Diving with Plymouth University

Kate Stanton  (dive officer), Ben Robinson  (marine biologist) and I headed down for a week of diving in the vast waters of Plymouth.

Together we are the foundation of the wintering dive team...We are a team of the few people conducting science at Rothera during the Winter. Due to this we need to make sure that we all work together and that our diving is tiptop  before heading down south.

We spent the week at the amazing new Plymouth marine station with Plymouth University. Matt Brown ( ex BAS dive officer and station commander) and the rest of the awesome dive instructors at UOP guided us through the training. Thanks to Bex, Charlie, Cath, Mike, Pete and Pete for your help!

The aim of the week was to test our new drysuits  (courtesy of BAS) and testing out the BAS dive kit, where the bail out block (reserve tank handle) is on the mask instead of the usual waist strap; additionally diving with each other and building up trust.

Thursday was spent up at DDRC where we learnt to operate a dive chamber. Within a dive chamber there is always a dive medic to assist the bent diver, so we even learnt how to mend a pneumothorax! With our small dive team we will be mucking in with everything on base, however, one major task is the diving so if anything goes wrong then we have a slick system in place to give high standard treatment in fast time.

We made most of the sun!

By the end of the week everything came together after a few issues here and there and getting my buoyancy correct in my new suit!

We can't wait to get started! When we get to Rothera we will have more drills and once we are happy diving in the extreme environment of Antarctica then the real work will begin ... seriously we're diving in ANTARCTICA !?!! Bah

3rd year medical course in 3 days

A few of us wintering  folk were picked to do an advanced first aid course, the reason for this is the fact that we only have one doctor (Tom) during the winter and he can't do everything...especially if ends up ill! We fitted what felt like a 3rd year medical course into 3 days!

The aim was to be train us up to be medical assistants but to also do some of the minor even to major things on our own.

Would you trust this man? Our lovely doc for the next 18 months. #lad

We spent our time split between DDRC and observing patients in the emergency department in Derriford hospital. In an intense few days we learnt how to provide basic life support through developing our ABCDE care but more about how to stabilise the patient, we learnt how to x ray, plaster each other, put a cannula in to attach an IV drip, administer adrenaline and antibiotics and a few more skills that hopefully we won't need.

Our skills were tested on a similuator, it was the scariest version of any doll I've ever seen! His eyes moved, he spoke and he had real fits and breathing difficulties; so when we were placed inside this room with what felt like examiners on the other side it actually felt like a real situation! All patients lived after so I think we did a good job!

Now onto Plymouth dive week; Kate's definitely ready for this!

My first desk...!

I had a week in the head office of BAS in Cambridge last week where I was given my own desk...that was pretty exciting until it hit me that even if the sun is shining you need to sit at your desk! I worked to prepare for the projects that I need to complete when I arrive in December but also came up with with a winter scientific project which should be exciting when I start to collect some samples!

It is however, weird to think that my next desk will be looking over the Rothera runway (that will definitely distract me) and the amazing ice shelf (even more distraction)....not to mention the penguins!

I also found the only hill in cambridge ( I can't cope with how flat it is) and went punting with Ben and Benedict...A must when one is in Cambridge apparently. Great fun!

Now onto working with BASMU in the A&E department of Derriford hospital in Plymouth !