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frequently asked questions
Why join a club? A club is a lot more than a place you can learn to dive. It is a group of like minded people who get together to do what they all enjoy most - diving. There are many benefits to joining our voluntary club, compared to training with a commercial school / 'club'. Here are some of them:
How do I join? The best thing to do is come along to the club room on a Tuesday night and meet everyone. We can then take you through the process, and answer any questions you have. If you are unsure scuba diving is for you, why not just come along for a try-dive, where an instructor will show you around the club, and introduce you to the kit before taking you in the pool. It is a good idea to book this by contacting us so we can ensure there will be an instructor available and dedicated to you. How do I find you? We are based between Edgware road and Marble Arch tube station, see the map for the location of the club room, which is open each Tuesday night from 7:00pm until 9:30pm How much does it cost to learn to dive? This varies, depending on you current level of experience, and requirements. See our Price Calculator to find the exact amount. How much does it cost to go diving? Diving with a club is quite a cheap way to go diving, we typically charge £10 per boat dive, plus an expedition fee depending to the distance of the dive site from London. To go diving with a commercial organisation will typically cost you £30-50 per day for two dives. In addition to this members have access to a large range of hire equipment at £6 per item per day, which is significantly less than a shop will charge. This also allows you time to save up and buy your own equipment over time. When do your courses start? At the beginning level Ocean Diver, we run an ad-hoc system, where you just need to come along on a Tuesday night, and we match you up with an instructor. This system allows for flexibility for both you and our instructors, who are all voluntary and are giving up their own time. Sports Diver and Dive Leader courses are run regularly based on demand. As a BSAC member you will also be able to attend Skill Development Courses which are run on a regular basis and complement the training you will do with our club. Do you provide kit? Yes. We provide all the kit you’ll need for use in the pool sessions. But you’ll need to bring your own swimwear and towel! It may also be a good idea to bring an old T-shirt, to protect your shoulders from the rubbing on the equipment. Do you hire kit? Yes. We have a large selection of kit to hire. But it is best to get items like mask, fins and snorkel during your pool training since these tend to be personal fit. You will get advice during your training. Unfortunately we are unable to stock wet/dry suits, due the large range we would be required to keep to fit everyone. Do you sell diving equipment? No we are a non commercial organisation, we do not sell diving equipment, but we do have equipment available for hire by our members on club dives. See our Resource Centre for a list of Dive Shops in the London Area I wear glasses / contact lenses can I still dive? Yes! Many of our members do, and will be able to give you advice on wearing contact lenses whilst diving, or can get prescription lenses in your mask. I am an experienced diver, what do I do? We always welcome experienced divers, both BSAC trained and divers who learned through other training agencies. Why not come along and see how you can get involved and fit into the club. There are equivalent BSAC grades to match levels from most other agencies, so we can cross you over to our training system very easily. What is BSAC? BSAC is the British Sub-Aqua Club, they are the governing body for scuba diving in the UK. Our club is an affiliate branch of BSAC. BSAC is an internationally recognised organisation with branches in many parts of the world, and internationally renowned training. So you can travel and dive quite easily with a BSAC qualification. In fact, UK based training from the BSAC has a great reputation for its thoroughness, which will stand you in good stead with most diving resorts worldwide. Is there a social aspect to the club? Yes, we normally head over to the Perseverance pub (see map) after the pool sessions. We also organise several parties a year, together with other events organised by members. This is in addition to spending most of the weekends together during the summer months (see our calendar). Why are we the number one dive club? Because we were the founding BSAC branch, our branch is number 001. We would also like to think that we are the best equipped BSAC branch offering the best training and opportunities to go diving around the UK to our members. I have a question not covered here? No problem, just drop us a line on our contact page, and the question will be answered ASAP. If you want to talk to someone you can phone the club mobile 07906 937182.
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