UK scuba training - my experience so far

[Edward3c]

Good ol' blighty is the best place to learn, prepares you for the worst conditions and makes you appreciate the ocean.

I disagree, divers who learn in cold water can be a danger to themselves when they first expeience warm/tropical diving conditions. They can easily exceed the planned depth because subconsciously they relate loss of light to depth.

 

[BoltSnap]

Heaven knows what they'd think in the summer when the temps are 45C+ and the sea temp can still be 36C at 40m..

I remember these days diving in the Gulf in Dubai, there was no escape from the humidity and heat above or below the surface. Very ugly. It was much better on the East coast of the UAE however. I wore a .5mm suit during the long summer and increased thickness as it got closer to the winter there, 3mm to 7mm (I could have used a semi-dry in the middle of their "winter").

 

[BoltSnap]

I'd love to go back to the UK and get to dive the various locations after getting an orientation. The UK waters are full of history and intrigue for me. It does need solid orientation to dive there however. I was told that it isn't possible to dive there many months of the year, Fall through Spring, due to water conditions. In other words, you can dive in the ocean/sea for very few months of the year. (I have no desire or interest to dive in the quarries or lakes there).

My experience with BSAC "volunteer" teaching system is that the scheduling and arranging for a set schedule or trying to start a course is a big pain because of the "volunteer" mentality. I'd rather pay money and have everything done at a more committed basis.

 

[BoltSnap]

I disagree, divers who learn in cold water can be a danger to themselves when they first expeience warm/tropical diving conditions. They can easily exceed the planned depth because subconsciously they relate loss of light to depth.

I second this opinion too. People from the "North" overestimate their abilities and underestimate the environment in tropical areas and exceed their limits easily in their first experience with tropical diving and get themselves in trouble.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I disagree, divers who learn in cold water can be a danger to themselves when they first expeience warm/tropical diving conditions. They can easily exceed the planned depth because subconsciously they relate loss of light to depth.

A very good point. Hoofing it 50m down a shot line in low viz feels like a long way compared to 50m down a reef wall when you can see the bottom from the surface. But 50m is still 50m and physics is still physics.

 

[BlueTrin]

I'd love to go back to the UK and get to dive the various locations after getting an orientation. The UK waters are full of history and intrigue for me. It does need solid orientation to dive there however. I was told that it isn't possible to dive there many months of the year, Fall through Spring, due to water conditions. In other words, you can dive in the ocean/sea for very few months of the year. (I have no desire or interest to dive in the quarries or lakes there).

My experience with BSAC "volunteer" teaching system is that the scheduling and arranging for a set schedule or trying to start a course is a big pain because of the "volunteer" mentality. I'd rather pay money and have everything done at a more committed basis.

I agree that, it is in my opinion one of the biggest drawbacks.

If you want to get certified quickly to do a few dives on holidays it is definitely not the easiest. For the people not familiar with the BSAC club system: you get given a booklet and you need to get signed off all the ‘modules’ of a level to get your certification: all theory required you to attend actual classes instead of doing it online and all the practical dives can only be done when a club instructor is available. Depending of your club it can takes weeks or a month before you can get a particular module signed due to availability.

However, you can go to Stoney Cove and pay for a BSAC training like you’d do for PADI:
ALL COURSES

Posting this as not many people know that you can do a BSAC certification outside of a club.

Also you do not have to get all signed off by your club: if you have friends in other clubs or ask on Facebook, you can join sometimes the training of another club.

PS: I completed my practical dives for Sports Diver and learned a lot at Stoney Cove.

 

[Vitesse2l]

Thanks everyone for all the replies (and likes).

There certainly are several ways to get qualified here and I'd happily agree that one size doesn't fit all.

If the weather allows there's diving available all year, depending on individual circumstance. I'm lucky to live around 45 minutes from Plymouth and Torbay, so a cancelled dive isn't a problem. If I lived in the Midlands and had to arrange travel and accommodation it'd be a different story. I'm looking forward to the coming settled weather and a bank holiday weekend. Safe diving all.

 

[BoltSnap]

If you want to get certified quickly to do a few dives on holidays it is definitely not the easiest. For the people not familiar with the BSAC club system: you get given a booklet and you need to get signed off all the ‘modules’ of a level to get your certification: all theory required you to attend actual classes instead of doing it online and all the practical dives can only be done when a club instructor is available. Depending of your club it can takes weeks or a month before you can get a particular module signed due to availability.

I saw how the courses are run at a BSAC club when I lived in the UAE and it wasn't very appealing to me because of this issue. The instructors were great when they managed to get together to teach but getting to schedule a course and finishing it within a reasonable amount of time was totally ridicules. It was a very open ended schedule. BSAC has certainly very high standards in theory but it isn't the most efficient system around if done through a volunteer "club."

 

[BlueTrin]

I saw how the courses are run at a BSAC club when I lived in the UAE and it wasn't very appealing to me because of this issue. The instructors were great when they managed to get together to teach but getting to schedule a course and finishing it within a reasonable amount of time was totally ridicules. It was a very open ended schedule. BSAC has certainly very high standards in theory but it isn't the most efficient system around if done through a volunteer "club."

I would agree that it can take some time to get certified.

One option is to get PADI certified and still join a BSAC club: just be warned that some clubs do not recognise the PADI AOW for the depth limit

 

[BoltSnap]

One option is to get PADI certified and still join a BSAC club: just be warned that some clubs do not recognise the PADI AOW for the depth limit

That will be a terrible thing to do, PADI training instead of BSAC. BSAC has MUCH higher standards and better training