Covid-19
As with all aspects of life, Covid has had an impact on SCUBA diving. However it hasn’t stopped it… the British Sub Aqua Club has regularly reviewed the Covid situation, and issue relevant guidelines to branches. As such trips have been able to go ahead and so can instruction.
Why don’t you teach entry level courses?
There are primarily two reasons for this. Firstly it’s resources and secondly it’s cost. In order to teach entry level courses you need to have regular access to a pool. We took the decision to stop hiring a regular pool time slot as it was previously underused and a big expense. We also found that there are a number of commercial training schools in the area, as such prices for entry level courses are quite competitive. Once all the associated costs had been factored in we found we weren’t able to price entry level courses, any cheaper than one run by a commercial training school, nor would we be able to train you as fast. Therefore we have taken the stance not to teaching entry level qualifications. An upshot of this is there is more instructor availability & time to help develop divers to higher level qualifications within the club.
I’m really interested in taking up diving but I’m not yet qualified what do I do?
First step is get in touch! We can put you in contact with local dive schools who can help you become certified. Once certified Wye Valley Scuba is a club full of dive buddies who can help get you out diving and develop your skills further.
I gained my dive certification some time ago and haven’t dived in a while, can I join?
Absolutely! We would look to start things off gently and refresh your skills but we find divers quickly pick it back up again!
How often do you go diving?
It’s one of those how long is a piece of string questions… The honest answer is as often as we can! Some of our members do a lot of diving and will be diving somewhere most weekends. Others prefer to go a bit less often. Our diving ranges from local quarry diving, shore diving in West Wales and Devon, to charter boat trips. Some trips are just for the day, others are for a weekend or longer. Some trips are relatively close to home and others further afield. In short we are a very active branch and we like to travel around a bit to keep the diving varied.
Is diving safe?
Any activity where you enter an environment that you can’t naturally breathe in can never be 100% safe, and we won’t con you into believing it is. There are very real dangers associated with diving that only good kit and excellent training will equip you to cope with. Having said that, our sport enjoys a very good safety record and statistics show that scuba diving is safer than driving, horse riding, child birth and even marathon running. Take your kit, your training and your skills seriously and scuba diving can be very safe. All our branch diving is conducted with safety being a foremost consideration. We help develop newly certified divers into experienced ones in a safe and structured way.
Is diving expensive?
Well here again, we’re not going to lie to you! Diving is not a cheap hobby, but it is extremely rewarding! To support new branch members we do have some branch equipment you can borrow on branch dives (regulators, BCD’s, dive computer, weights etc.). We would anticipate new members would purchase their own equipment over time. We can also help advise and guide you through any purchases to ensure what you are spending your hard earned on is both suitable and serviceable.
There is nothing to see in UK waters?
Don’t you believe it!!! The UK has an amazing variety of sea life under the waves. From octopus to anemones, from starfish to sunfish, it’s all there. Ok, it’s not the Red Sea, we’ll give you that, but there are some amazing creatures and wrecks down there. Just have a look at our adventures page to see some examples!
I have a medical condition can I dive?
Whilst we are an inclusive diving club and are able to make adaptions to assist individuals with pre-existing medical conditions dive. There are some medical conditions which do exclude scuba diving, these are few and far between. BSAC uses the UKDMC http://www.ukdmc.org/ to provide medical advice. On joining you will be asked to complete a medical self declaration form. Following this you may be required to seek a recreational dive medical. We can help advise and support you through this process.
I trained with PADI ( or other agency) is this a problem?
Not at all. To become a club member you will still need to join BSAC and the Wye Valley Scuba, BSAC will award you with a qualification that is a similar level as your current agency. You can stay qualified with both agencies. No crossover training is required, but you may want to consider it to keep your existing skills honed or learn new ones such as Nitrox or Dry Suit diving and develop your diving skills further with BSAC courses. It’s not uncommon for members to have trained with other agencies prior to joining Wye Valley Scuba. A list of equivalent qualifications can be found on the BSAC website if you follow this link: Equivalent BSAC qualifications – British Sub-Aqua Club.
I have a disability, can I dive with you?
Sort answer… yes! Diving is an inclusive sport. We have a specialist training program within BSAC to equip instructors with the necessary skills and awareness to ensure safe instruction for individuals with disabilities. We have Diving for All approved instructors within our branch. For more information review the Diving for All programme with BSAC.
Does the club have a compressor or gas blending facilities?
We don’t have a club compressor or gas blending facilities. This allows us to keep our membership fee low and supports our local dive economy. It is possible to get Air, Nitrox and Trimix at competitive prices locally.
I’m interested in technical diving, are you Tec friendly?
We currently have several active technical divers within the club, and a BSAC Technical Instructor. The majority of our members enjoy recreational diving as apposed to technical, but we are Tec friendly and welcoming of new technical divers to the club.