diving and refreshing their skills in the depths of the tank as others snorkelled and took part in the games and contests that had been laid out. While dinghies raced back and forth above, divers below were challenged by a hula-hoop obstacle course, both with and without scuba gear. There were knots to tie in one corner of the pool and things to build of giant Lego in another. Divers had an opportunity to put the pieces into the shapes blindfolded as well. There were pieces of ABS piping and fittings to make shapes from - the challenge was to use the pieces as quickly as possible, although sometimes it was more fun to harass the Lego builders or fence with another diver.
For those looking for a more applicable challenge, an underwater navigation course was laid out on the bottom of the pool and divers could navigate from point to point and back to the start using underwater compasses. This exercise is made more difficult by the effect that all the metal in the pool structure has on the magnetic card in the compass.
The club provided equipment for those certified divers who did not have gear of their own so that they, too, could join in the fun. The post-dive comments showed everyone had fun. The upside for the BSC was that three memberships were sold.
The intent of this event was to make the community more aware of the group, which has been in existence for almost five years. It was also meant to show people there could be a lot more coming out on Sundays to count the tiles in the pool.
It wasn't the first open house the club has held, but this is the first of this format and club president Dennis McCullough said that the outcome was gratifying and there will likely be similar events in the future.
The Club meets every Sunday at the pool between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. During these pool times members swim for fitness, practice skills they have learned and investigate the contents of the "toy box" that sits on the deck for member use. Every second Sunday morning, interested members are exposed to new dive skills in an informal and non-certification skills session at no additional charge. These sessions range from first aid skills through buoyancy techniques and knot tying to rescue skills for divers. It is hoped that this exposure may lead divers to take more courses and develop special interest or to get involved in the leadership program. And that says nothing of the fun and laughter than occurs when a "boar diving skills" session takes place in the pool, for any more on that you have to come and see for yourself.
The Battlefords Scuba Community had an open water scuba diver certification course Jan. 25 to 27. This course included the first two of three steps towards becoming a certified diver, and this opens up a whole new world for a lifetime of enjoyment. Over the past four and a half years the club has trained 76 divers through these courses.
