Mystery Diver

June 2002
The best part of being in a diving club in university is that all the kit is provided, or it was in my student days. But what is it like for students who want to dive but have no access to a university club? Armed with a budget of only £500, Mystery Diver was about to find out.

How would Above and Below, the dive store in Hull, deal with a recently warmwater-qualified PADI Open Water Diver about to go back to university to do a one-year postgrad qualification? Tucked away under some old arches, Above and Below is no giant diving superstore. Compact, welcoming and reasonably well stocked were my initial thoughts.

Liz and Martin, the resident instructor, greeted me. On hearing of my predicament they started to let me down slowly. My budget would not meet my dream of diving and dissertations. Liz reckoned I would need about £600 for a BC and regulator, and a drysuit would set me back £350-
plus - fairly realistic, though some budget ranges on the market would cost less.

I told them that I would only be studying for a year and after that doubted if I would get the chance to dive for a while. That was when Liz came up with an idea that would enable me to dive within my budget. Above and Below offered a full kit-hire service, common in warm-weather resorts, but less so here

Liz insisted that I complete a drysuit course before renting, and at £60 for the course and two dives (including gear) this didn't seem to harsh. After this, hiring kit by the day would set me back £35. Two dives off a local boat would be an extra £15. If £50 for two dives sounds dear, compare it with an upfront outlay on kit (some £1200) plus wear and tear and airfills.

The store also hosted a club that met regularly and had a healthy variety of dives on its board. Liz and Martin were friendly and seemed genuine. They answered daft questions such as "Why can't I just use two octopuses, it's cheaper?" intelligently and without making me feel stupid. Now I really tested them, asking advice on buying used gear elsewhere with a views to joining the University Club.

They did not stand to gain financially, so would there service be as good? It was. They told me what to look for in a drysuit, how to try it on, how to check seals and zips and why I should beware buying a reg secondhand - all excellent advice.

I liked the atmosphere at Above and Below and almost wished I were going back to uni and could join its club!

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