After completing my orientation in the pool during the week, I started with a dive in Andark lake on a sunny Saturday to start Dive 1 of my Dry Suit Diver course. The visibility was low, but much better than it had been, and we were diving right to the bottom at 6.5 meters…
Having officially started the Divemaster Scholarship a few weeks ago, the main priority has been on learning the roles and responsibilities expected of us over the summer. The generic tasks are quite simple but keep us relatively busy; filling cylinders, maintaining…
The Deep Diver specialty had been on my radar for a while, as the extension to the maximum limit of recreational diving opens a range of opportunities. While many will say the best of diving can be seen in shallower waters, the skills required to be certified to deeper depths ensures a…
My favourite part of diving is the aquatic life in their natural habitat. As amazing as documentaries are, to me there’s nothing like being face to face with a fresh water fish, or catching a glimpse of a large sturgeon as it slides off into another part of Andark Lake!…
By the end of the summer, I hope to have gained not only my PADI Divemaster qualification but also be ready to undertake the HSE Scuba Training as I feel it would be beneficial to my future career goals to work as a Stuntwoman…
I remember the first time I took breaths in the ocean, and as I stared out into the blue water, I struggled to take a second breath as my jaw was hanging open in amazement…
I am mostly interested in gaining experience from the scholarship as working with Andark means we are learning about the day to day running of a dive centre so in future we will be ready to work and know what we are expecting…
This year, we have three lucky scholars who will be with us for the summer to learn the ropes of the dive center and earn their PADI Divemaster qualification. Meet Lucy, Jake and Natasha:
Lucy Martin-Patrick
My name is Lucy Martin-Patrick and I’m 18 years old. I decided to do the Andark dive master scholarship as ever since I started diving a year ago after doing my open water course at Andark I have wanted to progress even further, and I felt doing the scholarship was a great opportunity for me to do this. Once I finish the scholarship I’m looking to do some volunteering overseas and travel for a couple years. Whilst travelling I hope to dive in as many different places as I can and experience the different cultures.
Jake Keys
I am excited to be on the Andark Scholarship throughout the summer. I began the process a qualified Rescue Diver, having done all of my training through Andark already. I grew up in Southampton and I have just completed my three A-Levels (Maths, Physics and Geography) at Peter Symonds. The scholarship is an opportunity for me to develop my skills further and to pass them on to new divers. I hope to carry on after the scholarship and become an instructor, with the aim of travelling somewhere tropical and enjoying a gap year before University.
Natasha Busjeet
Hey I’m Natasha and I’m 22. I have just completed a masters in Marine Biology from the University of Southampton, and have always had a keen interest in marine life and diving. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the scholars this year, in which this divemaster qualification will help me to pursue a career in marine conservation.
We’re lucky to have Lucy, Jake and Natasha here for the summer, and hope this process is as rewarding for them as it has been in previous years. Follow their progress here on our blog, and see what they get up to this summer!