BSAC London No.1 Branch

Hannah and I are attending a “Marine Mammal Medic” course run by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) on Saturday 21st April. It is a one-day course run in Bewl Water, Kent.

Marine Mammal Medics are used by the BDMLR to help rescue stranded and injured marine life. You will have seen them in action with the “Thames Whale” and they are currently helping to rescue oiled birds from the beached container ship MV Napoli.

Details of the BDMLR and the course are at http://www.bdmlr.org.uk/.

The first part of the course comprises lectures about dolphin-spotting and the various first-aid techniques used to help marine mammals.  The second part is made up of practical sessions practising rescues of seals, dolphins and whales using life-sized water-filled balloons.

If you are interested in doing the course please contact the BDMLR directly.  I’m sure the course will be very entertaining and it would be good to have a few more friends along.  Don’t be put off by the fact that nearly every high-profile rescue involving the BDMLR has resulted in the casualty’s death. This course is geared towards practising first aid and rescue, not euthanasia. I doubt water-filled models would respond too well to clubbing.

Morgan

Is anyone interested in joining me to do a Sea Survival course on Saturday 3 March? It’s a RYA course, but the points covered are pretty transferable to sailing - capsizing, floating around in life rafts etc and some theory stuff too. Details are all on the attached webpage; near Limehouse basin, costs £85.

http://www.firstclasssailing.com/da/25333

If anyone fancies it, call Charlie at Firstclass directly to book and let me know!

Megan

Hi All

Just to confirm this Saturday 31st March at 09:30 for a 10:00 start.  Whipps Cross Hospital Decompression chamber for a dry dive.

Whipps Cross hospital is Whipps Cross Rd, E11. the nearest underground station is Leytonstone on the Central Line.  There will be a charge of £40 each. This covers the use of the chamber and a small donation to the friends of the Hospital.  It will take about 2 hours.

This will include a dry dive (it is quite big so there should be plenty of space). Also a presentation by the staff (an ex London Branch member) on the subject of decompression illness.

There are still a few spaces so if you are free & wish to go please email me.

For some newer members who perhaps did not know about this, it’s an oportunity to visit a working chamber.

While it’s best not to need one at all. In the event a visit is required in your diving career it may reduce the stress.

There is no minimum qualification required so please feel free to come along.  There is a very large Pub near by that the medical staff use.  Just need to have numbers for bums on seats.  So far I have Chris H, George V, Joe H, Alex M and Keith G.

Jim