Dive shops vs BSAC-style club diving

[Diving Dubai]

Overseas BSAC branches have to work within the legal structure of the country they've in.

As we know only too well. For instance although we have a committee and constitution as per BSAC rules, we have to have a separate "board of directors" and separate constitution that satisfies the rules and regulations here.

We are not allowed to make a profit, and have to submit a business plan and annual accounts. However we are allowed to maintain a surplus to cover the replacement of our capital items, the biggest being boats. In reality once we get close to the limit we upgrade something (last year we had 2 new Yamaha 150hp outboards on one boat, this year both boats have gone in for a commercial service and had new gel coat on the decks)

All this aside, in simple terms while we dive within BSAC guidelines for safe diving, and while we are registered as a club, if you actually break it down we are just a group of friends that like to go diving and have pooled and shared our resources. Being a club is just a way to formalise the resources and equipment.

We could exist just using social media to organise dives, indeed some of our trips are organised this way (for forward planning) We choose for club boats to insist that you have to sign up for dives at a weekly club social either in a bar or during the cooler months at someone's villa (we have big outdoor spaces) in this way you do keep people together. It all depends what works for different people.

We for instance can go diving using two boats on two coasts every weekend (as long as you have interest and people to run them) If you dived less frequently them perhaps a weekly meeting is too much.

 

[admikar]

My club (CMAS affiliated) is also not for profit, but with some peculiarities. Since we are incorporated into a emergency response system, we receive funding from city/state level, as from membership and tuition fees. Here, not for profit means that we can not have profit at the end of a fiscal period (usually end of year), but we can charge for our services (with all the usual business documents). To make this all legal, all that needs to be done is to list all those activities in a constitutional act. Like Diving Dubai said, we can keep some money for impending servicing and such, but any "profit" must be spent before the end of year. So, in reality, gas fills, equipment ( some 25 sets from masks to bottles) are free to use. On our regular diving/training trips, for which we pay what must be way under price, club owned vans are used for transport, club owned boat is free to use (some fuel is all free, over that you pay only for fuel-boat is still free). This must be all strange for Western people, but remember that we are still operating under socialism influence.

 

[Centrals]

"Profit" is definitely NOT allowed. You really need to be very delicate to the "work" at your own expenses!
Joining a local BSAC club is a good way to introduce yourself to the local diving as well as social scene.