We are pleased to be able to announce some new course offerings, written in-house by Ollie, and backed by PADI, all of which are aimed at growing and improving our eco-friendly, conservation-based training:
Sea Slug Awareness: inspired by the quarterly Sea Slug census, and the increased interest that has brought to these diminutive critters, the Sea Slug Awareness course focuses on teaching divers all about the various species that fall under the banner of “Sea Slug”. Whether it’s Nudibranchs, Pleurobranchs, or Sap-sucking slugs, learning about the behaviours and lifestyles of these enigmatic little creatures will help you gain a new appreciation for them, and maybe even help you find more on the next census.
Cephalopod Awareness: Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid and Nautilus have lived in our oceans since pre-historic times and have evolved into some of the most incredible and interesting creatures existing on the planet today. This course will teach you about the differences between the various genus of Cephalopods, as well as some of their most interesting features and behaviours.
Survey Diver: bringing together some of the skills taught on the differing Awareness courses Ollie has written, the Survey Diver course is designed to teach the various citizen science methods for gathering marine life data. Covering a number of different techniques, and incorporating both substrate and marine life surveys, this course will set you up to become a key part of our ongoing conservation efforts.
As an extra pillar of recognition for those who participate in and master the skills from our expanding conservation-based course offerings, we also now offer a Dedicated Master Scuba Diver rating. It is called “Eco Diver”, and to achieve this unique rating you need to have completed the following:
- Earn certification in 4 of the Aquatic Adventures conservation-based Awareness courses
- Earn certification as a Survey Diver
- Be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver
- Have completed and logged 50+ dives
The next sessions of our various conservation courses are as follows, with extra sessions likely to be added on demand over the coming months:
- Survey Diver – theory evening 03/10, dives 06/10
- Sea Slug Awareness – theory evening 24/10, dives 27/10
- Cephalopod Awareness – theory evening 31/10, dives 03/11
- Invasive Species Management – theory evening 07/11, dives 10/11
- Syngnathid Awareness – theory evening 14/11, dives 17/11
Lastly, Ollie would like to know which of the following he should work on next. At the time of writing this, all the following are planned courses, however if there is particular interest in any of them over the others, then that is the one he will work on first (displayed in alphabetical order, and not necessarily with their final names):
- Alismatales & Eukaryota Awareness (Sea grasses & Seaweed etc)
- Batoidea Awareness (Stingrays, Skates etc)
- Cnidarian Awareness (Jellyfish, Anemones etc)
- Crustacean Awareness (Crabs, Lobsters, Shrimp etc)
- Echinoderm Awareness (Starfish, Sea urchins etc)
- Porifera Awareness (Sponges etc)
