Job Hunting

Well folks this is what it all comes down too... finding a job and bringing home the bacon. I have been searching, calling, emailing and visiting companies frantically with my father trying to get a job offshore as soon as possible so I can head back and see my beautiful wife and kids. God willing I should have one soon.

Looking at my daughter growing up so fast, walking and getting more teeth day by day is getting to me. At the same time I know my son misses being with me, jumping all over me, telling me about his day at school and telling my wife that I gave him a piece of chocolate :). What can I say about my wife? Although I tell her I miss her, words cannot express the hole that I have in my heart or the butterflies I have in my stomach waiting for her to get online to say hello. I miss them all and cant wait to have them in my arms.

RGIT Training - Day 3

Today we completed our offshore survival training. Short after arriving, we got dressed into our survival suits and put on out life jacket and re-breathers. Re-breathers are a way of putting air into your life jacket and breathing the air underwater for up to 1 minute or more. It is a pretty simple mechanism but in case of ditching into the sea, it can save your life. I found it very easy to use although some people could not get use to breathing under water and two people left the course not being able to complete the training and hence not being able to work offshore. Our hardest task was the inverted helicopter escape where you tighten your harness, put on a hood, and check your suit zip. After this you put one hand on the window and the other on the harness release mechanism. Just before hitting the water you deploy your re-breather (putting the nose peg on and the mouth piece in). Pulling a knob, you fill the life jacket with one big breath just before you are submersed underwater. As the helicopter flips over you count to seven and push out the window nearest to you before releasing yourself from your harness. After swimming out you pull the cord on the life jacket to fill it up. After this we headed back to the classroom and learned about HSE legislation (which I learned during my diver training). Needless to say it was BORING and after lunch we had a multiple choice exam which I passed. So know I can work offshore… yep but I need to sort out more paperwork tomorrow!

RGIT Training - Day 2

Today our day started off in the classroom learning about the different types of fire extinguishers and how they work. They are all colour coded and offshore you need to know which one to use correctly. After the theory we went outside and began using them. It was quite an experience as I had never used one before and to be honest, I was surprised by the amount coming out of each extinguisher. Following lunch, we looked at escaping fires using gas masks and zero visibility. Using the back of your hands you need to pan the room and use the walls to guide you to the exit. The practical side was a lot of fun as we all looked like a bunch of wallies dancing techno moving our hands up and down and our one of our legs side to side. Our final session involved helicopter evacuation. This involved a long power point on the correct procedures to follow with a short practical in the pool. Tomorrow we have our assessment first thing in the morning!

One thing that is true… although we do not spend much time in the water, the short period we do is extremely tiring due to the water temperature.

RGIT Training - Day 1

Today I started my Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training or BOSIET at Petrofac in Aberdeen. The course is a requirement for any person planning to work offshore as it deals with the basic safety and emergency procedures to follow in case an oil rig needs evacuating. During the day we ran through the different types of life boats and life rafts available and how they all work. At the same time we were told where petroleum comes from and the different methods used to detect it. After this we were given a crash course on first aid and how to put somebody into the recovery position and perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Following this we broke for lunch (which was a fantastic buffet) and straight afterwards we got kitted out in coveralls, boots, an Offshore Rescue Suit and life preserver and began our in water training. This included how to jump into the water, how to swim with all the gear on and the best position to adopt while waiting for a rescue craft or helicopter. Overall a very packed day! Looking online at immersion suits I found this one which has be a bit puzzled...

who would bring their child offshore???

Weekend Break

After 9 weeks of putting up with snoring, passing wind, vomiting and things only god should know about I can finally look forward to being paid while working. At the same time I can relax and not worry about sitting an exam anytime soon (My relaxing so far has been gardening and washing the patio this morning). One thing that I managed to find this afternoon was a picture of me at a young age trying to be a diver at home. I hope you all can marvel at the imagination this child had!

Week 9, Day 46

Having passed the final examination and completed all of our dives, today we had to fill in our paperwork which took the entire day, mainly due to the fact that all the guys had went out to drink the evening before and had a hangover. After writing in all the dates and getting my diver logbook stamped I can now show you what you get for your 10.000 pounds:

Diving Logbook

Diving Ticket

Week 9, Day 45

Today was our final day in the water. As we prepared all the equipment aboard 'Air Diver 2' I knew this was the final stages of my long journey, or should our journey as my family have had to cope with my absence. I really miss them and can't wait to be with them. My first Scuba dive was to 27 meters and involved cutting through a steel pipe. The second dive was the exact same but to 30 meters, the maximum depth legally allowed on Scuba equipment. In between both dives one of the other divers came to the surface unconscious. Seeing this we quickly pulled him out of the water, got his diving gear off and put him on oxygen to which the instructor yelled 'End of exercise'. This 'set-up' was to see how well we would cope in a panic / emergency situation. Following this episode we went ashore and did the final exam which was 50 multiple choice questions. Luckily I passed the exam (96%) and am now a newly qualified Commercial Diver.

Week 9, Day 44

Today I made up a Surface Supply assessment dive that I had missed earlier and completed a Scuba dive. On the Surface Supply dive I dove to 123 feet and had to drill several holes in a piece of steel using a hydraulic drill. After spending almost 30min in the water I had to spent the rest of the day on deck helping the Scuba team. The reason for this is to allow the Nitrogen to leave the body before diving again. On the Scuba dive I completed a dive to 27 meters and cut a piece of pipe using a hacksaw. Needless to say I am absolutely knackered.

Tomorrow I have my final two dives and the final examination which is the hardest one of all due to the fact that it contains all the info given in the course including physics, anatomy, all diving theory and diving legislation so wish me luck guys!!

Week 9, Day 43

Scuba Exam... Passed! That means only one more examination to go and several dives left. Today we did a short dive using a 250kg parachute lifting bag to rigg an anchor. It was straight forward and the only difference from the last time I used the equipment was that this time we had a separate diving bottle to inflate it rather than our pneumo. After the dive we began to fill out folders with all our assessment dates and dives. This is very easy to do but is a long and repetitive process and will probably take us until Friday to complete.

Week 9, Day 42

Today was very busy with dives in the morning and in the evening and an exam in the afternoon. The morning dive was our last surface standby rescue dive and was like other I have already mentioned in earlier blogs.
After our dives, we did our Scuba exam which was 30 multiple choice questions. Up until now the past papers that had been handed out were roughly of the same standard as the examination but in the case of Scuba, the exam was very hard and nothing like the mock. All of the divers are thinking about the exam result which we will find out tomorrow.

In the evening we all headed down to the pier at 8:00pm and began setting up the equipment however the tide was higher than normal (in fact it was waist high) so we all put on out wetsuits and began messing about like a bunch of kids (some even jumped from the containers above the pier). After the tide finally wend down, we finished setting up and began diving. We had to dive to 16 meters and survey a wreck. Given that it was pitch dark and we only had a ‘cheap’ torch (or flashlight as it is called in America), we slowly made our way down and had a look around. It was very peaceful and a nice dive.

All things come to an end

As my last week of training comes to an end I have mixed feelings. In a way it feels like I am back at University and it is the last week of term before graduation after which you will need to face the world. What do you do? Oh crap, Reality check! Laggan Dam
I look forward to the challenges of working offshore and seeing the world but I also miss my family and wish I could be sharing my experiences with them. Fort William has not been heaven of earth nor has it been a place I would recommend someone to come and stay at for more than let’s say… one hour. At the same time however, it has became part of my routine for the past 9 weeks and I have faced a lot of personal challenges (which I still face until the end of next week).
Cairngorms National Park
The trips back and forth to Aberdeen, taking different routs, and discovering Scotland’s landscape have been an eye opener and an eye closer as the four hours each way have been tiresome. I never will get the chance to do them again in the same way nor would I want to without my family which I miss everyday more and more. View of part of Cairngorms National Park

Week 8, Day 41

Today the day started off well as I found out I passed the Surface Supplied Top-up examination which means I only have two more examinations to go (besides the dive assessments). One of our dive assessments today was a surface standby rescue using scuba equipment and a buoy. After swimming down to 15m, one diver returned to surface while one gave an emergency signal pulling on the buoy under water. In this case the surface diver had to swim out to the buoy and follow the line down to the diver upon which you secured the diver and give the emergency signal on your lifeline (4 pulls and 2 bells). Then the tenders pulled both divers to the surface. It was a good day and we managed to catch up on our dives. Only one more week to go!

Week 8, Day 40

Today we did two identical dives. They both involved the use of a buoy and lifeline signals. Once we were in the water we had to follow a line down to a sunken wreck and remain at 15 meters for 8 minutes. After this we had to swim towards an armoured car and survey it for a further 7 minutes. After this four pulls were given (to ask the surface to leave bottom) and on the way up we stopped at 3 meters for 3 minutes (in-water deco). Not exciting stuff but the good news is that not all of us failed the exam on Tuesday… we will find out tomorrow who passed.

Week 8, Day 39

After finding out that the entire class failed the Surface Supplied Top-up Exam, we began our dives. The first dive was In-water rescue assessment. Basically you observe the diver and if he appears to be on conscious:
1. Inform the surface
2. Approach the diver (making sure it is safe to do so)
3. Close his bailout if he is breathing
4. Bring diver to surface holding his harness and using his suit inflation as a buoyancy aid
5. When on surface bring him to safety

It seems obvious but if like me, you had somebody bigger and heavier to bring up, it is very tiring and by the end of the dive my legs were shaky with all the swimming.

The second dive was meant to see how we can cope with zero visibility. Under the pier there are a series of ropes that form a square. Using another rope to divide each section into strips, in turns we each had our masks taped up and were given the task of searching each area for certain objects. CLAUSTROPHOBIC PEOPLE COULD NOT DO THIS as it can feel like wearing a box on your head underwater.

Week 8, Day 38

Today our dive involved the use of through water comms. Up until now we have used life lines and ‘bone’ comms, both of which have not worked well. The thought of another ‘non-working’ comms system was in my mind but, the truth be told, the wireless comms worked brilliantly. It was like having a walky-talky under water and the reception was crystal clear.
Here is a picture to give you an idea. Basically your mask has a button on the end to talk and two headphones attached. At the same time and there is a box on your side that transmits / receives the signal.

During our dive we had to follow directions from the surface and swim along the sunken tanks on the seabed. It was a nice and easy dive that we all enjoyed.

Week 8, Day 37

Today the weather was absolutely atrocious. Hard rain and strong winds hit us under the pier and there was nowhere to hid except during our dives. During our two dives we performed an in-water rescue following the same method as used with surface supply equipment (ie running commentary, ensuring the bailout is closed and asking for assistance back to surface) Our second dive was an assessment dive and we had to take measurements of a base plate that is on the seabed. Using a tape measure and a board, a rough sketch and accurate measurements were taken and transferred on to paper on surface. Tomorrow afternoon we have the surface supplied top-up exam which is 10 written questions.

Week 7, Day 36

Today the day flew by as we only had one short dive each, however we left behind our half masks and began using full face masks. In our case we used the AGA and Exo 26 masks. Both the AGA and Exo 26 masks are used for scuba and are great to use in water. The only problem with them are the comms. To get a clear sound out of them you need sometimes stop breathing and look up so the bubbles do not come out through the side and distort what is being said. After our dives we quickly made our way back to the Underwater Centre and had a quick shower. Our Surface Supple Top up (or Wet Bell) exam is next week so I have quite a bit of reading / studying to do.

Week 7, Day 35

Today in Scuba we had two dives during which we had to know our life signals. During the first dive we had to find a clap that was thrown into the water and we were guided to the location. During the second dive (which was an assessment dive) we had to find a washer half the size of a credit card. This might seem easy but I had to search through a 'Forrest' of kelp and the sea bed was littered with small rocks and pieces of steel pipe. As I looked beneath the kelp the seabed would stir up and limit my visibility. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack and it took me 40 minutes to find. It is crazy to think, but after so much time looking for a silly washer you get a buzz when you find it. Finally I passed my Surface Supply exam that I took yesterday.

Week 7, Day 34

As we got the Scuba gear ready (fill the bottles and do a pre-dive check on all the equipment), we were given our daily brief and quickly got dressed. The dives included a swap of demand valves (or regulators) and emptying our masks before we were set off to do our task.
the dives involved the use of 'lifeline signals'. These are use to tell the diver where to go / what to do without the use of comms. While the divers were underwater, the supervisor would throw a shackle on a piece of rope and we had to find it by following the instructions given to us from the surface:

From the tender to the diver:
1 pull - Get the divers attention
2 bells - face your umbilical and head out
3 bells - face your umbilical and head right
4 bells - face your umbilical and face left
5 bells - face your umbilical and head back
2 pulls - I am sending you down a rope's end
3 pulls - You have came up too far, go back down slowly until checked
4 pulls - come up
4 pulls and 2 bells - come on, hurry up, come up for surface decompression

From the diver to the tender:
1 pull - to call attention, made bottom, left bottom
2 pulls - Send me down a rope's end
3 pulls - I am going down
4 pulls - May I come up
4 pulls and 2 bells - I want to come up (assist me)
sucession of pulls (more than 4) - Emergency

Week 7, Day 33

Today we went down to the pier and got all the equipment for our Scuba dive at the Ocean Frontier. We learnt how to setup all the equipment and the safety measure and shortly after we were taking turns in the water. Before we are allowed to swim in the ‘deep end’ of the tank we had to prove that we could empty our masks underwater. This is done by securing your mask, looking up and blowing air out of your nose. As the air fills the mask, the water is pushed out from the bottom. As we did this, we followed the instructor into the tank and began undertaking the exercises. Besides the taking off the mask and emptying it, we had to take our regulator in and out of our mouths and follow a pipe (without any mask on) blindly until we were allowed to put our mask back on. It was a great dive and being the last group in the water we were allowed to stay in a little longer. A kiss for my wife and kids!

Week 7, Day 32

Today as I headed down to the pier to get the hats ready for today's diving there was a large truck delivering a new 'toy'. In this case it was a 30 million pound mini-sub. It looked amazing and, as far as rumours that were being spread, a Chinese company had paid the centre to use its facilities to test the mini-sub. After getting ready we quickly got through our rotation and finished our Wet Bell diving by doing a surface standby rescue and an in-water rescue. This means no more hot water suits :( but it also means no more coming out of the water wet :).

Tomorrow we are due to begin our Scuba part of the course using half masks and scuba gear!

Week 6, Day 31

Today was a productive day as I managed to complete two Wet Bell dives and pass my First Aid practical.

The First Aid practical exam was straight forward but involved a lot of questions (luckily I revised last night). After blowing into the doll and performing chest compressions, I was asked about secondary assessment and head trauma. The questions then focused on heart attacks and trauma. Although it was not a 100% perfect exam, it was good enough for a pass.

During the first dive one of us left the bell and headed down to 60 feet after which a loss of comms was announced. After no response from one pull on the umbilical, the tender had to deploy the man-lift, open the Wet Bell bail-out and flush the canopy. Following this the tender had to leave and bring the diver back to the bell.

Our second dive was nearly the same but involved a loss of gas and comms during which the diver returned to the bell after four pulls.

Accident

As we were heading back along the pier from our days diving, a car that was heading towards us began swerving left and right and crashed into the piers' gate. As we saw this a few of they guys ran towards the car to find an older man suffering from what looked like a 'fit'. As his eyes rolled up and his mouth closed he was pulled from the car and put into the recovery position until an ambulance and the police arrived on scene. It was quite shocking seeing this unfold in front of our very eyes but also ironic as we are due to have our first aid practical tomorrow morning!

Week 6, Day 30

Today I had my first dive in a Wet Suit. Putting on my 'spandex' under-suit, the Wet Suit and a pair of steel caped welly boots I was ready to go into the water. During the first dive I nearly jumped out of my suit and helmet as the cold water came in contact with my body (a takes a few minutes to warm up) and my chest instantly felt freezing. We did three consecutive dives: one as a Rescuer, one as a Victim and the final one as a Surface Standby.

After reaching 40 feet the 'Victim' leaves the Wet Bell and the Rescuer uncoils and gives him umbilical until he is 20 meters from the Bell. The surface then says that the diver is not responding. In this case there are three steps to take:

1. Ensure the Wet Bells' Bail-out cylinder valves are open.
2. Flush the Bells' canopy.
3. Release the man-lift for when the diver is back in the bell.

After ensuring all three tasks are done, the Rescuer/Tender uncoils his own umbilical and picking up the divers' umbilical, follows a Job-Line until he reaches the stricken diver (informing the surface of what is happening during the entire rescue) At the same time the Surface Standby is sent in to coil both divers umbilicals as they return to the bell. Securing the Victim in the man-lift, the Rescuer pulls him up into the air pocket in the Bells' canopy. Both divers remain inside while the Surface Supply diver finishes coiling up both umbilicals and fits the security chains. Once this is done the Surface Supply diver stands on top of the Wet Bell and everybody is pulled to the surface.

Week 6, Day 29 'Nature'

Unfortunately today I did not dive due to the lack to time and problems with some of the equipment. However the weather was nice and I had a chance to walk around deck. Throughout my time here at the underwater centre I have noticed a lot of empty muscle shells scattered around the pier and the vessels.

After closer inspection and a little waiting I realised here the where coming from. The local sea gulls are swooping down during low tide and taking muscles from the pier legs. Then they fly high with them and dropping them onto the concrete pier / steel vessels to crack them open and eat them. This is truly amazing and reminded me a lot of a David Attenborough video.

Week 6, Day 28

Today we started off in the classroom going through three different PowerPoint presentations from the Surface Supplied (Top-up) Course. The first presentation was on D.P. Vessels (or Dynamically Controlled Vessels). These are ships that can keep their position on the sea without having to put an anchor down, no matter what the weather conditions. They do this via Anemometers (wind sensors), Gyro Compasses, Vertical Reference Systems, Position Reference Systems (such as Artemis and Taut Wires) and Hydro-Acoustic Systems. It is amazing how on board computers can manage this.
Secondly we looked at Wet Bell Diving and how to manage the panel on the bell. It is different from what we have done up till now as the divers umbilicals are attached and controlled at the Wet Bell rather than the surface. There is quite a lot to take in and the checks before a dive are quite extensive and repetitive but always... safety comes first.
Finally we looked at Hot Water Suits and how they work. Underneath the suit, instead of wearing a woolly bear (or all in one warm suit) you wear a thin neoprene suit which looks and feels like Spandex. I can imagine seeing a bunch of guys wearing this is not the best sight in the world but if it works then so be it. On top of this you put on the Hot water suit which is like a wet suit but with tubes than run up and down the body, arms and legs pushing hot water throughout. It like wearing a warm sprinkler system.
As we left the classroom and headed towards the barge we each got our ' Spandex suits' and were shown the Hot Wet Suits.
Our first dive involved going down in the Wet Bell and as one diver left the bell the other tendered him (this means de-coil and coil his umbilical). We did a quick loss of comms where the surface switches the bell lights on/off and the tender blows the wet bell pneumo twice to signal the surface. Following this one pull followed by four consecutive pulls is given to the diver outside the bell and as he returns the tender coils his umbilical. We only did 20 meters worth but it was very tiring.

Week 6, Day 27

Today we did our final practical assessment for the surface supply course. As usual the weather was miserable as it rained heavily non stop. We had to swim down to 144 feet and put together some scaffolding to form a cube. Armed with an Allen key and your hands it is not a hard task but it is mainly about teamwork rather than the building. After that we had to spend 28 minutes doing in-water decompression.

Week 5, Day 26

Today we did a repeat dive of what we did yesterday. At the underwater centre a lot of the deeper dives are repeated in order to make sure divers are fully competent and can cope with the lack of visibility and pressure. Needless to day everything went well.

Week 5, Day 25

Today we did a dive down to 144 feet. At this depth the visibility is very poor and you vocie sounds like Donald Duck. At the same time you can feel the effect of narcosis. Its like being slightly drunk but you know what you are doing. During out 10 minutes a the bottom we had put two wire rope clips across a piece of wire to form a loop. It was straight forward however, one aspect I enjoyed was the R.O.V.'s that were following us during the whole operation.

It reminded me a lot of the movie 'batteries not included'... as this 'robot' was moving around us with lights and cameras.