SCUBA Beginners' Courses
BSAC Ocean Diver
The entry level certification of the BSAC, the Ocean Diver course concentrates on providing you with all the essential knowledge and skills needed to prepare you for open water diving.
Learning to dive is all about learning to use your equipment properly and safely whilst having a good understanding of the science behind it. The Ocean Diver training course concentrates on preparing you for this in the safety of a swimming pool or sheltered water and then introducing you to open water in a controlled and safe manner. This also gives you the opportunity to practice safety skills in the company of a qualified instructor or experienced diver. It helps if you are a moderate swimmer as you will have to complete a swimming assessment of 200 metres freestyle.
Classroom Lessons
The Knowledge Development in the Ocean Diver course comprises seven classroom lectures, which can be given before the pool training sessions, separately at an alternative venue, or even in the comfort of your own home! The philosophy behind the training is based on having a thorough working knowledge of your equipment and the physics that will effect you whilst diving.
Subjects covered include:
- an overview of the Ocean Diver training
- diving equipment and diving signals
- the body and the effects of diving
- dive planning
- going diving
- emergency prevention and handling
- how to enjoy your diving
At the end of the classroom lessons there is a theory assessment of the subjects that you have covered, which needs to be completed before the final open water lesson.
Sheltered Water Lessons
The five dives in sheltered water lessons teach you and allow you to practice and perfect all of the basic skills you will need. The training works on the “less haste more speed” principle, and upon repetitive skills practice so that the skills become second nature. By gaining the skills to a high level early on, a firm foundation can be built for future skill acquisition. These include elements like regulator recovery and clearing, mask clearing and buoyancy control. For students completing their Open Water dives in the UK or other cold water environment there is a sixth Dry Suit training section.
Open Water Training
The five dives in this section have an emphasis on consolidating the skills that you learnt in the Sheltered Water training. Probably the most satisfying part of the course, you will get to enjoy the freedom of diving whilst under the supervision of your instructor. You will experience a number of different diving conditions at the same time as building upon the skills you have learnt. On successful completion of all the elements you will be an Ocean Diver!
Open Water Referral
If for any reason you prefer not to complete the open water dives with BlueFish Diving, we can arrange for you to complete them with another approved BSAC branch or school.
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