News Articles: Full Article Detail IANTD Advanced Nitrox Course with Phill Short29/07/2005A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to look in to getting some technical diver training. One guys name kept coming up; Phill Short. Unfortunately I got side tracked (PADI IDC) and didn’t do it then, but got around to starting it last weekend. Things started badly, the week prior to the course I was feeling poorly, which as we got closer to Saturday became worse with flu like symptoms and on Friday I broke out in a rash across my body. A quick check on a virtual doctor website suggested meningitis. The rash didn’t persist and a phone call to a doctor in the family suggested against this and more likely to be related to allergies and medication I was taking for it. Saturday morning I woke up feeling bad but decided to start the theory and see how I got on. The course was being run by Phill at Stoney Cove who had five on the course, two of who were doing their Instructor evaluations. Saturday was a book and lecture day and I drank three litres of water to keep my temperature down. This must have helped as by the time I got home, slept and returned on Sunday I felt I was picking up and was going to have a crack at the shakedown dive in the afternoon. The morning was spent with Phill going over his kit, explaining the whys and wherefores of his configuration; this was a truly invaluable session and one I benefited from, especially the bit where Phill looked at all our kit and insisted on changes, alterations and adjustments all over the place. After he had pronounced the kit basically safe we got kitted up for a 90 minute 6 metre dive where we were introduced to the fundamentals of shutdowns, stage removal and replacement, a no mask swim and gas chasing. All of us as students were fortunate enough not to have any real difficulties on this dive so we all exited feeling pretty full of ourselves. Monday and the Cove was a lot quieter, but the temperature was soaring. We were to get straight in to the diving and a dive to 25 meters was planned with the Instructor candidates running the dive whilst Phill evaluated them. The plan was to repeat the previous days dive with a bit of depth. Like all the best made plans though it didn’t quite work out and we left the water not having completed all the skills. One problem I found was that I was diving twin 7’s whilst everyone else was on 12’s. Not a problem for this dive, but my lack of air was more apparent. I was beginning to think I should have kept the 12’s I swapped the 7’s for. We as the students left Phill to, erm, “discuss” the dive with the Instructor candidates whilst we prepared for the second dive. This was to be another 6 metre dive; the temperature was close to 30c as we kitted up and everybody was starting to cook. The thermal stress obviously had an impact on us all as we all got in with potential problems. I got in with my stage reg dragging in the silt, my SPG floating around all over the place and my wing LP inflator somewhere I don’t know where! We were all in a state and the dive was completed but we all knew what to expect when we got out. Phill rightly reamed us out explaining about complacency and how getting sloppy causes harm and worse. Our kit was a mess, and our attitude didn’t come up to scratch. We all went home smarting from the tongue lashing. Tuesday and we had to hand in the exam before planning the first dive to the hydro box. We worked out CNS toxicity, gas usage, best mix and partial pressures. We we’re briefed and in we got. A surface swim to the shot, down the line to 6metres where our first mistake occurred, no bubble check performed and we carried on down the line hitting the box and saw the best visibility all weekend. Did the exercises as planned, went for a swim before the planned ascent to the three deco stops. We took 8 minutes to get from our maximum depth to the first stop when at the most it should only have taken two. On the ascent to the next stop we drifted away from the line and were shepherded back to it to move up to the last stop where even the basics of buoyancy control became a thing of the past. Somehow we managed a gas switch, did the deco and made it to the surface. Phill didn’t even wait to get us to the shore before he let rip at us. I have to admit, we were a total shambles. The worst bit was, I and all the others knew we were doing it badly but none of us did anything to remedy the problem, and Phill pointed this out as well. At this point the Instructor candidates had to do their “blow and tows” for part of their evaluation so it gave me time to contemplate my diving inadequacies on the tow in. Once back at the side the whipping began all over again as the dive was pulled to pieces. It was constructive but I’m still confused about being pulled up for checking my gauge after hearing a pop whilst the Instructor did his demos. Ah well, one dive left, 6 metres of more shutdowns, stage removals and replacements, gas chases and all the waterwork was done. Back in the class room we are all delighted to hear we’ve passed!! We get the opportunity to critique what’s happened and everybody seems honest and positive. For me it took me back to early diving days where skills I now take for granted and perform automatically became more difficult to do. I think this is something valuable for me in teaching my own students, when I now see them unable to perform a skill that I otherwise think of as “easy” I shall be more sympathetic with them. So, I am now IANTD Advanced Nitrox qualified. I’ve got a lot to practice though. Now the course is completed I know I was premature to go from 12’s to 7’s ‘cause now I’ve got to go back, DOH! The upside is that I have completed the entry requirement for rebreather training which is my long term objective. The course is a great introduction to technical diving and to decompression diving. Phill Short is an excellent Instructor who instils confidence in students and is an Instructor other Instructors could learn a few things from (myself included). If you are looking for someone to complete your course, don’t wait two years as I did, contact Phill now, you won’t regret it.
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