Anyone interested in Diving?

[Bay Divers]

Hi Guys N Gals!

I am ex Navy and my partner ex Army. Don't hold it against us though as we have just started a new PADI Diving 'resort' in South Wales and run all sorts of PADI diving courses from discover courses through to professional level, including specialities.

If you are interested in getting the MoD to contribute significantly to your course costs, let us know! This is achieved through your annual SLC allowance. We already do work on this scheme for lads based in Brawdy which has proven to be very popular, we now wish to widen our services to the rest of you. Take advantage of the SLC scheme, it is there to be used EVERY YEAR. In my 22 years service I only used it once, the rest of the allowance never got used, don't make the same mistake!

We are particularly intersted in the personnel based at St Athan due to location, but we would gladly entertain four day 'Open Water Diver' courses to anyone, providing there are at least four (max 8) per course. On completion of the course you will be presented a PADI certification card allowing you to dive anywhere in the world and experience the joys of diving.

For experienced divers we offer progression courses through to Divemaster and a host of speciality courses which we undertake along our stunning South Wales coastline.

Further details can be found on www.padi.com or our website www.baydivers.co.uk

 

[techie_tubby]

Sounds good pal. Perhaps you could answer a question for me. I have some PADI quals: Open Water, Nitrox Diver, Wreck Diving. However the RAF say i need to have BESAC quals to join the club. is there any difference between PADI and BESAC?

 

[Downsizer]

BSAC is of a much higher standard.

 

[Tin basher]

I was told many years ago that the British sub Aqua quals took longer to achieve, required more study, more pool time and it could be a quite a while from first lesson to getting wet and that PADI stood for Pay And Dive Instantly. Though that was a British sub aqua instructor telling me these things.

 

[MattBombHead]

PADI Diver Quals generally do not teach any buddy rescue skills. You are taught to 'rescue' youself, as the Divemaster that you are diving with would need to continue the dive to ensure the safety of the other Divers/ Clients.

BSAC Teaches you 'buddy rescue' drills right from the basic level (Ocean Diver), as you will generally be diving in a 'buddy pair'.

The reason that the Services require you to be BSAC qual'd is for this reason. Very rarely as a Service Diver will you dive as you would as a PADI Diver - ie, 1x Divemaster/ Supervisor and upto 8 students/ clients.

You will generally dive as a pair, as per Joint Service Diving Regs, which means that you MUST be able to rescue your 'buddy'.

 

[hubfail]

BSAC is geared towards learning as a member of a club and then progressing within that club (or other BSAC clubs), however never having been a member of a BSAC club, this is not something I have experience of.

What I do have experience of, is PADI, which is geared more towards building up a business around the instructional system.

PADI is quicker to qualify than BSAC in that you can acheive the basic level (PADI Open Water) in a couple of weekends - IIRC, I did one Saturday academics/exams/pool, and 4 open water dives over the next Sat/Sun to qualify.

I sometimes see trawls for expeds that accept "Equivelent PADI Quals", however, all Services clubs are BSAC affilliated.

hubfail
(PADI Advanced Open Water)

 

[jammin]

I Love to Dive DT_Xtremez_26:

Holiday a lot in Tenerife and my friend has a diving school there I have done around 7 - 10 aided try dives, completed a DSD, looking to progress in the future.

Will check out your website

Cheers


jammin

 

[Stevienics]

Suppose its what you want out of life. Looked at BSAC but it all looked way too demanding and testosterne fuelled, so learnt PADI way (in Saudi, oddly) and loved it so much went back and got AOW trained. Great fun, without having to hold breath for one hour underwater whilst doing press-ups. If you just want to dive and have a blast go the PADI way, otherwise do the BSAC thing. Just don't spill the beer of a BSAC diver - they are an antsy bunch. DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[stingray888]

I thought this thread was about muff diving. How disappointing!

 

[hubfail]

To the tune of Wild Rover ....

I've been a muff diver for many a year,
And I've spent all my money on muff diving gear,
The goggles, the snorkel, the muff diving tank,
But when I'm not diving, I'm having a ...... DT_Xtremez_06:

Sorry couldn't resist - Hat, Coat, Go DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[stingray888]

To the tune of Wild Rover ....

I've been a muff diver for many a year,
And I've spent all my money on muff diving gear,
The goggles, the snorkel, the muff diving tank,
But when I'm not diving, I'm having a ...... DT_Xtremez_06:

Sorry couldn't resist - Hat, Coat, Go DT_Xtremez_14:

Classic, but haven't you missed a word?

 

[JAFAD666]

The fundamental difference between BSAC and PADI is this. PADI is a world wide organisation based as (stated earlier) on business. So they cater for people on holiday with limited time who want to learn. And rightly they teach them how to look after themselves in the given conditions. BSAC however
is British based and consequently you need to know about navigation when you have 50 cm vis, you need to know about rips, drifts, kelp, fishing nets, hypothermia, and how to share a tin (thats buddy breathing not beer). It`s not macho at all it`s just good drills so you don`t have to bother the RNLI or add to Seaking crew flying hour. As for equipment yes we take alot but, it`s St Abbs head or Filey Brigg not the Seychelles.

I was on a trip once and the dive Master (he`d converted to PADI) looked at my log and said ' HuH ! BSAC, Crowbar kitchen sink diver' my girfriend at the time, who was a very experience BSAC diver said ' lets see your then'
(I was worried for a split second)
He produced a NAUI (New Zealand Australia Undewater Institute) book.
Quick as a flash she said "Hmm ! Not Another Underwater Idiot"

 

[JAFAD666]

Yep just done a bit of googling. A Bsac "Ocean"(entry level) diver is in effect a PADI "Advanced open water diver"(second level up)
basically because of rescue/first aid and the use of drybags(inversion etc)

 

[Stevienics]

S'long as they let me strap on a reg and tank and arse around underwater for an hour, they can call me "Fred the Gay Porcupine" for all I care.....but I do have to say I have the utmost admiration for anyone who wants to get into the waters anywhere north of Gib. I have just the one rule...if it cannot be dived in a 5mm "shorty", I stay in the bar.

 

[Realist78]

S'long as they let me strap on a reg and tank and arse around underwater for an hour, they can call me "Fred the Gay Porcupine" for all I care.....but I do have to say I have the utmost admiration for anyone who wants to get into the waters anywhere north of Gib. I have just the one rule...if it cannot be dived in a 5mm "shorty", I stay in the bar.

My thoughts exactly, yet to be convinced of the need to dive in Arctic conditions, all mine has been in water at 27C +. Might do the cold stuff one day but warm is nicer.

 

[MattBombHead]

Having dived from as far south and west as the Flaklands, as far north as Norway, and as far east as Thailand, I have to say, you really can't beat diving in the UK.

End of.

DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[stingray888]

Once dived behind the NAAFI at St Athan. Got a gobful of ginger hair!
(Anything to liven this totally boring thread up)

 

[JAFAD666]

(Anything to liven this totally boring thread up)

Contribute or pi55 off, it`s not the crewroom. It`s in the Sports & AT.
Read the rules.

 

[sonofhacker]

Ronaldo and Drogba: World's No.1 Divers....
But seriously, any good diving centres in Norfolk at all anyone?