While not working, i have enjoyed the following:
Scuba diving
My main hobby over the last 20 years has been scuba diving. Learning to dive the British Sub-Aqua Club?(BSAC) way?with the?University of Hertfordshire Sub-Aqua Club?in 1994,?continuing training with Scuba Schools International (SSI)?while i was living in?the USA near Reston, Virginia and finally completing my BSAC Sports Diver training with Oxford University Underwater Exploration Group (OUUEG) in 1997. Since then, i have completed the?BSAC Advanced Diver and Advanced Instructor courses, spending 15 years training the next generation of OUUEG divers. More recently, i have completed the TDI Trimix course with Mark Powell and IANTD Nitrox closed circuit rebreather (CCR)?course on the AP-Diving Inspiration Vision with Kieran Hatton.
Sailing
While working for IBM, i had the opportunity to learn to sail dinghy’s at the Queen Mary?Sailing Club. IBM had their own vessels, which i could use when they were available. I completed my RYA level 2 dinghy sailing course and participated in the Saturday club using IBM’s Topper Xenon dinghy’s. I need to build up more experience to be confident in sailing in all conditions, but there is time…
Photography
I am an amateur photographer who is still working out what my style is. I enjoy taking portrait and wild life photography. During my current trip, i am able to work on both of these aspects of photography, as well as work on the kind of images that help tell the story of my trip. Please take a look at my photos from the my around the world motorcycle trip and previous occasions, posted on Flickr.
Volunteering
In 2010, while living in Wootton, near Oxford i found that the local youth club that?had shutdown while the local community center was being redeveloped was reforming. I went along to find out what was planned and came away as the treasurer of Wootton and Dry-Sandford Youth Club Group. I supported the group until 2012 when i moved from Wootton.
In 2012, after delaying for a couple of years, i joined SERV-OBN, a group of bikers who offered an out of hours service to the NHS delivering blood to local hospitals and clinics. When i moved to Exmouth in November 2012, I transferred to Devon Freewheelers who provided a similar service across Devon.