How to join
SCUBA training with a BSAC Branch is generally available to anyone who is over the age of 14 and medically fit. Parental approval is needed for anyone under the age of 18 years. Recently (2005) the rules changed to allow Junior Members aged between 12 and 14 to train up to Sports Diver level, but with additional restrictions.
If you decide, after taking an Introduction to Diving course, to take up full membership, then the first step will be to assure yourself and us that you are fit to undertake the training and subsequent diving.
Scuba Diving is a sport that requires general physical fitness and good health. Anyone with a medical history of diabetes, blackouts, perforated eardrums, high blood pressure or heart disease, any lung or respiratory disorder, or dependence on drugs, may not be able to dive safely and so must seek specialist advice before contemplating taking up this sport.
Currently, members are expected to complete a Medical Declaration Form, which is a list of questions with Yes/No answers. Should you answer "Yes" to any question, then you must consult with a Specialist Diving Doctor, if not then you can just sign the form to certify that you are fit.
Further details can be found at UK Diving Medical Committee.
Our Membership Secretary will ask you to complete a membership application form, and once these formalities have been completed, and you have paid your subscription to the Branch, and been accepted into membership, you can start the Ocean Diver Training Course.
Fees and charges (Feb 2022)
Our branch charges an annual membership fee of £180 to pay for all the the facilities that we provide. Our Branch is a non-profit making organisation, and all fees collected go towards services and benefits for the membership. No member of the Branch receives any fees or payments for work undertaken on behalf of the Branch.
As members of a BSAC branch, we each additionally pay a BSAC subscription fee which includes the cost of providing you with a monthly copy of DIVE magazine and third party liability insurance cover. The BSAC Website contains details of their many other membership benefits.
The current BSAC subscription fee for new members is £60.50. A reduced membership is available for second and subsequent members of the same household, for students and minors.
The Branch offers a single fee package for people wanting to learn to dive with us. This includes the first years Branch and BSAC annual membership fees, the Ocean Diver Student Training pack (which includes a copy of The Diving Manual, Ocean Diver Student Study Workbook, Qualification Record Book), Decompression tables, and all the club facilities to enable your training. The Current cost of this package is £350.
For each further diving grade that you train for, you will additionally have to buy the appropriate student pack from the BSAC Shop. These vary from £30 to £40, and include all necessary manuals, student notes, and a pre-paid qualification card, and all this can be arranged for you in Branch.
Benefits of membership of our branch include
- free instruction from nationally qualified instructors
- free use of the pool every Weds evening, 52 weeks of the year
- use of the all of the club's facilities and equipment
- unlimited free air fills from our club's compressor
- nitrox fills at cost price
Medical Resources
The UK DIVER MEDICAL FORM can be found at the BSAC Website in their Medical Section. Alternatively, our Membership Secretary should be able to provide you with a form.
If your require guidance on common medical conditions that may prevent or restrict diving, then the appropriate link on the BSAC Website is the Medical Guidelines.