Proposal
for a BSAC Meteorology Skills Development Course
from
Tony Wisson
OWI with Tiverton BSAC 527
This
is a proposal which aims to encourage the creation of a new British Sub Aqua
Club (BSAC) Skills Development Course (SDC) in meteorology.
Business
Case
The weather forecast is one of, if not the
most, important element of dive planning. It is vital that divers understand
and respect the effects that rapidly changing weather situation can bring. Not only
is interpretation of weather forecasts important for planning dive trips, it is
critical for diver safety especially when diving in the open ocean.
BSAC offer a brief element of meteorological
training in Advanced Diver theory lesson 1 (AT1). Relatively few divers will
ever reach Advanced Diver level, but dive planning, boat handling and dive
managing can be done by Ocean Divers, Sports Divers and Dive Leaders – all of
whom will have not had any meteorological training (aside from anecdotes from experienced
members). This demonstrates a significant gap in knowledge, one which could
have direct safety implications.
One example of this is the advection of sea
fog on an otherwise calm summer’s day. It is not shown on a standard pressure
chart, and may not be picked up by ‘mobile phone weather widgets’ that are of
growing popularity in planning. Unexpected arrival of this thick sea fog will
cause a club boat to potentially lose bearings indefinitely at the same time
divers may be in the water whilst the currents pick up.
On a more positive note the ability to
interpret forecast charts and understand what weather occurs in certain
situations can lead to an enhancement of dive trips, for example a plume of
thunderstorms moving in from the near continent may render dive sites along the
Kent and Sussex coasts un-diveable, but analysis of the forecast may show Hampshire
and Dorset to be favourable, so dive plans can be easily adjusted in the
appropriate timescale. This would save members money and improving the overall
experience as well as keeping everyone safe.
The British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) run Skills
Development Courses (SDCs), such as chart fixing, boat handling, rescue courses
etc which are aimed at expanding practical knowledge of a subject only touched
on in basic theory lessons. Meteorology is more than suitable to be run as an
SDC, as it can be taught at all diver qualification levels.
The UK Met Office is a world renowned leader
in weather forecasting, and the Met Office College
is designed not only to instruct its own employees, but have the capability to
provide courses for businesses and the public, these can be run at HQ in Exeter or there is also an
option for trainers to detach out to customers. There is a wonderful
opportunity for BSAC to run a SDC in Meteorology through the Met Office College – indeed an exciting prospect to
gain meteorological knowledge and insight directly from the professionals!
Proposed
Approach
There are two broad options:
- Option 1, as already suggested is to run the SDC through BSAC, giving the qualification
a lot of weight. However, if the costs and logistics show this to be
unfeasible then
- Option 2, SDCs can be run at club or regional level by BSAC instructors
without any Met Office involvement (unfortunately there is currently no
structure for Met Office to remotely ‘endorse’ such courses).
For option 1, BSAC would be the organising body and the Met Office the
facilitators. BSAC would arrange dates, for instance twice yearly (to keep
members interested and maintain good course overturn), for courses to be run by
trainers either at BSAC HQ in Exeter
or at a regional BSAC centre. BSAC would take the bookings and supply the
course information. Classrooms have a capacity for about 30 people. Members
visiting HQ will converge in reception prior to the course and be given
visitors passes and escorted to the college classrooms. It would be easier to
base most of the course on a structured theory lesson to keep trainer costs to
BSAC members down, although practical elements would be required at the end of
the day to consolidate information. The entire content of the course is
tailored to requirement, so it is no problem for them to make a presentation
just for us! Met Office has an in-house restaurant where midday meals can be
purchased. As with all SDCs accommodation would be for to members to arrange
and pay for. At the end of the course members would feed back to the trainer
positive aspects and suggest content that can be expanded upon or had been
omitted. This feedback process is a standard procedure.
Alternatively the trainer can physically travel to any regional centre
where the SDC could also run from, bringing all materials necessary for the
course. This would minimise travel for members but may be more expensive. This
requires discussion between BSAC and the Met Office. There are also teleconferencing
facilities at Exeter HQ; this option could be explored as well.
The Met Office College
have stated that they would appreciate direct contact from BSAC branch council
regarding initial discussion, subsequent negotiation and finally agreement. The
initial contact can be made via phone, with following correspondence either by
phone or email. Contact details are available in Appendix 1.
For option 2, the Met Office is not involved at any stage. BSAC could
gather theory materials similar to or further to the meteorological theory in
AT1, and this can be run by a theory instructor (or above) at club level. The
advantages of this are the relative simplicity of organisation, it will be
informal at the same time as being informative and costs to members will be
lower. However, the SDC will not carry as much professional weight, an
opportunity which would be a shame to miss – but it’s a more realistic option.
Endorsement could be sought from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) for
example, which have lower overheads.
In either case, the course would last either one or two days. Suggested
content and timetables are included in Appendix 2.
Pricing
For option 1: BSAC SDCs cost in the region of £20-40, and unfortunately
the Met Office College
does not publicly disclose pricing information – so cannot be directly
considered in this proposal. The pricing is competitive, and it certainly would
be feasible to run a course at the Met Office so that members would not have to
pay much more than a normal SDC, but this is heavily dependant on maximum
attendance. The less people on the course, the more expensive per head as costs
are worked out per individual trainer.
For option 2: Costs could be considerably less, at the same time there
is an opportunity for the club to profit from each SDC as courses would be run
by members for members, in the same vein as any club theory lesson. Content
would be easy to gather, the only real costs involved would be transport to
their meeting place and the cost of tea and biscuits!
Next Steps
- BSAC Branch Council to vote on carrying forward
the proposal
- Assuming positive vote, an appropriate delegate
from BSAC branch council will need to contact Met Office
College directly to
estimate viability of BSAC training through the Met Office.
- If the Met Office route is found to be an
ineffective or too costly, investigate methods of implementing BSAC run
SDCs.
Supporting Statements
These statements
have been collated from the eponymous topic on the BSAC forum on LinkedIn.com –
this is the link http://tinyurl.com/on7gold
“I've often thought
about the importance of being able to read the weather and adjusting dive plans
on the day. I remember a time when it was the most glorious clear day, and we
decided to head out on the ribs to a more remote dive site than we originally
planned, and then all of a sudden, practically out of nowhere, we were in the thickest
fog, and couldn't see where we were or where we were going. It was a worrying
period of time while we waited for the fog to clear in the middle of the vast
sea”
– Eszter Horvath-Papp, April 2013
“I have just started
preparing for First Class Diver and I think there are probably a number of FCD
candidates who would welcome a course such as this. It seems to be a common
thread that weather is something that few of us understand really well.”
- Neil Barker, April 2013
“Personally I think Met
should be part of both the BSAC and PADI core instructor courses - not for
teaching but for safety and information so instructors (like myself) know how
to address conditions on Open Water with novice Student Classes... At present
one has to rely on experience and that can bring unexpected surprises!”
- Simon Stickley, April 2013
“I would love to do the
course, but traveling from the Netherlands,
booking a B&B and also a course would be a bit expencive. If the course
would take place on the continent, I'm the first to sign up”.
- Nico Alken, April 2013
“For a good-quality
course, I'd be prepared to travel from Manchester,
although if there were a potential of a closer session, that would be much
preferred!”
-
Adam Rhodes, April 2013
“I've been saying that there was a distinct lack of Weather info on the
Advanced Diver course for a number of years and fully support this initiative.
Indeed, when it came to my own Advanced Diver lectures, the mantle was passed
to me to deliver said lecture as I hold the RYA Yachtmaster certificate and
this covers weather forecasting to a decent degree. It's an invaluable skill to
have, to be able to predict the weather, especially for those out of the way
expeditions an Advanced Diver would be carrying out. It also serves us very
well in our boat trip planning too”
- Darryl Mayer, April
2013
General Equiries
Tel. 01392 885680
Met Office College
Address:
Met Office College,
Met Office, FitzRoy Road,
Exeter, Devon.
EX1 3PB.
Sample 1 Day Course:
0900-1030: Theory: UK Climatology – Looking at air
masses and fronts, how to tell the weather regime by looking at the clouds
(bread-and-butter met)
1030-1045:
Break
1045-1230: Theory: Winds and waves – and a look at
the charts and the “Inshore Waters Forecast”
1230-1330:
Lunch
1330-1500: Theory: Weather hazards for diver cox’ns
– what, when, where… how to avoid? Covering: Strong winds, thunderstorms
(lightning and water spouts!), sea fog, sunburn (based on personal experience
of divers getting heatstroke!)
1500-1515:
Break
1515-1700 Practical: Chart interpretation (dummy
dive planning using standard Met Office surface pressure charts).
Sample 2 Day Course (more
comprehensive)
Day 1
0900-1030: Theory: UK Climatology – Looking at
airmasses and fronts, how to tell the weather regime by looking at the clouds
(bread-and-butter met)
1030-1045:
Break
1045-1230: Theory: Winds and waves – and a look at
the charts and the “Inshore Waters Forecast”
1230-1330:
Lunch
1330-1500: Theory: Microclimates, how dive sites
differ in the same weather patterns. Looking at sheltered bays, wind funneling,
sea breezes.
1500-1515:
Break
1515-1700: Workshop/Theory: Weather hazards for
diver cox’ns – what, when, where… how to avoid? Covering: Strong winds,
thunderstorms (lightning and water spouts!), sea fog, sunburn (based on
personal experience of divers getting heatstroke!)
Day 2
0900-1030: Theory/discussion Sources of forecast
information – what to use and how to use it (probability forecasts,
deterministic forecasts etc)
1030-1045:
Break
1045-1230: Theory: Mediterranean
and Red Sea Meteorology – applying what we know to our favourite overseas
destinations
1230-1330:
Lunch
1330-1500: Practical: Chart interpretation (dummy
dive planning using standard Met Office surface pressure charts).
1500-1515:
Break
1515-1700 Practical continued, with a group
discussion at the end.
Ideally these would be run by the Met Office, but given relevant
materials club instructors would be more than capable to deliver these to their
home clubs.
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