Newry and Mourne Tec Training

[Gerry Brown]

Nine members of Newry and Mourne Sub Aqua  have had technical training from Paul Toomer in Malta in the last six weeks. 

 Paul Vint , David Hankin, Peter Graham and Niall Gonnelly  passed their open circuit trimix.

John O Handlon, Kevin Pollard,Terry Whiteside, John Loweryand Peter O Rielly  passed Mod2.

Frank Mc Dermott, Gerry Brown and Jimmy Lyons passed Mod3.

The training was rigorous and demanding and nothing but perfection would please Paul Toomer.  The advantage of going to Paul Toomer was the fact that the training was intensive and done in warm clear waters with great deep wrecks and last and most important Paul was a most thorough and excellent tutor.

Now the club has a well trained, well qualified, well dived up Technical group to hit the Donegal wrecks and this includes people like Keith Farrell, Greg Hanna,  Peter Mc Camley,  Paula O Hare and Thomas Murphy.

There are quite a few more in the wings waiting to get on the Technical bandwagon.

[Gerry Brown]

All the technical diving courses were organised by Peter Mc Camley and he organised accomodation for some of the participants  He was always on hand to help out and as usual was pushing people to get qualified  Well done Peter and Many thanks

[Turbo]

Well done to all. Very impressive to see a club that well organised and progressive.

cathal

[oakridge4]

 Good post Gerry. Well done to all involved and to my awl buddies that went through MOD2 let me know when there is an empty seat on the boat. I have to get the Hours up on the rEvo before my MOD2 in Hurguda April next year. I have been on to Keith to try and get some of our lads through the extended range. Maybe if some of your crew are wanting to go through it we could get a large enough group to get BSAC Ireland to help out.

[Peter McCamley]

Well Gerry,

You beat me to it.......... I was just about to stick this wee note on the site, so here it is anyway.


“Just after getting back from Malta after a few days there, where we stayed with Joanna at The 4 Star Topaz hotel in St Pauls Bay. The cost was @ 12E a night inc bed and breakfast.
 
Some of our gear went with www.parcelbroker.co.uk. (30 kgs for £55 each way.)
 
Over a month ago, five of the members from our wee club in Newry went off to Paul Toomer @ Matrix to complete their Mod 2. We now have 13 lads on CC, which is about a third of our club.
 
The week before last there were 4 lads who successful completed their  OC Normoxic. Last week there were 3 more who successfully completed and passed their  MOD 3.
 
The diving as usual, was world class with water temp of 20 degrees and visibility similar to Donegal.
 
The dives included the Stubborn @ 58m, The Schnell Boot @ 67m and The Southwold @ 76m. All in themselves fantastic dives, loaded with artefacts from WW2.
 
Sincere thanks to Richard from Matrix for managing the dives. Paul,  www.divingmatrix.co.uk  for the passionate delivery relating to drills and skills.

It was amazing to watch individuals who I have dived with for years, actually see their style of diving change beyond recognition for the better over a day or two.

Sincere congratulations to all involved, quite an achievement and a fastastic positive direction for our club. www.newryandmournesubaquaclub.com
 
 

[Cathal_M]

Well done lads.   Class pics as usual Peter!   Looks like ye had the weather gods on yer sides

[Sidemount Ninja Tx]

Congrats, heading out to Paul Toomer in Jan with Dec to do trimix, looks like a great time ahead. Well done again lads.

[Touchwood1970]

Hi guys, just to add my two penneth! Agree with Gerry and Peter! I'd like to add my praise for the quality of instruction we received while doing our OC Normoxic Trimix with Paul Toomer. People are probably sick of hearing me blether on about it but I think the week out there was a bit of a life-change event in relation to my diving! I went out to Malta with a standard twinset rig (Northern Diver) the kind you see on a rib every week worn by non-techies! It never felt right to dive in but I just assumed it was my shite diving skills (I'm sure that was partly to blame ). The rig I had was a Northern Diver twin bladder setup with all manner of unnecassary garbage attached and hoses here, there and everywhere (embarassing now when I look back). The first thing Paul did when I arrived at the dive shop was to remove the second bladder, inflator hose, wing bungee, etc etc etc. The kit destruction process seemed to go on forever and I seriously wondered whether he was going to leave me with any kit at all!!! We rigged up a new harness from webbing bought in a local dive store and once I was in the water any doubts I had about the new setup disappeared within seconds!!!! Seriously, I shit you not!!! Twinset isolations and shutdowns were now a complete doddle whereas before they'd been a complete chore. I could reach every part of my kit.....easily! Weight belt removed and replaced with V-weights my trim was a world apart from when I used the weightbelt! Everything now felt right and, from that, a world of confidence appeared!

This is probably all routine, standard stuff to you guys but for someone just entering the techie arena it was a defining moment! All I needed was a burning bush to appear and start talking to me and it truly would have been a religious experience!

Thanks for reading

Dave

[Peter McCamley]

David,

Maybe its only a rumour...., however, I heard that when yous were In Malta, there were screams for mercy heard all around St Juliens, as a certain Tek Instructor cut his way throught some of Northorn Divers finest........ with his hacksaw. Any truth?

[Scubadec / Dec Hanniffy]

I saw it on Facebook or YD...cant remember which!
So...Did ye bring home the culled gear?

[Touchwood1970]

Aye....Every word is true Peter! In fact your picture only shows about 2 thirds of it, the pile was even bigger an hour or so later!

Dec, yes, we brought home the gear. There was talk of trying to flog it on fleabay but it just feels wrong to do that I think, it'd be a bit like selling someone an ice cream in a cone..........without the cone

I fancy adding a party squawker to my now (permanently) redundant bladder and using it as a whoopie cushion for unsuspecting guests over the Christmas hols! Whaddya think?

Dave

[Scubadec / Dec Hanniffy]

Haha! Ah well, ye can keep them as back ups....
Congrats to ye all on the courses and we might see ye next year at the start of the year when yer working up depths.
I might pick yer brains in the future about the courses, when I get round to doing them.

[Stephen McMullan]

Nice one lads. Well done. 

[pollardive]

Nice one Gerry, Very well written.

[PeterOReilly]

Hi all
2 good and very true reports from Peter and Gerry.
Just to add I spent a week with 4 others in October with Paul Toomer and cant praise the man enough.
From diving skills and tips to karaoke singing his reputation speaks for itself.
Thanks to Peter Mc Camley for all the organising and a big thanks to Paul V for an unforgettable week
Peter
ps: He can drink a pint or 2 of cisk too!!!!!