From: russell@kings.demon.co.uk (Russell Brown)
Subject: What is the BSAC (long)
Organization: Lady Lodge Systems, Peterborough, England
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 13:20:51 GMT


OK, various people on the net have asked about the BSAC so here's some
info.  All the typos are of my making, the content is summarised from
the BSAC training manuals without permission.

Perhaps this posting will be of use/interest to those not familiar with
the BSAC and give some indication of the training deemed necessary for
divers in British waters.

I've a summary of the Novice course typed up and I'm posting it after
this article.  If there's interest (and time permitting) I'll summarise
the other training levels and post - let me know if this is of interest.

At the end of this article, there's a bit of background on the BSAC for
info (sorry for the salesy pitch, these words were taken from another
document that *is* intended to be selling the BSAC!):-

The BSAC teaches four levels of qualification at branch (club) level:-

	Novice Diver
	    Basic dive skills learn't - can only dive under supervision.
	Sports Diver 
	    Can dive without direct supervision but *not* with Novice Divers.
	Dive Leader 
	    Can supervise Novice Divers
	Advanced Diver
	    Can organise diving expeditions at branch level.

after achieving Dive Leader level, BSAC members can progress to the
Nationaly awarded Instructor levels :-

	Club Intructor
	Advanced Instructor
	National Instructor

A further qualification of First Class Diver can also be achieved at
National level - these people don't need an aqualung or dive boat :-)

To give you some idea of the sort of (typical?) branch structure, our
branch (Peterborough 297) currently has around 70 members of whom the
majority are qualified to Sports Diver or greater (recently the BSAC
have deemed that Dive Leader should be the 'normal' level of achievment
and we are consequently working towards that aim).

Within our branch, we have five Advanced Instructors and a further eight
Club Instructors plus a few members who have been on the Instructor
courses but not yet taken examinations.

The branch is run by an elected committee of members and meets twice
weekly throughout the year (one dry and one wet evening) and has some
sort of diving (pit during the winter, sea during the summer) organised
for most weekends.  Group trips to locations 'further afield' are
organised a couple of times a year as are a number of social events
throughout the year.

The branch owns it's own compressors (fixed and portable), it's own RIB
(5.5 meter Delta with 75Hp O/B) fully kitted with Nav Aids (Decca), Echo
Sounder, VHF Radio and O2 kit, it's own manikin for EAR training, six
sets of aqualung equipment and BC's for training.  Additional support
comes from loans of private diving equipment in times of need and the
support of three more RIB's owned by branch members and used to support
branch diving (each of these other RIB's are also fully kitted, mostly
with GPS and one with a Proton Magnetometer; they also carry O2 sets
partly (50%) funded by the branch).

On a good day, we carry over 24 divers on a branch diving trip the
majority of which take place on the east coast of England at depths
between 10 and 35 meters.  Almost all dives are wreck dives.

Membership costs around 100 UK Pounds per annum. Diving from the club's
boat costs 10 UK Pounds per day. Air fills cost 1.50 UK Pounds for upto
232 bar and 2 UK Pounds for 300 bar cylinders.

Trainees can rent the club training equipment at around 2 UK Pounds per
week.

All members, once qualified, are required to have at least an octopus,
preferably an independant air source (pony - no spare airs!).  Each
member *must* use a BC fitted with a refillable *air* cylinder
(breathing CO2 is not very useful!) - Note:  these are *branch* not BSAC
rules.

The BSAC has it's own third party liability insurance to, amoungst
other things, defend members and or/Instructors against claims of
negligence or carelessness.

Before starting Diver training, people receive a 'BSAC Introduction
Course)

	Entry Requirments:-
	
		Minimum age 14
		Able to swin 100 meters
	
	Course Content

		1-1.5 hours dry. 1-1.5 hours wet

		Illustrate talk - 'The sport of diving'
		Practical - Introduction to snorkelling and aqualung diving'
			Actually try it in the swimming pool!
		Talk - 'Where to learn, what it costs'

New members then progress to the Novice Diver course (which follows in
another posting).

***** Start of Blurb about the BSAC ******
What is the BSAC?

The British Sub Aqua Club BSAC was formed in October 1953 in response to
a general interest in SCUBA Diving and the increasing availability of
SCUBA equipment to the general public.

Several ground rules were laid down at its inception:
	a) That the Club was to be non-profit making.
	b) That the Club was to be entirely controlled by and for its members.
	c) That officers of the BSAC were to be elected yearly from the membership.
	d) That the Club should be made up of local self-govering branches with
	   every member of each branch being a member of the BSAC itself.

These rules are still in force today and ensure that the Club serves the
interest of amateur SCUBA Divers world-wide with the (not inconsiderable)
profits from it's commercial ventures being reinvested in the Club to the
benefit of the membership.

The BSAC is run by a body of officers elected each year from the current
BSAC members.  The officers of the BSAC are assisted by a number of
permanent employees, who provide clerical support services to the
officers and membership, based at the BSAC's purpose built HQ in
Cheshire.

Today the BSAC comprises of over 1200 branches world-wide (900 in the
UK) with over 50,000 members (35,000 in the UK). Whilst a number of
these branches have a closed membership, such as special branches in
universities or parts of the armed forces, the vast majority are open
to all and actively recruit and train new members.

The BSAC enjoys royal patronage; it's first President being HRH Prince
Philip - whom the BSAC taught to dive!  The current President is HRH
Prince Charles, an active diver, who has actively supported a number of
Diving related projects not least of which was the BSAC's involvement
in the raising of the Mary Rose; the majority of the work involved in
this project being voluntarily undertaken by BSAC members.

One of the primary aims of the BSAC has always been to promote the safe
use of SCUBA equipment by the provision of a comprehensive training
scheme.  While the BSAC has always encouraged branches to provide
training this has not always been carried out consistently by each and
every branch.

At the beginning of 1992, the BSAC changed it's rules so that all
training must henceforth be provided under the direct supervision of
qualified Instructors.  This has had the effect of forcing each branch
to ensure that they have at least one member qualified as an Instructor
and has improved the quality and consistency of the BSAC Training scheme
throughout the World.

****** End of blurb *****
-- 
Regards,
        Russell
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