Doh
06-02-04, 19:29
I'd just like to announce that Phil (philworrall) is joining the UR Team. Phil will be primarily focusing his attention on the Scuba forum due to his extensive experience in this field.
Phil has been kind enough to do a quick summary of his diving career. I'm sure you'll agree its most impressive and i'm positive phil will be a great asset to the team :)
Originally posted by philworrall
I started my diving career at the age of 6. My dad was chief engineer for BP and we lived on the red sea for 6 years. Oh how I wished i realised what I had in the palm of my hand then.
I really started diving in as a hobby as a founder member of the Preston SAA "Preston Divers", from what I recall it was one of the earlier Sub-Aqua Associatins in the N.W. I raised to the dizzy heights of Instructor, boy they were very "headdy" days, no test, just experience. "Yeah mate just swim 60 lenghts, pick this brick up from the deep end (20 times) and you will be a club diver". I think not these days, BUT, the beer was good then.
After many years of sport diving and working for BAE, my wife and I decided that running our own diving business was the way to go. It realy wat but the UK was not the place to do it.
We set of for the "Paradise" of St. Lucia, work permit in hand. I don't remember to this day how we managed to convice a government that we knew what we were doing.
Anyway, after commiting to various P.A.D.I. courses I became a Put Aother Dollar In (PADI) instructor.
I started a new SCUBA facility in St. Lucia, "Buddies Scuba" and got to be know to loads of Americans as "buddy", cool eh?
Hmmmmmm
We had 10 staff and 4 diving boats / platforms.
Anyway I have the badge and T-shirt now. Over 3000 hours of diving, lots of that instructing and became partners to many of the equipment organisations including Dacor, Scuba Pro and U.S. Divers. I consider Dacor to be one of the best equipment manufactures in the world, perhaps only second to Scuba Pro.
OK yes there are lots of very good UK brands, but the Americans have had so much experience that while we have only a little way to catch up with development, they are streets away is style (some european accepted).
I am really willing to give members of the board any help and advice I can. I have experience of both cold and tropical diving so please bear this in mind if you have an questions. It may make a world of difference if you want to learn in Windermere or the Caribbean.
cheers
Phil has been kind enough to do a quick summary of his diving career. I'm sure you'll agree its most impressive and i'm positive phil will be a great asset to the team :)
Originally posted by philworrall
I started my diving career at the age of 6. My dad was chief engineer for BP and we lived on the red sea for 6 years. Oh how I wished i realised what I had in the palm of my hand then.
I really started diving in as a hobby as a founder member of the Preston SAA "Preston Divers", from what I recall it was one of the earlier Sub-Aqua Associatins in the N.W. I raised to the dizzy heights of Instructor, boy they were very "headdy" days, no test, just experience. "Yeah mate just swim 60 lenghts, pick this brick up from the deep end (20 times) and you will be a club diver". I think not these days, BUT, the beer was good then.
After many years of sport diving and working for BAE, my wife and I decided that running our own diving business was the way to go. It realy wat but the UK was not the place to do it.
We set of for the "Paradise" of St. Lucia, work permit in hand. I don't remember to this day how we managed to convice a government that we knew what we were doing.
Anyway, after commiting to various P.A.D.I. courses I became a Put Aother Dollar In (PADI) instructor.
I started a new SCUBA facility in St. Lucia, "Buddies Scuba" and got to be know to loads of Americans as "buddy", cool eh?
Hmmmmmm
We had 10 staff and 4 diving boats / platforms.
Anyway I have the badge and T-shirt now. Over 3000 hours of diving, lots of that instructing and became partners to many of the equipment organisations including Dacor, Scuba Pro and U.S. Divers. I consider Dacor to be one of the best equipment manufactures in the world, perhaps only second to Scuba Pro.
OK yes there are lots of very good UK brands, but the Americans have had so much experience that while we have only a little way to catch up with development, they are streets away is style (some european accepted).
I am really willing to give members of the board any help and advice I can. I have experience of both cold and tropical diving so please bear this in mind if you have an questions. It may make a world of difference if you want to learn in Windermere or the Caribbean.
cheers