No, that is not just a heading, we do indeed welcome you!
Whether you are a complete beginner or are already partly or fully trained, we believe that this club has plenty to offer you. We also know that without a steady inflow of new members, the club would become stale, so you already have something to offer us.
So, why do you want to join us?
Hopefully,
the primary reason is that you want to be or already are a diver, and you want
to join a club to dive with like-minded friends.
If you are a complete beginner and are feeling intimidated by the thought of mingling with experienced divers - well, don’t be. We can all remember ourselves being beginners! To train you we assume only that you can swim, and are confident and competent in the water. You certainly do not have to be an Olympic-standard swimmer - stamina is far more important than speed or style.
Another good reason for joining is the social aspect of the club. We hold a training session followed by an informal meeting every week. The training takes place in the pool of a local school, and the socialising in a local pub after training. Also, during the diving season we go away on several weekends to coastal divesites, and socialise after the diving (funnily enough, usually also in a pub).
One thing to bear in mind is that our training schedule is spread over about three months, so if you want to learn to dive before going on holiday in say two months time, we would not be able to teach you in time. However, there are specialist dive schools which can train you within a week - provided that you have a week’s holiday in hand to go to the school, and also are willing to pay for the tuition.
The fundamental difference between a BS-AC branch such as ours and a dive school is that the BS-AC branch is a collection of like-minded individuals who enjoy diving, who enjoy socialising together, and who enjoy putting some time to one side to train newcomers without payment for the tuition, whereas a dive school is a commercial, profit-making organisation whose “product” is trained divers.
We hold no animosity whatsoever towards dive schools - they can be very useful to us. If someone just has to be trained quickly, we will point him or her towards a dive school for the initial training, then suggest he or she comes back to us as a trained if inexperienced diver who can then continue to gather experience and undertake training to higher grades with us.
OK. I can swim - what other entry criteria are there?
Number
one; let us be blunt - the cost. You need to spend about £2000 buying
your diving equipment. We will be letting you down badly if we do not make this
perfectly clear right from the outset. On top of that is the cost of membership
which for the first year is about another £200.
However, once your wallet has got over the shock of paying the initial costs, diving is a fairly cheap sport to keep up, because with careful maintenance and sensible use your equipment should last for many years. The membership renewal fee is cheaper as well, because part of the joining fee goes towards the maintenance of branch-owned equipment which is available for your use during your training.
For people who qualify as low-income (according to government criteria) we have certain ways of spreading the time over which purchases of equipment need to be made. These concessions are made on a case-by-case basis, so if you think you would qualify, please contact us for further advice.
Number two; there are certain medical conditions which bar a person from diving.
These include brain disorders such as epilepsy, lung disorders such as asthma
and TB, most heart disorders and some types of diabetes - if not under effective
control, diabetes is a definite bar to diving. Most psychological disorders
are also a bar. So are certain phobias, such as fear of confined spaces, or
fear of water (though probably no sufferer of these fears would even think of
taking up diving)!
You will be asked to sign a self-declaration medical form before you are asked for any money. This is a document in which you formally state that you have none of the conditions which would adversely affect your diving. We clearly warn you – lying on the form to cover up a condition can and indeed might well cost you your life. Lying would also invalidate your insurance cover. Don’t lie!
What is the British Sub-Aqua Club?
The British Sub-Aqua Club is the largest diving club in the world, having over 40,000 members. It consists of several hundred autonomous branches, which are all guided by a national Council. Council consists of volunteer members who are drawn from branches and elected by the entire membership – or rather those members who bother to use their vote. There is a small salaried administrative staff at Ellesmere Port headquarters.
There
are regional and area “coaches” who are available to branches to
assist in training requirements and who also arrange and run specialist courses
separately from individual branches; these people are very experienced divers
who perform sterling unpaid work.
For much more detailed information, please log on to the excellent website run by our headquarters, www.bsac.org
We would emphasise that as one of the BS-AC branches we obey the BS-AC rules and guidelines, and that the training we provide is by BS-AC qualified instructors to the BS-AC syllabus.
Perhaps a better question would be “What is a BS-AC branch?”
As a members’ club, the BS-AC nationally has a Constitution and a set of Rules. We as a branch locally have a Constitution and a set of Rules of our own. This is not mere bureaucracy; some of the money held by the club nationally and by this branch will be yours, so it is advantageous to all concerned to know precisely what may and may not be done with branch funds, and what is and is not permitted behaviour.
Indeed all the other BS-AC branches operate in a similar way, although each branch is a separate entity. Therefore the “culture” of any given branch can be quite different from another - some branches are formed of absolutely fanatical divers who seem to have no other interest, while on the other hand other branches are very easy-going and are formed of “fair-weather” divers. We like to think that our branch is somewhere in the middle of this range.
Our branch is one of the oldest; number 12. It was formed in 1953, and is still going strongly. One of the reasons that we follow the middle ground is that there is a good mix of long-standing experienced members and up-and-coming newcomers. But both for “old” members and relative newcomers, you get most from the branch by being actively involved in it. Do remember - even if you are a newcomer, you can make a contribution to the branch.
Established members may get satisfaction from serving on the branch Committee, instructors by training newcomers, but all, including newcomers, can and do help with odd jobs when a weekend dive is being organised. What is your job, or your other hobbies? Maybe you have a skill entirely unrelated to diving which will be of great use to the branch.
What is the branch structure?
Firstly, it is important to know that there are no paid jobs within a BS-AC branch. All work is carried out by volunteers.
All branches are run by their own Committee which has on it at least four Officers (Chairman, Secretary, Diving Officer and Treasurer). However almost all branches have additional posts on their Committees to spread the workload so that no job is unduly onerous. Our branch is no exception, and elsewhere on this website you will find a page with the Committee members and their phone numbers listed.
However all branch members are encouraged to assist in the running of the branch - all walks of life can be found within the branch, so your work or hobby expertise may well be relevant to solving some little problem which may crop up from time to time.
Where and when does the Branch meet?
Practical
training takes place every Tuesday evening at the Parogon Baths, Newcastle High
School, Lancaster Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme starting at 20:30, though it is
better to arrive early so that the maximum time can be spent in the water.
Theory instruction takes place concurrently with your practical training on a different evening, at locations and times arranged to suit trainees and instructors.
An after-training social gathering takes place at a local pub; currently this is the Red Lion, in Stoke Old Road in Hartshill behind Afford Rent-a-Car on the Newcastle to Stoke road.
The costs; what is my membership money
spent on?
When you join, your initial subscription is more than when you renew your annual subscription.
This is because the branch owns some equipment which is used for training purposes; you do not have to buy all your equipment at one time. Your extra payment upon joining helps maintain this equipment.
We mentioned earlier that your initial pool training will be spread over about three months. After this there are open-water training drills (initially in local quarries, but later in the sea). During this time, branch-owned equipment is available to you. At the end of that time you really ought to have all your own gear, though the branch will loan the training gear to you, subject to availability, for a small charge. You will need to buy your own drysuit, because the branch does not hold any of these for training.
We also mentioned earlier that potential members who are officially on low income can ask to take advantage of special arrangements – please ask if you think you would qualify.
Other costs are on a dive-by-dive basis and include boat fees when diving from the 6-person rigid-hulled inflatable owned by the branch or alternatively from a boat (typically 12-person) chartered by the branch for a specific diving holiday, and any travelling, camping, caravanning or B&B fees associated with a dive trip.
Your compressed air cylinders are filled free by the branch, as one of the facilities covered by your subscription, except on dive trips when you will have to pay a filling station local to the divesite when getting them refilled.
If you can help by towing the branch rigid-hulled inflatable to a divesite,
you will be reimbursed expenses by the branch.
Why does it take three months to train?
Well, it may do, or may not do. We have stated that we follow the BS-AC syllabus; this is a set course with set standards, decided by the national Council.
However, people vary widely in aptitude for learning new skills, and in their dexterity in carrying those skills out. It is quite possible someone could complete the course in less than three months if he or she is unusually apt, but it is equally possible another person could take longer than three months.
We do try to pair trainees, as closely as possible, with another of similar ability. No, we do not sneer at a less-apt trainee - provided the trainee shows enthusiasm, we will eventually get him or her to the required standard. We really do know that everyone is of different ability. Actually, we also know that one individual might find a certain exercise difficult, while his or her paired trainee might find that one easy, whereas for a different exercise the roles might be reversed. This is quite normal, and while we try to keep pairs of newcomers together, just occasionally both trainees benefit from being split to train at their own pace.
Firstly there is a basic swimming assessment. If you are truly interested in becoming a diver, you will be able to swim well enough to pass this – it is not onerous.
There are seven theory lessons, but some of these would take too long to deliver properly in one evening, so expect eight or nine weeks of theory. After this there is a theory test at which the pass mark is 80% minimum – so pay attention!
There are five separate pool sessions, although these also can, as with the theory lessons, be split over a greater number of weeks. Instruction in the use of a drysuit can take two or three weeks. Performance during these sessions is monitored by continuous assessment; there is no formal practical test. However, an informal overall assessment is conducted, especially if more than one instructor has given you training, to ensure we have missed nothing out.
There are five open-water training dives (yes, we said you need to buy your own kit, especially your drysuit) which again are monitored by continuous assessment.
After your instructor is satisfied that you have grasped what you have been taught, and you have passed the theory test to the required standard, we grade you as an Ocean Diver, the first of the recognised diving grades.
We teach at your pace - we do not push trainees beyond their individual limits.
What are the diving grades?
As
mentioned above, once you have passed through your initial training, you are
graded as an Ocean Diver. An Ocean Diver is inexperienced, so is limited to
simple, shallow dives which are within the circumstances covered during training.
These dives are preferably lead by an experienced diver of higher grade.
After six more theory lessons (yes, and another test requiring a minimum 80% pass mark) another pool lesson, five more open-water training dives and some more dives to gain experience you are graded as a Sports Diver. A Sports Diver is capable of going diving with another Sports Diver, and enjoying fairly varied dives.
After twelve more theory lessons (yes, and yet another test requiring a minimum 80% pass mark), seven open-water training dives and at least twenty more dives for experience, including some during which you act as dive leader whilst taking an instructor diving - he or she is assessing your capability to lead the dive - you are graded as a Dive Leader. A Dive Leader is a fully-qualified diver who can organise branch dives to known locations, and is capable of looking after inexperienced divers.
After four more theory lessons (yes, and yet another test requiring a minimum 80% pass mark), two more practical sessions, at least twenty more experience dives and participation in some courses run by BS-AC nationally through the coaching scheme you are graded as an Advanced Diver. An Advanced Diver is a person who is capable of arranging branch expeditions to locations not usually frequented by the branch, which require extensive planning and organisation.
It might seem that a complete novice could attain Advanced Diver status within a year. This is not really how things work in practice – EXPERIENCE is as important as formal training after the attainment of the Ocean Diver grade, so even a really adept newcomer will take at least two years to reach this grade – many people do not wish to advance so far.
Finally, after showing evidence to BS-AC HQ of extensive diving experience, and passing very demanding tests, both theory and practical, set at national level you can be graded First Class Diver. Few indeed make this grade!
What are the instructor grades?
All instructors are recognised nationally, having attended nationally-run 
courses;
this ensures a consistent standard between branches.
The first is Assistant Diving Instructor. To hold this position, a Sports Diver (or above) must have attended a BSAC Instructor Foundation Course. An Assistant teaches under the supervision of a more-experienced instructor.
Next there is Open-Water Instructor. This is an Assistant Diving Instructor who is at least a Dive Leader and who has attended another nationally-run practical instructing course and appreciates the additional dangers of teaching in an open-water environment.
Next there is Advanced Instructor, who is an Open-Water Instructor who has additionally attended a practical instructing course and an examination, and has also gained at least Advanced Diver grade. An Advanced Instructor is qualified to teach in open water, and to supervise less-qualified instructors. He or she might well be available to the coaching scheme to instruct on courses run nationally through the coaching scheme.
Finally there is National Instructor, who must be a First Class Diver, and who is qualified to supervise all the nationally-run courses available under the coaching scheme.
After I have done my training, what can I do?
This
is where belonging to a club formed of like-minded friends really comes into
its own. There are many aspects to diving, so all tastes can be catered for.
Perhaps most members of North Staffs Divers prefer “scenic” diving, just diving to look at the underwater world. The sites visited with our own boat are along the North Wales coast, though trips to Salcombe, West Wales and the Yorkshire / Humber coast around Flamborough Head are arranged from time to time.
Wreck diving is also popular; this is often best done by taking trips on charter boats, we go as far afield as Scapa Flow in the Orkneys, Oban on the West coast of Scotland, to Plymouth on the South coast of England.
Foreign trips are arranged most years, perhaps to the Red Sea; a trip to the South coast of Ireland is being mooted.
Once experience has been gained in the art of diving itself, there are many
interests which can flow from your new skill. These include underwater photography,
underwater archaeology, and learning about marine life.
Are there alternative training agencies?
Yes! This is a good thing - it keeps the BS-AC “on its toes”!
The major one is PADI - The Professional Association of Diving Instructors. This organisation originated in the USA, and started to make a major impact in Britain in the early 1990s. In some respects it resembles BS-AC schools, because it exists to train people to dive, but as yet simply has no truly organised branch structure to help those divers find friends with whom to dive after they are trained.
Again, as with BS-AC schools, PADI training is concentrated into a short period of time, and again like BS-AC schools is expensive.
We as a branch of the BS-AC do not denigrate PADI or PADI-trained divers - indeed, several of our members first learnt to dive with PADI, then joined us after finding it difficult to link up with regular diving buddies.
There is a recognised conversion procedure to bring ex-PADI divers into the BS-AC, and to re-grade them to the appropriate BS-AC equivalent grade.
Has this article answered your questions?
We think the usual queries have been covered, but are aware that specialised queries, such as from a newcomer who is disabled, may not have been. Should you have any worries or questions do please ask! Contact names and addresses are found elsewhere on our website.
Once again, welcome!