We always undertake open water dives wearing dry suits. As the name implies, a dry suit will keep you dry when in the water. This combined with special insulated under suits, gloves and hood, will keep you very warm, even if you dive in January!
Once you have learned to dive in a dry suit, diving abroad in warm water using a conventional wet suit is relatively much easier. If you learn to dive in England you can dive anywhere!
Q. What happens after I have finished my Ocean Diver course?
You will still be a member of MSAC and BSAC, and so are very welcome to come to the pool on Friday nights. If you want to continue with training, then you can, again free of charge. Continued training starts with the �Sport Diver� course, on which you will greatly increase your knowledge and diving experience. You will also start to learn how to do your own dive planning, diver assist and rescue skills, elements of basic first aid in relation to diving. After this comes Dive Leader, Advanced diver and maybe even Instructor status!
You will be in regular contact with other divers, so you will be able to go on organised dive trips and holidays, and we are always pleased to pass on tips and advice on dive equipment, dive sites etc., all in a friendly club atmosphere.
Q. Do I have to be a super fit athlete, or swimmer to learn?
No! (You need to see some of the members to realise this!). Obviously you need to be able to swim, and have reasonable confidence in the water. You will also have to sign a self certification medical form. If you answer 'yes' to any of the questions on it, you may have to seek advice from a doctor about your fitness to dive. Some conditions may preclude you from diving, such as heart and lung problems.
Q. When can I start?
Whenever you want to. We have no �set� start dates for courses, nor do we have a strict timetable for training, so you can set your own pace.
Q. What form does the training take?
When you first start training, you will be in the pool doing practical lessons, every other week. This will be with the instructor, and you will probably be in a small group, or possibly on a one to one basis. On the weeks between pool sessions you will have a lecture on the theoretical side of diving, which places great emphasis on your diving safety.
Don�t be put off by the word �lecture�, as it will be informally presented. The club has a large screen projector system connected to a laptop computer, so the majority of the time you will be watching a visual presentation, especially prepared by BSAC.
During both pool and lecture sessions you will be learning a great deal without even noticing it because it is our aim to make it a fun experience.
There is an �exam� at the end of the theory training, in the form of a multi-choice answer sheet.
Q. I�d like to buy some of my own equipment, how much does this cost?
See our separate list of equipment you will be using, together with costs. Club members have lots of purchasing experience, and everyone will be pleased to give you advice.
