Established in 1968, we now have around 75 members. We operate from Bishop Auckland Rugby Union Football Club. We meet on Monday nights with a pool session at Woodhouse Close Leisure centre at 20:30 followed by the club meeting at the Rugby club 21:30.
We own & operate
2 RIB’s (Rigid Inflatable Boats).
2 high capacity compressors
6 sets of scuba equipment
Before any training starts you will need to perform a self assessment of your
health - if you are unsure (or have had an operation/receiving medication) you
should attend a diving medical, this is carried out locally by one of a number
of registered Doctors – details can be provided.
On passing the self assessment/medical, membership fee’s to Bishop Auckland Sub Aqua Club (BASAC) must be paid & your training begins.
This will consist of 8 theory sessions of about 1 hour each & 6 “sheltered
water” or pool lessons.
There are also assessments – one covering the theory & a further one covering
the practical aspects you’ve learnt in the pool. Once you’ve successfully
completed both, you can move into your Open water training.
This will consist of 6 Open Water dives where you’ll put the basic skills
mastered in the pool into practice in deeper water & concludes with your final
assessment.
On successful completion you will be qualified as a
BSAC Ocean Diver & certified to dive to maximum depth of 20m anywhere in the
world.
The cost:
|
Intial training to Ocean Diver (all training free afterwards) |
£200 |
|
BASAC membership fee’s |
£50 |
|
Total |
£250 |
Equipment required
Pool - To start training you will need only Mask, fins, snorkel & a weight belt with around 4 kg. All other scuba equipment will be provided.
Open Water training - We’re now moving into the realms of diving for real & you’ll need additional equipment to help deal with the pleasures of diving in the UK.
Now is also the time to start thinking about buying your own kit.
A basic minimum should include :-
1.
A Suit - Wet, Dry or Semi-dry, the choice is yours, but for UK diving we
would advise on a Dry suit.
2.
BCD (Buoyancy Control Device or Stab Jacket)
3.
Regulator, Octopus & gauge set
4.
Cylinder
5.
Gloves & hood
6.
Compass
7.
A waterproof watch, dive timer or dive computer.
8.
Additional weights
You have several options here, ranging from buying new, second hand, hiring from a local store or dive site to any combination of the these.
Rough costs:
New – around £800 upward, buys a very reasonable set of equipment.
Second-hand
- cost varies greatly depending on factors such as age, quality,
condition etc. from about £400. It’s always best to ask advice or better
still, take someone with a bit of experience along if your going down this
route.
What you can expect from us
Membership of the BSAC “The largest diving club in the world”.
Training by Nationally qualified instructors to BSAC standards.
A diving qualification recognised word wide.
Full access to club equipment & resources – when suitably qualified
Membership of one of the best BSAC branches in the North East
You only get out what you put in, make the effort & you’ll find it’s
worthwhile.
Be punctual & attentive during training. Instructors are unpaid & give their
free time willingly.
Question anything & everything you don’t understand. We don’t pretend to
know it all, but what we don’t know, we’ll find out from someone who does.
Let us know as early as possible if you can’t make a training date, phone,
fax or Email, what matters is that you let your instructor know.
Muck in & get involved in what’s going on – branch diving is all about
everyone helping out, doing their bit & most of all enjoying it!!
If you have any questions or queries don’t hesitate, ask your instructor –
that’s what they’re there for
Take a look at the following articles by our members on their training experiences
PADI Crossover - Clare Tate
Novice Training - Mark Curran
Training in Action - Steven Bell
Questions? Comments?
email:
bishopaucklandsac@tiscali.co.uk