Crossing Over to BSAC

Preparing for a dive in the Sound of Mull

Joining Stingray is simple.

Try us out with a guest dive (if you want)..

If you already dive in the UK or similar waters, you can dive as a guest on one trip to see if you like the club. We'll provide an experienced diver as a buddy so you have a safe and enjoyable time.

Join the club :-)

Once you join we'll give you the 'Introduction to the BSAC' talk, then you can go diving with us.

There is no extra charge for the try out & you don't need any extra training..

If want to continue training later on and you are from another agency (e.g PADI or the SAA), then you'll have to buy the BSAC diving manual and student workbooks appropriate to your new diving grade, but you don't have to start over and our courses are usually much cheaper then going to shop!

How BSAC Works

BSAC is different! BSAC clubs are run by their members, for their members, we do diving for divers, not for profit. We only train our own club members, and our instructors are qualified volunteers. All our training and diving is done at cost, which we keep to a minimum. BSAC has been doing things this way for more than 50years and has an excellent reputation for quality dive training. We want friends and dive buddies, not customers :-).

We think BSAC diving is great, and excellent value for money - our sport diver course for example costs Ł35 for a training pack and takes place over 6 dives. it includes SMB training, Nitrox (Enriched Air) training, Diver Rescue and Decompression Procedures, courses that would cost hundreds of pounds from a dive shop. We try never to make things more expensive or complicated than they need to be!

Welcome to UK diving (for holiday divers)

If you haven't dived for a while or you've only dived in tropical water we'll take you for a try out (in the pool or shallow water) to brush up on your skills and show you anything we do differently. If you are a bit rusty then our instructors are there to help you, if not, maybe we'll learn something from you...

Often divers who join Stingray learned in warmer waters and have little or no experience of diving in the UK. If that's the case then we recommend our drysuit course, which will help you get ready for British diving. It's short (two lectures, two pool sessions and two dives) and the price includes sea fins and gloves if you don't have them already.

If you learned on holiday or at a dive school you'll notice a few differences. Stingray isn't a dive school, it's a club. You pay an annual fee to be part of the club, but once you are in the training is free (only costs like workbooks are passed on) and fees for equipment hire etc. are much more resonable than a shop. Our instructors and dive leaders are fully qualified, but they are volunteers.

Most training is done in the evenings over a period of weeks, with diving on weekends. Costs are lower and more spread out, with less pre-arranged packages (although we do this when it makes things easier, like for the drysuit course). We have a good social side to the club and everyone is expected to muck in and help run things. You'll see how it works once you join.

Some example equivalent grades from other organisations (if you aren't on this list, don't worry, it isn't comprehensive - ask us):

CMAS 1*, PADI OW, PADI AOW, PADI AOW+, NAUI Scuba Diver, SAA OWD: BSAC Ocean Diver

PADI Rescue Diver, NAUI SCUBA Resue Diver, SAA Club Diver, SSAC 3rd Class: BSAC Sport Diver

PADI/NAUI Divemaster, SAA Dive Leader, SSAC 2nd Class: BSAC Dive Leader

If you are an instructor with another agency, there are cross over arrangements for this as well, ask us about them if they might apply to you.

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Copyright (C) Iain Crampton, Stingray Divers 2002 - 2012. All images (C) their respective owners. No re-use without permission. If you have any comments, suggestions or wish to use any content, please contact me.