Information AboutBsac |
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The club was founded in 1953 and has over 50,000 members. It is a Diver Training Organization that operates through its associated network of around 1600 local, independent diving clubs and around 400 diving schools worldwide. BSAC is unusual for a diver training agency in that most BSAC instructors are amateurs operating in diving clubs as opposed to professionals operating in diving schools. Given that UK waters are relatively cold and have restricted visibility, BSAC training is more comprehensive than some. Specifically it places emphasis on rescue training very early in the programme. This has led to the SAC in BSAC being jokingly referred to as ''Slow And Careful''. Compared to PADI , BSAC doesn't have as many dive centers worldwide and is not as widely recognised. Science writer and Science Fiction author Arthur C. Clarke was a famous member of BSAC {Link without Title} QUALIFICATIONS Diving BSAC currently has five diver qualifications. These are:
Instructing BSAC has six instructor qualifications:
Grades previously awarded Some qualifications which are no longer awarded may be encountered:
The distinction between Novice I and Novice II was mostly for practical reasons to do with the difference between hiring a pool and travelling to the coast. A Novice I diver would normally complete the two open-water dives as soon as possible, but if this were not possible straight away (perhaps over winter) they would at least have a specific grade within the club. The lengthy and club-oriented (not to mention demeaningly-named) Novice syllabus was replaced with the Club Diver and Ocean Diver syllabi in the late 1990s. (However, some argue the Novice description was usefully accurate and aided diver safety because nobody with such a qualification would attempt dives beyond their capabilities.)
Skill Development / Specialities BSAC has a range of skill development courses:
EXTERNAL LINKS
BSAC CLUB AND SCHOOL WEB SITES
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