Dacorum Sub Aqua Club
Joining Us
This page tries to answer the sort of questions asked by people who are thinking of joining us.
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How much does it cost?
- There is no denying that becoming a diver does cost money both in terms of initial costs and dive trips - but, it's worth it!
- See the membership page for details of costs, ages and medicals.
- See the cost of equipment page for a guide to the prices of diving kit.
Tell me a bit about diving.
- Read the About Diving page.
Tell me a bit a about the club.
- Read the About Us, Training, Diving and News letter pages.
I'm not sure if I am able to learn to dive or shall enjoy diving.
- Why not have a taster by doing a Try dive in the swimming pool.
I have trained with another diving organisation
1. Do my qualifications count for anything in a BSAC club?
Yes! We welcome trained divers.
Some of our keenest and most experienced divers have learned to dive outside BSAC.
You'll receive an equivalent BSAC diving qualification, through BSAC's SALT "cross over" procedure, when you join us.
2. Can I continue my training with BSAC?
After joining, if you want to, we can arrange BSAC specific training for you so that you can start work on your next BSAC qualification.
3. Do I have to do further training?
- If you're an experienced and trained diver, you may not need or want to do any BSAC training. In fact, you may continue doing courses with your original training agency at the same time as being a member of our club. Additional training you receive may be recognised by the SALT procedure allowing you to receive a higher BSAC equivalent qualification.
- If you are less experienced or qualified, we will want you to reach at least the level of BSAC Sport Diver and be competent in the type of diving we do around the British Isles.
What does the club have to offer?
1. Diver training:
- The club trains members up to and including the level of Advanced Diver.
- Instruction is free for the Ocean Diver, Sport Diver and Dive Leader courses. The club does not provide diving equipment free of charge. Students must pay their own expenses during training, including travel to dive sites, entrance to dive sites and hire of boats.
- We run BSAC Skill Development Courses at cost price.
- Instruction for the 2002 Advanced diver syllabus is free. The pre-2002 Advanced Diver course consists mainly of Skill Development Courses, which are run at cost price.
2. Active diving:
- The Club has an active diary of diving trips.
- As we dive all around the British Isles, we visit and enjoy a wide variety of remote and unusual places that we would not normally have expected to see.
- We have active and experienced divers with a wide variety of diving interests, including Technical Diving, Rebreathers, Photography, Instructing, Boat handling and navigation using our club boat.
3. Use of our own boat:
- The club owns a RIB (rigid hull inflatable boat).
- Suitably qualified members can hire the boat, at cost price, to organize dive trips throughout the British Isles.
- We provide training in boat handling and seamanship.
4. Use of our own compressor:
- The club owns a diving cylinder air compressor.
- The compressor is in Hemel Hempstead and can be used out of shop hours by members.
5. Pursuit of your interests:
We encourage people to pursue their interests and develop by taking part in different types of diving activities, such as:
- instructing
- marine archaeology
- technical diving and rebreathers
- tropical diving
- underwater photography
- boat handling and seamanship
- marine wildlife in general or, for example, such diverse things as turtles or nudibranchs
- marine conservation abroad or at home
6. Social events:
We have an active social calendar of events such as:
- a Christmas evening out and meal
- a summer BBQ
- quiz nights, golfing and bowling
- the weekly meeting on Thursdays
- the evening at the Apsley Village Club on Thursdays.
7. Membership of the British Sub Aqua Club:
Although DS-AC is very self-sufficient, there are advantages of being members of the British Sub Aqua Club.