Go for it or not?

[Kellykins]

Okay I am considering in joining my college dive club however!!!

-It costs £15 to join the sports union, £35 to join the club itself, £45 to join Scotsac annually + £19 first off joining fee!

-£3 pool hire

-I have my PADI already. But they want me to do some extra stuff (which is okay)

-I won't be guaranteed to learn the extra stuff, because they are voluntary instructors and have other people to train

-If I manage to get that done, I dive late October/Early November

-I have to fill my own tanks...(Is this even safe...???)

Anyways...Is it worth it? Should I save my money and wait until I go back home from college? Like on random weekends and college holidays to dive back home? They really have put me off because i might not be able to dive when I already have my padi cert =\...advice? Cheers x x

 

[Hickdive]

Okay I am considering in joining my college dive club however!!!

-It costs £15 to join the sports union, £35 to join the club itself, £45 to join Scotsac annually + £19 first off joining fee!

-£3 pool hire

-I have my PADI already. But they want me to do some extra stuff (which is okay)

-I won't be guaranteed to learn the extra stuff, because they are voluntary instructors and have other people to train

-If I manage to get that done, I dive late October/Early November

-I have to fill my own tanks...(Is this even safe...???)

Anyways...Is it worth it? Should I save my money and wait until I go back home from college? Like on random weekends and college holidays to dive back home? They really have put me off because i might not be able to dive when I already have my padi cert =\...advice? Cheers x x

Why not join a local BSAC club instead? You will be able to dive to the limits of your existing PADI qualification and will only require additional training if you wish to undertake BSAC qualifications. Otherwise you can just go diving.

Edinburgh has several BSAC clubs including mine;

http://www.divetech.org.uk/club/

 

[pittyyofool]

that is a bit pricey, does the club include any boat trips, or discounts?
If you want to go diving then GO DIVING! If you want a buddy I am sure you can steal one from the dive club with out buying them.
filling your own tanks is safe if someone teaches you how to do it. but from my experience it is much more likely to get moisture in your tank filling off a "home" compressor, rather than off a bank in a dive shop.

You pay the money to be in the club, not to dive. how important is the "club" to you.
If the "club" is not important to you. just find a few dive buddies and go dive!

In college I met a few dive buddies at church, and we went diving WAY WAY WAY more often than the "club members" we never saw them doing a 2AM lobster dive because they wanted more food variety than Chili and Top Romen...

 

[Sas]

Wow that's expensive. I wouldn't bother personally. Though, it depends what you want out of a club? Here the uni club is quite cheap, as it is designed for uni students (who are generally impoverished and living off ramen ;P, wish I'd known about it when I was a student!).

 

[Kellykins]

That solves it for me then!
Hm if only i had dive buddies...I don't know anyone that dives! everyone is waiting until after they graduate. Will check out BSAC!

No it doesn't include discounts etc...

When diving I still have to pay for the diving etc...

 

[Sas]

Yea it doesn't sound like a good deal tbh - what actually does it include? But still try to join a club I think as they can be very useful in finding buddies and just generally for socialising I'm in a BSAC club actually, and prefer that (or just independent clubs in general, doesn't have to be a BSAC club) to shop clubs as I have only had bad experiences when I was in a shop based club (biased with equipment advice, discounts were minimal, no discounts on group dives and so on). Anyway hope you find a good club - I have met a number of buddies through clubs (and more on the internet as well).

 

[DCBC]

In Canada, most clubs have instructors and many of us teach for free. Courses are at least twice as comprehensive (sometimes much more than that) than a similar grade course offered at a dive shop. If you want the quick and easy, go to a dive shop, if you want to really learn in-depth, consider a club! Check it out...

 

[Kellykins]

Yea it doesn't sound like a good deal tbh - what actually does it include? But still try to join a club I think as they can be very useful in finding buddies and just generally for socialising I'm in a BSAC club actually, and prefer that (or just independent clubs in general, doesn't have to be a BSAC club) to shop clubs as I have only had bad experiences when I was in a shop based club (biased with equipment advice, discounts were minimal, no discounts on group dives and so on). Anyway hope you find a good club - I have met a number of buddies through clubs (and more on the internet as well).

The only thing i get with it is free equipment hire providing i fill my own tanks! And I still have to pay for diving trips etc...and pool hire..! =\!

 

[NielsBlokie]

If I were you, I'd send several clubs an e-mail, and tell them your story. If you are lucky, some of them might offer you a little deal.

 

[katdiver]

If you go down the BSAC route, it will be similar to the ScotSAC you've already been offered. You will have annual club fees, branch fees etc. if a club is what you want then fine. As already said, you can go and dive, and only take further BSAC training if you want to. Do a search for local independednt clubs, or maybe some of the larger dive centres in the area have their own clubs.

I just did a quick search and came up with this one; http://www.deepbluescuba.co.uk/