The British Sub-Aqua Club (BASC)
The British Sub Aqua Club is the national governing body for Scuba Diving
and snorkelling in the UK. With their headquarters at Ellesmere Port they
work closely with the Health and Safety Executive and other agencies to promote
safe and responsible Scuba Diving. The British Sub-Aqua Club is the oldest
and largest diving club in the world, with more than 1250 branches in over
50 countries. More than 12,00 people join the club every year, and millions
of divers have been trained the BSAC way since it's formation in 1953. Safety,
thoroughness and self-reliance are integral to the BSAC standard of training.
BSAC have both a Branch and a School system in the UK and abroad. Generally
they are not as widely recognised as PADI, and
the Branch training reflects more the self help approach of the branch and club
system as opposed to the Professional standards adopted by Dive Schools. If you
are looking to teach SCUBA in the branch / club system, BS-AC have helped by
recently relaxing the requirement for branch training personnel to have medical
examinations in favour of a self certification system. They can also operate
outside of the Health and Safety guidelines without risk of prosecution. This
can be a great bonus where time and personnel are restricted.
BSAC Dive Schools
Professional Dive schools are governed very closely by the Health
and Safety Executive. There are very strict requirements over stringent
medicals for Instructors and underwater safety staff, strict legal requirements
for equipment servicing and suitability, plus a whole raft of legislation designed
to make training in the sport safe and enjoyable.
At BlueFish Diving our BSAC School is aimed at bringing professional level training
to BSAC club and branch members, as and when they require it. We can offer anything
from a single pool session right up to full courses. For us to teach you professionally,
you must either be a member of a BSAC Branch, or be a members of BSAC Direct
Branch. Members of other branches are required to get the permission of their
Branch Diving Officer before we can help with any training. In a BSAC branch
it is the diving Officer who signs the certification, not the instructor.
