Dacorum Sub Aqua Club

Training

This page describes the training the club does.

Types of BSAC training

• Diver training (Ocean Diver, Sport Diver, Dive Leader and Advanced Diver) courses offered by the Club are free but are available only to people who have joined the club.
• Skill Development Courses (SDCs). There is a charge for these, but when they are run by the club, they are run at cost price.
• Technical training

The importance of training

The Training Officer, a member of the Committee, is responsible for providing members with the training and courses they need. 

The courses are run by nationally qualified BSAC instructors who are members of our club. Instructors provide their time without pay. We hope that people we train, in turn, become instructors and train others.

We recognise the importance of training. We maintain high standards of training. Diver training is carried out following the training schemes and recommendations of the British Sub Aqua Club.

We welcome divers trained by other organisations. 

Format of courses

For most qualifications, training courses are a mixture of theory lessons and practical sessions. The practical sessions take place firstly in swimming pools, then inland lakes and finally the sea.

Most courses have tests: both theory and practical. The training we provide will prepare you for those tests. 

Generally, we don't ask trainees to do tests until we think they are ready. 

Teaching style

We start by teaching people gently, in shallow water, learning the simpler skills. When they are have mastered a technique, we move on to the next, more advanced stage. We repeat this for each skill and experience until they learn the whole course.

You are totally free during your training, and even on dive trips, to turn down an opportunity to attempt an underwater exercise or even to carry out a whole dive. If you don't feel right or ready, just say or signal No!  We think that knowing when to stop is a useful survival skill in diving.

If you feel over-stretched or under pressure: warn or signal your instructor or buddy as early as possible. It's likely he or she has experienced what you're going through and should be able to suggest a less stressful alternative or work with you to overcome the difficulty. 

We treat diving as a leisure activity. The whole point is to have fun - so we try to avoid doing things we don't enjoy!

Location of courses

For lectures on entry courses, we use a room at Hemel Hempstead Town Cricket Club, Station Road, Hemel Hempstead on Thursday evenings, generally from 7pm to 8pm. 

The lectures of more advanced courses often take place on other evenings of the week or at weekends at convenient locations such as the homes of members, their places of work or private rooms in pubs.

Early practical sessions for entry level courses take place in the two and the four metre pools at Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre, from 9pm to 10pm.  

We do in open water training at inland sites and the sea; generally at weekends. Also, we train from boats.

Diver training courses

The Club regularly runs these courses for no extra cost to members:

• Ocean Diver - the entry qualification to BSAC
• Sport Diver - to dive with someone of your of qualification
• Diver Leader - to lead inexperienced divers
• Advanced Diver - to organise dive trips.

For the Ocean Diver course, the Club can hire equipment to the trainees until they buy their own.

Each course leads to a Diving Qualification.

Skill Development Courses

After your initial training on the diver training courses, you may want to take Skill Development Courses (SDCs). These widen and deepen your diving knowledge and skills. 

Boat handling

Members who have done the Boat Handling Skills Development Course are able to drive the club boat. Experienced boat handlers are able to organize their own dive trips, hiring the RIB from the club.