Boat handling course
The practical boat-based course is one designed to give everyone plenty of time at the helm of a small dive boat to practise their skills, including how to operate a boat, how to check the boat over and how to drop and recover divers safely.
A Boat Handler is defined as someone who is:
- Aware of their responsibilities.
- Able to voyage plan considering weather, tides and local area.
- Able to prepare, launch and recover a small boat.
- Competent to drive a boat safely while conducting diving operations.
- Able to safely drop and recover divers at a dive site.
Its also an excuse to get the two RIBs out for a run.
Having taken the RIBs up to Loch Fyne for a long weekends diving in July the course was spoken about over a few beers and several people expressed an interest in becoming qualified. With that in mind, in August, we offered the course and four of our club members took up the opportunity to have a go and get qualified as a Coxain.
The course began with an introduction to our two boats with an initial walk round and inspection. This After the basics were completed the trainees and RIBs moved out onto the open water of Liverpool Bay to complete the practical side of the course.
Congratulations go to Joe, Gareth, Ben and Andy on becoming boat handlers.
