BSAC & Training

BSAC

Like so many great organisations, the BSAC started small. Oscar Gugon and Peter Small gathered a few enthusiasts together and decided that divers needed a club... and the rest is history.

The British Sub Aqua Club was founded in 1953 and became a founding member of CMAS, the World Underwater Federation in 1959. Since then it has grown to be the largest diving club in the world with 45,000+ members in 1000+ branches spread around the world in 30+ countries.

BSAC Branches are the foundation on which it has built its reputation offering diving instruction toward internationally-recognised qualifications, together with a path to gaining further experience

BSAC Marina Alta has equipment for trainees to use, our own RIB boat which will take 6 fully kitted divers and highly experienced instructors who can also teach Rescue techniques, First Aid, Boat Handling, Marine Biology, for example.

Most members will also rate the social character of a BSAC Branch as a major advantage over other ways of taking up diving since it provided a means of making steady progress in good company. We have social events, parties, beach days when we use our small sailing catamaran. Windsurfers, etc.

Try - dive

After talking to club members, the next step is to have a Try-Dive. This would be a short talk about diving, a check that you have no medical problems and can swim,  the use of mask, fins and snorkel then poolside tuition to introduce you to diving techniques and equipment. This is followed by a scuba dive in the pool with BSAC qualified instructors to make sure you get maximum enjoyment from your first scuba dive.

BSAC Qualifications

When you join a BSAC course you will see that diving skills are taught progressively so that each new experience is built upon step by step. Following basic training in the safety of a swimming pool or protected area, students soon complete their first open water dives to achieve Ocean Diver certification. This progression continues to Sports Diver and beyond, where open water skills and techniques are further developed and experience gained.

Ocean Diver

This course provides you with the essential knowledge and skills needed to prepare for open water diving. Learning to dive is all about learning to use your equipment properly and safely. The Ocean Diver training course concentrates on preparing you for this in the safety of a swimming pool or sheltered water and then introducing you to open water in a controlled and safe manner. This also gives you the opportunity to practice safety skills in the company of a qualified instructor or experienced diver.

Sports Diver

In Sports Diver training, the emphasis is on building a sound foundation of open water diving skills and experience through a series of structured practical lessons. Once you have gained this open water experience with a qualified instructor, you are ready to take part in dives with other Sports Divers or those of higher grades.

 Dive Leader

Dive Leader training concentrates on the responsibilities and safety aspects of leading other divers on an open water dive. Practical lessons in rescue management and rescue skills will give you the confidence and ability to deal with those unforeseen emergencies. Leading a dive will develop your enjoyment, confidence and experience as a diver.

 Advanced Diver

The Advanced Diver course further develops your knowledge and skills. You will gain experience in planning and organising dives at different sites and under different circumstances. Additional experience will be gained in using small boats, chartwork. navigation and many other related skills. The BSAC consider this grade a fully trained diver.

 First Class Diver

The BSAC's highest diving grade which requires a higher than average level of theoretical knowledge, organisational and personal diving skills. The First Class Diver award is a culmination of a number of years' of diving experience. BSAC 1st Class Divers are assessed through nationally conducted

 BSAC Shop

A wonderland of everything to do with diving, including magnificent books on diving techniques, famous dive sites around the world, marine life, nautical archaeology, maritime history, etc as well as the formal manuals needed to become an experienced diver such as:

The Diving Manual

In this new manual, specifically written for the diving beginner, the BSAC has distilled a vast amount of information into user-friendly bite-size chunks. Authoritatively written chapters include coverage of basic skills, techniques and the underwater environment.

Dive Leading

This new book aims to take just-qualified divers through to dive leaders and to act as a reference source for other diver grades. Chapters cover areas such as planning the dive, the diving environment, breathing gases, and types of diving. Dive Leading is an essential text for those divers who are on the path to becoming a dive leader and it will remain a useful source of information throughout their diving lifetimes.

Safety & Rescue for Divers

Whilst diving is not classified as a dangerous sport, knowledge of accident prevention and rescue techniques are none the less important. This book covers these vital subjects through sections such as Incident Anticipation, Diving First Aid, Assisted Ascents, Rescue Management, Oxygen Administration, Recompression Therapy and even a section on Hazardous Marine Life. Should your dive buddy be without it?

BSAC'88 Decompression Tables

In 1985 BSAC commissioned Dr Tom Hennessy, a world renowned researcher in the field, to jointly produce the first decompression tables specifically designed for sports diving. Published in 1988, so known as the BSAC '88 Tables, they form a booklet of four table sets giving no-calculation repeat diving solutions from sea level to 3000 metres altitude.

BSAC'88 Nitrox Decompression Tables

Hailed as the simplest dive tables to use and to teach, they have now been joined by a new publication, the BSAC Nitrox Tables. This four-booklet set covers air, Nitrox 27%, 32% and 36%. The only true Nitrox, rather than EAD, tables they again follow the BSAC no-calculation format. Both publications are printed on waterproof plastic.

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