PADI Women’s Dive Day 2017

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For the past two years, divers from every corner of the globe have come together for PADI Women’s Dive Day to bond over their love of the ocean and a passion for diving. This growing tradition will continue this year, further strengthening and supporting the female dive community through a day of fun, adventure and camaraderie.

Here at Andark, we have decided to make a weekend of it – because is one day really enough for us girls?

It’s set to be a fun-packed weekend, with visitors from PADI, Red Bull, representatives from scuba manufacturers to showcase their equipment, including Suunto, Cressi and Aqualung. Last year’s Fourth Element Treasure Hunt was such a success that it will be returning to the Andark Lake as well! Finally, our pool will be packed all weekend, with 2 for 1 try dive sessions for new divers, and for those seeking a little more excitement: a chance to test themselves in our Helicopter Underwater Escape Trainer!

Plus, special guest speaker: Maritime Archaeologist, Jane Maddocks!

If you have any questions about the event, please contact katb@andark.co.uk or call 01489 581 755

****WANTED SEASONAL LAKE MANAGER****

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Seasonal Lake Manager to run our Scuba Diving and Watersport’s Lake

We are looking for an organised computer literate person capable of running our Scuba Diving and Watersport’s Lake. We are looking for an individual who can help develop new business, whether it’s Scuba Diving, Open Water Lake Swimming, Paddle Boarding, Kayaking or other water based activities.

This position means working weekends, it is a 4/5 day working week. The job involves booking customers in, help creating new business for the Lake,  preparing and selling basic food and drink in our small Lake Café. Over seeing the safety operation of the lake and keeping the building clean and tidy to a very high standard.
Requirements:

  • Qualified scuba diver or water sports instructor with lifeguarding qualification
  • Able to work on their own and with a small team
  • Friendly, self motivated and enthusiastic person
  • A basic first aid and CPR qualification would be an advantage
  • You must also be able to prepare simple food
  • Well organised and tidy individual

Please email your CV to Stephanie Goddard – andark@brontestud.freeserve.co.uk to apply.

andark-lakeDiving in the Andark Lake

 

Scholarship Week 5

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sophie

Sophie

The PADI Junior Open Water Course went really well; we had a great weekend at the lake and everyone’s buoyancy and skills improved so much over just a couple of days. Congratulations to Bethan, Jake and Seren for becoming a newly qualified diver and enjoy the summers diving! Tuesday was a fun day at Access All Areas event with Andark giving children age 11- 17 years old in Fareham their first breaths underwater with a PADI scuba diving experience.

We had a great day at the PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) UK office in Bristol learning what PADI is all about. Our mentor Margriet Schuur gave us a presentation on the international organization and her career in diving. Next up was a presentation on quality management from Su Li and the PADI member code of practise then a quick chat with Rich Somerset and Emma Hewitt, the PADI Regional Manager.

We met the Project AWARE Foundation team to find out what they do. Their aim is for divers to protect the ocean and they focus on saving vulnerable sharks and rays and clearing up marine debris. Follow what they’ve been up to on twitter #Divers4SharksNRays and #diveagainstdebris. I have pledged to follow the 10 tips for divers to protect the ocean planet including making responsible seafood choices and to become a debris activist. You can Search the Action Map for events near you to get involved with ocean conservation. I also signed up to My Ocean, their online eco community to find other members to take action together. Have a look at their website www.projectaware.org to find out more about their campaigns. I am passionate about ocean conservation as I study Marine Biology at University so Project Aware is a great resource to help make a difference.

To end the day we had a tour of the PADI office and met the marketing team; it was amazing to hear all the different languages spoken by the advisors on the phones. Thank you to Margriet and her colleagues for their time and for arranging the visit.

On Thursday I had a sunny day diving at Andark Lake with a Refreshers course; hope you have a great holiday in Greece Joey. This weekend I assisted with an Open Water Course in the pool with instructor Bob which went very well. Margriet Schuur, my PADI mentor, came down for the weekend to see how we are getting on and I helped her with a Discover Scuba Diving course for Jemma who took to the water like a fish!

***JOB OFFER*** Office Administrator for Diver Training

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 Office Administrator for Diver Training Department 

Andark requires an administrator for busy Diver Training department.

Person should have excellent, friendly telephone manner and good people skills.

Ability to be able to sell over the phone and in person, our training courses here at Andark. Outgoing, happy personality.

Excellent IT skills – and be use to inputting data accurately in Student Data software or similar, able to use credit card machine, till and be good with money/maths.

Be familiar with social media and able to put up posts on Twitter and Facebook, ideally have used a mailing system. Photoshop skills or a similar program would be ideal, or be willing to learn and use this program.

Knowledge of Sailing and Diving would be useful but not essential, willingness to learn to Dive an asset.

Able to work on own initiative, be super organized and tidy, have a memory like elephant for what everyone is meant to be doing. Assist Diving Manager & Director with their admin/secretarial work.

Be able to communicate with Diver Training team with their weekly paperwork & ROTA and be able to sort problems out, when they occur.

The office environment is very busy with a lot of coming and goings, so the ability to focus on your job is essential.

Happy to make endless Tea & Coffee’s!

Please send CV for attention of S. Goddard to admin@andark.co.uk

Scholarship Week 4

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Sophie

Women’s dive daSophiey was a great success! A very busy but enjoyable day and we were lucky with the weather. I started the day in the kit room organising wetsuits, BCDs, regulators and cylinders for everyone then up to Andark Lake to assist with a PADI Refreshers course. It was brilliant to see so many women of all ages kitting up and having fun doing the treasure hunt in the lake. There was so much going on with talks, PADI Discover Scuba Diving in the pool, kit displays from Suunto, Cressi and Apex and hunting for coins in Andark lake to win prizes. Emma Hewitt’s talk on her PADI career was very interesting and inspiring. Then it was straight into helping with Aquanauts in Andark Pool; the children were brilliant at mastering new skills. What a day!

 Sunday was calmer with a trip to Vobster Quay, a flooded quarry,  for the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. I spotted lots of little fish while doing surface cover then went on a Wreck dive with students to a sunken plane. I was fortunate to get an extra dive with Simon, a DM, who took me on an underwater tour of Vobster Quay and down to a caravan where the water temperature was 8’C! Much too cold for my liking but I’m glad I’ve done it. 

On Wednesday I helped out with evening training in the pool. It was great to watch students take their first breath underwater on the Discover Scuba Diving and to grow in confidence during the session. I’m now assisting with a PADI Junior Open Water Course where the students are learning new skills in the pool and are excited to be doing their first open water dives this weekend at Andark Lake. 

 Next week we are going to visit PADI headquarters for a sneak peak behind the scenes – I’m very excited!