Already Qualified?
A Grouper
We welcome divers of all qualifications, from all agencies. Whether you have an entry-level qualification, are highly experienced, an instructor, have dived while abroad, or are a hardened UK diver, we have something to offer you.
Although we are a BSAC club your existing qualification from any organisation allows you to dive with us. We do ask you to come on a familiarisation weekend at the beginning of the year to allow you to meet some club members and see how diving trips are run within LUUSAC, this will also gave you the opportunity to experience UK diving and receive some training in using a drysuit if you haven’t tried this before. If your qualification converts to BSAC Ocean Diver then we do ask you to undertake some additional training to gain the BSAC Sports Diver qualification which will give you the additional skills that we feel are essential for diving in UK waters. This consists of a day in the pool, a series of lectures, and a theory exam followed by a weekend of practical training.
For people who are interested doing more advanced training to BSAC Dive Leader or beyond, the club offers training at all levels throughout the year.
We are also keen to welcome new instructors to the club. We have an active training schedule and can always use another keen pair of hands. If you are qualified through another agency or would like to become a BSAC instructor our existing instructors will be able to guide you through the system.
Interested? Then talk to us
- Come and see us at our Introductory Meeting, in September
- Come and see us at the Sports Fair during Freshers Week
- Email us : ku.oc.casuul@ofni
- Come and see us any Thursday Night in the Library Pub
A Cuckoo Wrasse, St Abbs
Other Agency Conversion Table
The following is a list of just some of the 'other organisation' qualifications that are considered to be of a similar standard to the BSAC qualification shown. Only the most common qualifications are listed here, the full list can be accessed at http://www.bsac.org/uploads/documents/Resources/SALT_May_06.pdf. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask ( ku.oc.casuul@ofni ).
The Diving Officer can judge additional experience and training on a case by case basis.
PADI Qualifications
- Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver *
Advanced Open Water Diver Plus * - BSAC Ocean Diver
- Rescue Diver
- BSAC Sports Diver
- Dive Master
- BSAC Dive Leader
* Unfortunately the PADI Advanced course does not include rescue skills - a major constituent of the Sports Diver qualification - so we can not transfer directly over to BSAC Sports Diver.
CMAS Qualifications
- One Star Diver
- BSAC Ocean Diver
- Two Star Diver
- BSAC Sports Diver
- Three Star Diver
- BSAC Advanced Diver
Costs
HMS Podsnap In Capernwray
As a university club we are used to doing things on a budget and try to keep the costs as low as possible. Anything we charge you for will be charged at the price that we pay; we do not make any profit from you. This is partly made possible by the instructors teaching you free of charge, both in the classroom and in the water - in fact they pay for the privilege of teaching you!
The club owns more than 20 full sets of SCUBA equipment, meaning you can learn to dive without spending a fortune on kit. There are some basic items you will need to buy yourself (mask, fins and snorkel), and if you are enrolling on a course, you will also need to buy training materials from BSAC. In addition, you will need to pay the LUUSAC and BSAC annual membership, and the mandatory Sports Club fee imposed by the Union.
Some of the costs may seem high, and we will not lie, diving is not a cheap sport. However, this is one of the cheapest ways to learn to dive on the planet. As a comparison, if you wanted to become a Dive Leader (or equivalent), in LUUSAC it could cost you less than £470, however in a commercial diving school it could be more than £1200!
All Members
| LUUSAC Annual Membership | £30 | Covers some of our overheads, e.g. equipment servicing costs |
| BSAC Annual Student Membership | £18 | This includes public liability insurance. This may be different if you are not a current student |
Further Training
| Already Ocean Diver or equivilent: BSAC Sports Diver course | Training materials | either £8 | If you already have Ocean Diver training materials |
| or £30 | If you don't already have the Ocean Diver training materials (i.e. have crossed over from another agency) | ||
| either Abroad | ~£370 | A week abroad. Includes all your open water training, flights, accommodation, and transport for the week. 2-3 days training, then 3-4 days pleasure diving | |
| or UK | ~£80 | Cost price for travel, accommodation, equipment, entry, air fills and food for a weekend diving in Open Water | |
| Already Sports Diver or equivalent: BSAC Dive Leader course | Training materials | either £8 | If you already have the previous courses training materials |
| or £20 | If you don't already have the previous courses training materials (i.e. have crossed over from another agency) | ||
| UK training | ~£80 | Cost price for travel, accommodation, equipment, entry, air fills and food for a weekend diving in Open Water | |
| Advanced Diver and above | email the Diving Officer | ||
| see the conversion table if you are qualified with another agency (PADI, CMAS, etc.) | |||