Trip Report - Ocean Diver Weekend

Two weeks to go, have we got accommodation? Apparently we have, so off we go. STOP! How about instructors? Four days to go Nick M says he will turn up at lunch time on Saturday. So Lou courageously allows the trip to go ahead with me at the helm. What was Lou thinking? We turn up at Stackstead farm and discover the accommodation. Amazing! Much better than Dalesbridge mainly through cost and the fact it has central heating, which means it was warm when we arrived! So after settling in it was off to the pub for food, well some of us. I don't think the chef liked us turning up 20 minutes before he was off for the day! But the food was good and everyone's plate was finished off by Viki H, the lovable tramp! Saturday A late start (for some anyway) saw us arrive at Capernwray at 8:45. This was going to be a tough dayfor the instructors and shadowers. No chance of a break until lunch time when Nick turns up! Well he said he would turn up. He doesn't!! So Lou has a very tough day and continues thinking up new ways to punish Nick M the next day! The trainees didn't seem to mind the cold water, although that might be something to do with the fact that we kept telling them it was going to be in double figures the day before! It was! 10 Celsius is double figures. It's just not 20! After a hard days diving and almost no buoyancy at all! We were back off to the barn and food. Nathan's sausage and bean casserole was a success and apparently even the veggie version was edible! Nathan gets his DL signed off (although it still needs stamping) and is told he is teaching the next day! Pub where we get to enjoy the delights of someone who goes by the name of Bon Jovi, however doesn't seem to sing any of his songs! But the entertainment was good anyway and drinks went down well. Sunday Up slightly earlier today, thanks to Nathan, and the cleaning starts. A call from Nick asking why we are not at Dalesbridge seems to confuse us a little, I'm sure I mentioned that we weren't staying there. Sunday is much easier, we have 5 instructors not 3 and we get to have little breaks throughout the day. We planned to do three dives today to finish off the Ocean Diver syllabus and each group managed three dives. We were finished by 4.00 and home by 6.00. Thank you to everyone, especially the instructors. And well done to the trainees even though it was getting cold and a few drysuit became their cousins more commonly known as wetsuits.