Courses
Whether you’re new to diving, a seasoned professional or a toe dipper we can accommodate all
Ocean Diver Course
Anyone over the age of 12 can learn to dive as long as they can demonstrate that they can swim 200m in a pool and have passed the BSAC medical.
- 6 theory modules
- 5 pool sessions
- 4 open water sessions
- How to use basic scuba diving gear
- Control of your position in the water (your buoyancy)
- Understanding of basic diving safety skills
- How to plan and manage your diving
- The importance of diving theory (time, depth and air consumption)
Once qualified you will be able to:
- Dive all over the world with a worldwide recognised diving qualification
- Be able to dive to 20m depth which covers a wide variety of locations containing wildlife and shipwrecks
- Be able to use breathing gas mixtures of up to 36% nitrox (you will learn about this on your course)
- Continue on to the Sports Diver Qualification
- PADI/RAID/SSI/NAUI/ACUC/NASDS – Open Water Diver/Advanced Open Water Diver
- SDI Open Water Diver/Advanced Adventurer
- SAA Open Water Diver
- CMAS One Star Diver
- GUE Recreational Diver 1
- Royal Navy Ships Diver
Sports Diver Course
Those who have passed their Ocean Diver course or the equivalent certification from another recognised diving school
- 6 theory modules
- 1 pool session demonstrating rescue skills
- 6 open water skills sessions including rescue skills
You will be continually assessed and there will be a short theory exam which will ensure you have the grounding to continue on your diving journey
After you have completed the initial course, before you can progress further you will need to do progression diving which involves increasing your diver depth in 5m increments to a maximum of 35m.
You’ll learn how to spot if something is wrong and what to do in an emergency including self-rescue, recovery of unresponsive divers, and basic life support – these are among the most valuable skills any diver can learn.
You will have more freedom to explore with another Sports Diver in familiar locations and conditions. You will be able to support Dive Managers in organising club trips and can dive in more unknown territory with Dive Leaders and above.
Your qualification will be recognised worldwide and you will be certified to use breathing gas mixtures of up to 36 per cent nitrox to increase your dive times.
Being competent to dive to 35m allows most divers to do all the diving they want in the UK and abroad. At these depths you can access the majority of UK wreck diving, and with Sport Diver skills you can extend your dive times safely and relax to take in your surroundings and any wildlife you encounter.
Qualifying as a Sport Diver will also enable you to take part in a wider variety of BSAC Skill Development Courses to increase your diving skills and you can progress to the Dive Leader.
- PADI?RAID?SDI?ACUC?NAUI – Rescue Diver
- SSI Advanced Open Water with “Stress & Rescue”
- SAA Club Diver
- SSAC Sports Diver (Third Class Diver)
- CMAS Two Star Diver
- GUE Recreational Diver 2/Recreational Diver 3
- HSE Divers
- Army Compressed Aid Diver
Dive Leader Course
Members who wish to take on a more active role in their club wishing to help organise trips and lead dives.
You will need to have completed your Sports Diver or equivalent recognised certification and have signed off your depth progression to 35m.
You also need to be aged 14 years or older.
- 12 theory modules
- 7 open water training dives
- 2 dry practical sessions
- 20 experience dives in a range of underwater conditions
The course is continually assessed resulting in a theory exam. You will then need to complete your experience dives and complete your depth progression to 50m
So that you can plan more adventurous dive trips the Dive Leader course prepares you and gives you the skills to arrange your own trips and expeditions. You will extend your personal diving depths to 50m allowing for more technical skill such as mixed gases, decompression planning etc.
You’ll also gain the expertise to plan dives for groups of divers, manage dives, and manage a rescue situation in an emergency, including carrying out casualty assessment and administering basic life support with oxygen.
You will be able to do more exciting exploratory dives in a wide range of conditions and dive with divers of any grade to expand your experience and support Ocean Divers in new conditions and locations, under the supervision of a Dive Manager.
If you are an Assistant Dive Instructor, once you are a Dive Leader you can take your instructing with BSAC to another level.
You will be competent to dive to 50m, which opens up the opportunity to take part in more adventurous diving, off the beaten track.
As a Dive Leader you’ll also be able to manage and supervise club dives to locations known to the club. Leading dives and helping to extend the experience of divers in your club is hugely enjoyable – and of course the more experienced your fellow members are, the more fun you can all have.
- PADI/RAID/SDI/ACUC/NAUI – Divemaster
- SSI Dive Control Specialist
- SAA Dive Leader
- NASDS Dive Supervisor
Advanced Diver Course
Advanced Diver training is essential for Dive Leaders who want to organise diving to places they’ve not been before, or Open Water Instructors who want to become Advanced Instructors.
You must have successfully completed a BSAC Dive Leader course (or have equivalent certification from another recognised training agency) and you must be at least 14 years old.
- 4 theory modules
- 2 open water training dives
- 2 dry practical sessions
The course is heavily based on a structured broadening of your diving experience, particularly in dive planning and management.
It’s a continually assessed course, so after your classroom and in-water training and a theory exam, you’ll just need to log 20 open-water experience dives (which may include your training dives), and 600 minutes of underwater time, in a range of conditions, since qualifying as a Dive Leader. You’ll have been Dive Leader on at least 10 of your 20 qualifying dives and Dive Manager on at least five.
During Advanced Diver training you can extend your diving knowledge to include techniques and emerging technologies involved in underwater search techniques, diving involving no clear surface (either cavern, wreck penetration or ice diving), open-circuit or closed-circuit mixed gas diving, advanced decompression diving and finding and diving an unknown site.
You will further your skills in rescue management and seamanship – using small boats as diving platforms, doing your own chartwork and navigation – and developing your leadership qualities and dive organisation skills.
You will have built up the skills and experience to manage and supervise all aspects of a wide range of challenging, adventurous club diving activities.
If you are an Open Water Instructor, once you are an Advanced Diver you can take your instructing with BSAC to another level.
After qualifying as an Advanced Diver you will be able to expand the horizons of your club, by leading expeditions to unfamiliar locations and by encouraging activities using new technologies.
- SAA Dive Supervisor
- SSAC Master Diver (Second Class Diver)
- CMAS Three Star Diver
Specialised Courses
There are a multitude of additional courses we can run to help you progress your skills as a diver. These courses cover BSAC recognised skills such as:
- Technical diving
- Boat handling
- Twin set diving
- Mixed gases
- Chartwork
- Diver coxwain
- Many health and safety courses including diver first aid
- Underwater photography
- Ice diving
- Wreck diving
- Cave diving
- Buoyancy and trim
- Marine life appreciation
- Search and recovery
We can also deliver more specialised courses such as Nautical Archaeology and Photogrammetry. Here at ECSAC we avtively encourage our members to seek out new skills and to bring them to the club.
