Learning to Dive
Our club is a member of and therefore follows the British Sub Aqua Club training systen. The entry level qualification is called "Ocean Diver".
- What is BSAC and club training?
- What can I do with this qualification ?
- What will it involve ?
- How long will it take?
- How much will it cost?
- Where do I go after Ocean Diver?
What is BSAC and club training?
BSAC is recognised as the UK governing body for scuba diving. 
It works slightly differently to what you may have heard of abroad in that clubs are amatuer, courses are "free", instructors are not paid. You simply pay for your BSAC membership, course materials, join a club and training is then done at-cost.
What can I do with this qualification ?
The BSAC "Ocean Diver" qualification is recognised and accepted world wide so whether you want to dive abroad, with the club or elsewhere you'll be able to.
It qualifies you to dive with a suitable buddy to a depth of 20 metres and since January 2007 also use a limited selection of gases known as Nitrox.
After completing the course you'll be able to go on holiday, dive trips in britain or club trips and be able to dive to the limits of qualification without problem. For more information see the BSAC official site description.
What will it involve ?
Before beginning the course you will need to have completed a self-declaration medical form. 
You will also be required to purchase the ocean diver training pack. For comfort and hygiene reasons we require trainees to purchase their own properly fitting mask,fins and snorkel prior to commencing training.
SCUBA equipment is loaned for the duration of sheltered water training but we require trainees to have purchased their own equipment before beginning the open water dives.
The course itself consists of:
- 7 classroom theory lessons
- A multiple choice theory assessment
- a basic swimming assessment (dont worry its not that bad!)
- 5 sheltered water lessons (ie the swimming pool)
- 5 open water lessons, minimum of 120 minutes underwater.
Typically the sheltered water lessons are run 1 per week between 7pm and 8pm and the classroom lectures are run from about 8.30pm in the same venue or occasionally on weekends. Open water dives are generally done on weekends.
For a more complete description of the course see the official BSAC site.
How long will it take ?
Generally we run 1 sheltered water and 1 theory lesson per week. This means you can expect to take approximately 7 weeks to complete that part of the course.
As for the open water dives the timing is far more down to you. Dives are generally performed on weekends whenever the trainee is available. Typically you do 2 dives per day training. In theory it could be completed in 2 weekends but in reality it may well take longer due to availability of trainees, instructors and a delay while trainees purchase the required equipment.
Due to limited numbers of equipment and instructors training is usually run several times a year at fixed dates and require advance booking as places are limited.
In short, expect it to take 10 weeks or more depending on you !
How much will it cost?
OK now for the not-so-nice part!
Scuba diving generally isn't a cheap sport and its important you are aware of that from the start.
Initially we require the purchase of a training pack (£30) and be a full member of BSAC (£45 per year) along with the club (£8 per month). In addition we require the trainee to own their own mask, fins and snorkel (£60 or so). This is the initial outlay needed for the sheltered water training.
When it comes to the open water dives we require the trainee to own most of their own scuba equipment (maybe not a tank). Depending on if this is sourced new, second hand, part of a bundle the cost varies but you can expect to pay at least several hundred pounds in total.
Having said that, once you have your own equipment you'll find it'll last for years, possibly decades!
Where do I go after Ocean Diver?
After completing Ocean Diver its important to realise this is the very bottom of the tree. With further training and 
experience you can complete courses which will increase your depth limit, learn far more rescue skills and perform more complicated dives. For more information see the "training" section on this site.
If you're interested in learning to dive with us or have any questions at all then please contact us !