Hello North Scotland!
(and Hello to South Scotland also)

I felt it was about time I introduced myself, I am Sarah Conner (yes I know the name sounds familiar), and I was and still am the Tayside Area Coach.  I am an AI and new IT and am working towards getting my FCD this year as well as my PhD so hopefully many reasons to celebrate. I am an instructor for a number of agencies and have trained with all the major dive agencies so I am very open minded to different ways to instruct and dive.

I love being underwater, as it’s where I am most happy and content.  I enjoy everything from instructing Ocean Divers and watching the thrills of them first experiencing our underwater world to helping divers develop more advanced skills or just diving my Meg (Megalodon CCR), I love going into ‘things’ anything from caves (UK and abroad), under ice and into wrecks. I happily enthuse about any area of diving until everyone ends up loving it as much as me, or falling asleep.

Taking on the role of north Scotland regional coach was intimidating not only due to the responsibility of the role but maintaining and hopefully improving upon the good work that Dave S has done over the past 3 years, thanks very much Dave. At first I thought, ‘sure, sounds like fun and will be nice to feel useful’ Dave had sold the role well. Then at 12am 1st January as Dave shook my hand to pass the role over, fireballs were being thrown into Stonehaven Harbour and fireworks going off around us, I noticed the gleeful look on Dave’s face and thought, ‘Ah. What does this job actually involve?’ Now the panic has passed I have thought about my hopes for the region and would like your opinions.

As I said I would like to maintain and further develop everything Dave has started and established ranging from all levels of instructor development prep sessions, instructor trainer development and first class diver prep sessions. I also hope that we will get more instructors qualified to instruct seamanship and technical courses of which there is more demand than instructors in the Region.

Two areas I would also like to initiate are getting the Regional Expedition Diving Scheme (REDS) going in the region, we have the best diving in the UK and some of the best diving in the world so we should have a strong expedition section so we can not only enjoy some more adventurous purposeful diving ourselves but offer these trips to the other BSAC members, that way we can all appreciate the fantastic diving we have up here.  For this reason all the Advanced Divers assessed 2 day trips will be advertised in our developing REDS (already warned my Tayside group – Aberdeen, you have now been told!). Any other ideas for expedition style trips do let me know.  Remember to pass FCD you need to excel in expedition style diving and this will be the best way to get that experience. Every level of diver is welcome to input ideas and help plan and join a trip. If you fancy helping develop this area in the region, please get in touch.

Although I live in the southern most part of the region, I would also like to help to make the north of north Scotland and the island branches feel that they are a valued part of our region. I hope to go and visit as many as I can (perhaps via dive trips) and run any SDCs they might like if not in their area, closer to them. We are also hoping to reshuffle our area coaches to make sure all your needs are heard by the team.
Hopefully the team will remain as committed and enthusiastic as they have been over the past year that I have known them.  There are a number of spaces available and many opportunities even just to voice an opinion on how you would like to see the region develop or what the coaching team could do more of or help with. Any level of diver can get involved you do not even need to be an instructor, I jus want people who are enthusiastic about diving.  We should be having our meeting sometime over the next few weeks. Please do get in touch about your current roles or how you think you could help.

I hope we will also be able to get branches that are close to each other interacting and supporting each other more, and hopefully keep the good relationship between south and north Scotland going.  Hopefully we may even get a Scotland series of dive talks going so we don’t just have to read about the ones that are occurring in England!

I am always available, though this is the last year of my PhD so if I do not do something immediately feel free to nag me! You can get me on north.scotland.coach@... or 07764928656

Don’t forget to check out the regional website which will soon be updated. Do try and make sure people subscribe to the Yahoo! Group – a link can be found on the regional page http://northscotland.bsacregions.org as well as an up to date program of events in our region.

Let me know when would be a good time to visit your branch or get a dive with you.  I look forward to meeting you all at least once at some point over the next three years!

Safe and happy diving,
Sarah