Our chairman is certified PADI, the secretary is BSAC and the diving officer Sub Aqua Association. We are affiliated to the SAA but tend to find that people wish to complete PADI courses. The members felt that it would be beneficial to learn rescue skills from day one, as with the BSAC, rather than have to wait until they completed the PADI Rescue course. I have spoken to the people at PADI UK about this and, to my surprise, they agreed that it was a good idea. The club feels we can all learn a lot from each other and that this results in good, all-round divers who have acquired knowledge from many sources rather than just one.
Diving is meant to be about fun and adventure.
We don't tolerate bigots in other walks of life and shouldn't have to put up with them in diving. I salute all those people who are trying to change diving for the better, especially those who are running clubs with the members' interests at heart.