The British Sub-Aqua Club or BSAC has been recognised since 1954 by

UK Sport UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. It was created ...

as the national governing body of recreational diving in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The club was founded in 1953 and at its peak in the mid-1990s had over 50,000 members declining to over 30,000 in 2009. It is a diver training organization that operates through its associated network of around 1,100 local, independent diving clubs and around 400 diving schools worldwide. The old logo featured the Roman god

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

(Greek god

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as ...

), god of the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

. The new logo, as of 2017, features a diver with the updated BSAC motto "Dive with us". BSAC is unusual for a diver training agency in that most BSAC instructors are volunteers, giving up their spare time to train others, unlike many other agencies, in which instructors are paid employees, or self-employed. Given that UK waters are relatively cold and have restricted visibility, BSAC training is regarded by its members as more comprehensive than some. Specifically it places emphasis on rescue training very early in the programme. BSAC also maintains links with other organisations, such as NACSAC.

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

writer and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

author

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...

was a famous member of BSAC. The current President of BSAC is the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

. His grandfather

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

, father

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, and brother

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

all trained with BSAC.

History

For earlier events, see Oscar Gugen. * 15 October 1953: BSAC founded by Oscar Gugen, Peter Small, Mary Small, and Trevor Hampton. Jack Atkinson, an aero engineer, was appointed as the club's first national diving officer. He wrote training bulletins which built up to form the club's training doctrine and was used later as the basis for the BSAC Diving Manual * 1954: First BSAC branch formed, in London. * 1954: Members of the newly formed BSAC Branch No.9,

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

Sub-Aqua Club, invent the new sport of " Octopush", a game now played internationally and more commonly known outside of the

as Underwater Hockey. * March 1955: BSAC is accepted by the

Central Council of Physical Recreation Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. * 1957: Alan Broadhurst became BSAC's second national diving officer. He modernized BSAC official diving terminology, including getting rid of the word "

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, com ...

". * October 1957: BSAC's first overseas branch is formed in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

. * January 1959: First edition of the ''BSAC Diving Manual'' appeared and cost ten

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

s (now 50p). It was written by George Brookes and Alan Broadhurst. * January 1957: BSAC and 14 other national diving federations agreed to found

Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scub ...

(CMAS) * November 1960: First Diving Officers' Conference, at St. Abbs, with fifteen delegates. * 1965: Fort Bovisand diving center opened. * 1973: The Diving Incident Pit at Diving Officers Conference presented by E. John Towse. * 1988: Release of the BS-AC 88

dive table The decompression of a diver is the reduction in ambient pressure experienced during ascent from depth. It is also the process of elimination of dissolved inert gases from the diver's body, which occurs during the ascent, largely during ...

* 1995: BSAC allows Nitrox diving and introduced Nitrox training. * 20 May 1997: BSAC was expelled from the

(CMAS) * 2001: BSAC allows

rebreather A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantially unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen i ...

use by BSAC branches. * 2006: BSAC mixed gas diving. * 2006: BSAC is the first recreational diving agency to introduce Nitrox diving as part of core training.

Recognition

BSAC is recognised by the successors of the Sports Council as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Sub Aqua within the United Kingdom. It has held this status since 1954. 'Sub Aqua' (or Sub Aquatics) is a broad term that includes both recreational underwater activities such as recreational diving and

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, ...

, and competitive underwater activities including underwater sports such as Octopush. It is also recognised by

Sport England Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded p ...

as the NGB for Sub Aqua in England. BSAC is one of three NGBs representing 'Sub Aqua' in the constituent countries of the

. The others are the

Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs The Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs (NIFSAC) is the National Governing Body (NGB) for ''Sub Aqua'' in Northern Ireland. ''Sub Aqua'' is a broad term encompassing both recreational underwater activities such as recreational diving and ...

(Northern Ireland) and the

Scottish Sub Aqua Club The Scottish Sub Aqua Club (ScotSAC) was founded in Glasgow in 1953. Today it is a company limited by guarantee with nearly 70 branches and 1200 members. ScotSAC instructors provide scuba diving training to branch members on an amateur basis. ...

(Scotland) with the British Sub Aqua Club being the NGB for the United Kingdom as a whole; a role it has held since 1954. Wales has been represented by the British Sub Aqua Club since January 2016 when it replaced the

Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs The Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs ( cy, Cwmdeithas Clybiau Tanddwr Cymru) (WASAC) was the national governing body (NGB) for ''Sub Aqua'' in Wales until January 2016. ''Sub Aqua'' is a broad term encompassing both recreational underwater acti ...

Qualifications

BSAC has offered two separate training schemes since the 1950s: the Diver Training Programme (DTP) for scuba diving and the Snorkeller Training Programme (STP) for snorkelling.

Diver Training Programme

Diving

BSAC currently has five diver qualifications (known as grades). These are: * : Basic skills, non-decompression diving (depth limit 20 m) * : Rescue, navigation, nitrox and decompression diving (depth limit increased to 35 m with a series of 5 m progression dives.) * : Dive leading, dive planning and management, and rescue management (depth limit increased to 50 m by completing a selection of experience dives.) * : Fully trained diver capable of leading a group of divers in normal club activities * : Trained to lead a group of dives carrying out a project. This is nationally examined with a two-day practical test

Instructing

BSAC has eight instructor grades: * : Trained but unqualified. Must be supervised when instructing * : Qualified to instruct unsupervised in the classroom * : Qualified to teach open water under supervision * : Qualified to instruct unsupervised in open water * : Qualified to supervise other instructors in classroom and open water training * : Trained to teach advanced skills, such as boat based skills and group diving techniques * : Qualified to staff Instructor events * : Leads Instructor Training courses and BSAC National exams

Grades no longer awarded

The following grades which are no longer awarded may still be encountered: * : A diver who has completed the extensive sheltered-water (i.e. pool) training of the BSAC syllabus of the time, but has not yet dived in open water. * : A Novice I diver who has completed two open-water assessment dives. The distinction between Novice I and Novice II was mostly for practical reasons to do with the difference between hiring a pool and travelling to the coast. A Novice I diver would normally complete the two open-water dives as soon as possible, but if this were not possible straight away (perhaps over winter) they would at least have a specific grade within the club. The lengthy and club-oriented Novice syllabus was replaced with the Club Diver and Ocean Diver syllabuses in the late 1990s. (However, some argue the Novice description was usefully accurate and aided diver safety because nobody with such a qualification would attempt dives beyond their capabilities.) * : This is more or less the same as Ocean Diver; originally the two were operated in parallel with Ocean Diver awarded at schools and Club Diver at clubs. * : An instructor grade junior to Open Water Instructor, but allowing the holder to instruct practical and theory lessons without supervision. * : This was the entry-level grade prior to the splitting of its syllabus during the mid-1980s to create the Novice and Sports Diver grades. Divers who held this grade at the time were awarded the Sports Diver grade. * : This was the immediate grade prior to the splitting of its syllabus during the mid-1980s to create the Dive Leader and Advanced Diver grades. Divers who held this grade at the time were awarded the Advanced Diver grade.

CMAS equivalencies

The following CMAS equivalencies have been agreed with the

Sub-Aqua Association The Sub-Aqua Association or SAA is a diver training organization for scubadivers in the United Kingdom. The SAA and other UK-based diving groups have traditionally used a club-based system with unpaid instructors, while other training agencies ...

Skill development/specialities

BSAC also has a range of specialist skill courses known as Skill Development Courses (SDCs): Club Diving: * Accelerated Decompression Procedures * Buoyancy and Trim Workshop * Compressor Operation * Dive Planning and Management * Equipment Care * Mixed Gas Blender/Nitrox Gas Blender * Search and Recovery * Wreck Appreciation Safety and Rescue: * Advanced Lifesaver Award *

Automated External Defibrillator An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able to treat them thro ...

* First Aid for Divers * Lifesaver Award * Oxygen Administration * Practical Rescue Management

Seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics ...

: * Boat Handling * Chartwork and Position fixing * Diver Coxswain Assessment *

Outboard engine An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

and Boat Maintenance Special Interest: *

Underwater Photography Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater ...

Ice Diving Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

Mixed gas open circuit: * Sport Mixed Gas Diver * Explorer Mixed Gas Diver * Advanced Mixed Gas Diver Rebreather/mixed gas rebreather: * CCR Inspiration Evolution/Vision Diver * Sport Mixed Gas CCR Diver * Explorer Mixed Gas CCR Diver * Advanced Mixed Gas CCR Diver

EUF Certification

BSAC obtained CEN certification from the EUF certification body in 2007 and re-certified in 2012 and 2019 for the following recreational diver grades: * Discovery Diver – ISO 24801-1 * Ocean Diver – EN 14153-2/ISO 24801-2 – 'Autonomous Diver' * Dive Leader – EN 14153-3/ISO 24801-3 – 'Dive Leader' * Open Water Instructor – EN 14413-2/ISO 24802-2 – 'Instructor Level 2' * Sports Diver – ISO 11107 – 'Nitrox diving' * Nitrox Gas Blender – ISO 13293 – 'Level 1 Gas Blender' * Mixed Gas Blender – ISO 13293 – 'Level 2 Gas Blender' * Snorkelling Guide – ISO 13970 – 'Snorkelling Guide'

Snorkeller Training Programme

The BSAC has four snorkeller grades: * Dolphin Snorkeller: experience based training intended for children using only swimming pools. * Snorkel Diver: training for pool or sheltered water activity. * Advanced Snorkeller: training for open water activity. * Snorkel Dive Manager: training to plan, organise and lead snorkelling activities. The STP has three snorkel instructor grades: * Snorkel Instructor. * Advanced Snorkel Instructor. * Snorkel Instructor Trainer. BSAC scuba instructors can also teach all or parts of the STP subject to meeting pre-requisites including additional training.

References

External links

British Sub-Aqua Club - BSAC website

BSAC Japan

BSAC Korea

BSAC Thailand
{{Authority control Diver organizations Organisations based in Cheshire Sub-aqua sub-aqua sub-aqua Underwater diving in the United Kingdom Underwater diving training organizations