So I have now completed 12 dives in Scotland. It is definitely different from my diving before. I would say it is more challenging due to the conditions.
Bahamian Diving
Almost two thirds of all my dives were done in the Bahamas, and they were done over the years 2013 to 2015. The conditions there were mainly favourable and straight forward. Most diving days were perfect conditions. I did the majority of my dives from a boat – from Stuart Cove’s Dive Shop – with the Bahamas Dive Club. I would often dive 4 to 8 times a week(end), and I would try and get myself involved in any event that allowed me to go diving, particularly for free.
All of my diving in the Bahamas was in a wetsuit. I initially started in a shorty (which I have now misplaced/lost), but I quickly moved to a 3/2mm BARE full suit as being covered up gave much more protection. No one wants a rusty cut while penetrating a wreck. I started off diving with a SeaQuest BCD (which I still have), but I quickly bought cylinders and switch to my Razor sidemount harness and unless I was teaching an Open Water course I would be diving sidemount.
To do my cave certification, I needed a warmer suit, so I switched to a BARE 8/7mm semi dry which I started using during the summer to avoid getting Sea Lice. I am sure I looked a sight. I can only imagine what the “resort” divers on the boat thought of me. I must have looked like some crazed technical diver.
Californian Diving
I move to San Francisco in August 2015 and thought about starting a dive club up at the school I was at. I found a local dive shop, SSI, and did a drysuit course at Monteray Bay. Unfortunately life conspired against me. Diving was not to become a regular past-time as it was in the Bahamas. I didn’t own a car, so getting anywhere to dive was just not possible. So diving took a step back.
Scottish Diving (Take 1)
I moved back to Scotland in July 2016 and joined up with a BSAC club at my local university. I did a few pool sessions with them and I was keen to get back into diving, my father even offered to buy me a dry suit. Again life got in the way. I was getting up at 5am most mornings, so a 7:30pm pool session felt too awkward so I stopped going. Then life snowballed and diving took a complete back seat.
Holiday Diving
Diving started to make more of an appearance when my son became old enough to dive. While on a holiday in Croatia in 2023 he did a try dive and loved it. With this we planned to take him diving the next year and get him certified. So off to Malta we went and he got his Open and Advanced Open Water certifications (plus Nitrox). 2025 was to be a dry year (pun intended) as I was running the Chicago marathon and two expensive trips in one year was just not possible.
In July 2026 I took him to Gran Canaria to do his deep and wreck certifications. Mainly so that he could experience what it was like to dive at depth (he only had his Junior certifications before and limited his depth to 24m). He enjoyed himself so much that he asked if we could turn it into a proper hobby.
Scottish Diving (Take 2)
With his ask to turn it into a proper hobby, I set about making that happen. A lot of eBay purchases later, and training with our local ScotSAC club we started diving in Scotland.
I have now completed 12 dives, my son has done 5. My main take away is that visibility is significantly reduced, and that tides and currents play much more of a factor. Diving in a drysuit also brings a new cognitive challenge, and it would be better if my drysuit didn’t leak – I can see my breathing rate increase on the second dives due to how cold I am. The dryuit has been sent to the manufacture for repair and hopefully I should have it back soon (the estimate is 4 weeks). I am also not used to the additional weight that I have to carry. Even with my semi dry, I didn’t need much more that 4kgs, now I am carrying closer to 10kgs. A torch is a must on every dive as being able to signal is an important part of it. A DSMB is also a vital piece of equipment, some dives have significant current so being able to be seen at the surface is vital if you want to get picked up by the boat.
There aren’t many weeks left in the year, and I would love to get another 11 dives in. That would take my total to 400 dives. Plus it would take me to a total of 23 dives in Scotland. There is a training day on 31st October, but as I don’t have my drysuit it is going to have to be the trusty semi dry.
