Dacorum Sub Aqua Club

Advanced Diver

This page describes Advanced Diver training.

The Advanced Diver qualification is designed to prepare experienced divers to organise and lead dive trips. 

The Advanced Diver is the highest diving qualification that can be awarded by a BSAC branch such as Dacorum Sub Aqua Club. There is a higher BSAC diving qualification, the First Class Diver, but that is awarded by national BSAC exams.

At present we are in a transition period where a new syllabus for Advanced Diver has was introduced in 2002 but there are still divers in the middle of the old scheme.

Old scheme

The old Advanced Diver course is mostly based on Skill Development Courses (SDCs).

To become an Advanced Diver, on the old scheme, you need to take :

• the three Core Advanced Diver SDCs
• at least one SDC from Group A
• at least one SDC from Group B
• several dive marshalling assessments
• a diving rescue and rescue management test
• a theory test

We recommend that people begin doing some of the Advanced Diver SDCs soon after their initial training - both to satisfy their own interests and to increase their diving knowledge and practical skills.

That means, a few seasons later, when they are ready to take the Advanced Diver qualification, they have :

1. plenty of diving and dive trip experience
2. experience of using the techniques taught in the Advanced Diver SDCs

New scheme

The new Advanced Diver course is shorter than the old course.

When we're more familiar with the new scheme further information will be posted here.