The British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) in SoCal

[headhunter]

The British Sub Aqua Club is a highly regarded club that has a reputation for properly training divers with a step-by-step mentoring system. They have BSAC branches in many parts of the word.

Since SoCal is such a cosmopolitan place, I'm surprised that we don't have a BSAC program here.

This begs the question. How many people here in SoCal are BSAC trained?

So, I have 2 questions in this vein.

Are you BSAC trained or familiar with this method of training?

Why do you think that there is no BSAC program here in SoCal and do you think someone should start one?

Christian

 

[scjoe]

My guess is you will find BSAC branches in warm water enviroments where Brits like to vacation and in former colonies that were not so rude as to start a war with them and still speak something akin to the Queen's English (e.g., Australia). Seriously, they probably viewed NAUI and PADI as having occupied the field early on and did not think it was worth the effort. It is too bad because they do seem to be more thorough and methodical in their training than US agencies currently are. Perhaps some expat down at the Kings Head in Santa Monica will take up the challenge after a few too many pints.

 

[THelsley]

I read some of the info on the linked site, but it wasn't clear to me at the time if BSAC is another certifying agency like NAUI, or PADI etc., or does it compliment the certifications more like DIR does?

 

[headhunter]

I read some of the info on the linked site, but it wasn't clear to me at the time if BSAC is another certifying agency like NAUI, or PADI etc., or does it compliment the certifications more like DIR does?

It is my understanding that BSAC is a full fledged certifying agency like NAUI and PADI.

I'm not intimately famiar with their practices, but have had a positive impression of their system after diving with people who have gone through it and it got me to wondering why we don't see them here in the US. It may be something about our laws and liability that make this a less hospitable environment to their methods, but that's just speculation on my part.

Christian

 

[scjoe]

Unlike US certification agencies (NAUI, PADI, etc.) which started out as such, the BSAC started as a dive club around 1953. By 1959 it had become a certifiation agency as well. The first certification program anywhere was LA County in 1955. Around that time the BSAC became recognized as the governing body for scuba diving in Britain, but I am not sure it was actually certifiying divers then. It's first dive manual was published in 1959.

My understanding is that today the BSAC is both a dive club and a certification agency.

 

[cdiver2]

1/ BSAC doe.s not believe in fast track certification. They have speed ed up a little to compete with the likes of PADI but are losing ground fast to PADI even in the UK.

2/ Just my observations but I don't think Americans are as club orientated as the Brits. You are expected to put time into the club, assisting in training, equipment officer, expedition officers etc.

3/As some one stated Law suites.

 

[SeaDana]

When I lived in Jamaica, most Jamaican and British divers were BSAC certified and definitely preferred diving with other BSAC members than others. Once they showed me their manuals-- they are HUGE! (like 2 bible-sized books). It takes a long time to get certified (I think a year or something).

BSAC isn't at all like NAUI or PADI-- in fact, they REALLY look down upon those certifications calling them "pay-and-dive-immediately". To their credit, BSAC divers are meticulous and very professional.

Also, some of the BSAC divers told me it's similar to Navy diver training, mostly for very cold water and harsh conditions, since it was developed in British waters. So much of the training is not applicable to the Caribbean and basically training overkill.

 

[cdiver2]

When I lived in Jamaica, most Jamaican and British divers were BSAC certified and definitely preferred diving with other BSAC members than others. Once they showed me their manuals-- they are HUGE! (like 2 bible-sized books). It takes a long time to get certified (I think a year or something).

BSAC isn't at all like NAUI or PADI-- in fact, they REALLY look down upon those certifications calling them "pay-and-dive-immediately". To their credit, BSAC divers are meticulous and very professional.

Also, some of the BSAC divers told me it's similar to Navy diver training, mostly for very cold water and harsh conditions, since it was developed in British waters. So much of the training is not applicable to the Caribbean and basically training overkill.

A lot of the skills you find in BSAC that are not found in others ( small boat handling, charts and tides, navigation (boat) and zero viz dives) are more attuned to British waters. However I think the waters in the north east and west of the US are similar to British waters

 

[scjoe]

It will be interesting to see how BSAC fares with PADI now in Britain. The PADI system is clearly what most beginning divers want. It passed NAUI by and has not looked back.

NAUI and LA County were once the king of the hill and pretty much the same. Back in the late 60's and early 70's a NAUI basic course could take 4 months twice a week to complete. It was what would now be considered Basic, Advanced, CPR and Rescue combined. Some instructors insisted that you pass the swim test now reserved for instructor level candidates just to get into the basic course.

After PADI passed them by, NAUI adopted the PADI method and is still a major certification agency. If it hadn't, it probably would have become irrelevant as a national training agency. LA County, on the other hand, stuck pretty much to its original concept and certifies only a handful of advanced divers a year.

 

[pupdiver]

I have met BSAC certified British divers while traveling and I understand the certification process to be very stringent and it takes a long time to get through it. While that is probably good from a quality standpoint, it probably doesn't bode well for their future. The truth is that most people will choose an initial certification that requires less of a commitment up front. I doubt we will ever see BSAC as a major certification agency in LA with PADI and NAUI so readily available.