Sports Diver Course

Sports_Diver_CourseBSAC Sports Diver training builds on the scuba skills you learnt in the Ocean Diver course (or entry level qualification from another agency) and helps develop your confidence, skills and experience in the water to allow you to enjoy a wider range of diving sites and conditions. The course builds a sound foundation of open water diving skills and experience with structured, practical lessons. This is a good way of getting more dives under your belt while learning under the supervision of a qualified instructor.

Qualified BSAC Sports Divers are ready to take part in dives with other Ocean Divers or higher grade divers. Depth can be built progressively to a maximum of 35m after qualfying*. Sports Divers can embark on the first stage of the route of instruction.

*To complete the depth progression you need be over 14 years old. Those under 14 years can qualify to Sports Diver but can dive to a maximum depth of 20m. Currently Oxford BSAC decides on a person-by-person basis whether teenagers are mature enough to train.

Prerequisites

To enrol on the BSAC Sports Diver Course you must be 12 years or older. Currently Oxford BSAC decides on a person-by-person basis whether teenagers are mature enough to train, but usually we do not train under 14s.

You must have already successfully completed a BSAC Ocean Diver course (or qualifying certification from another recognised training agency).

What you’ll learn

You’ll hone your scuba skills and experience in various areas including rescue skills, Surface Marker Buoys (SMBs) and Delayed Surface Marker Buoys (DSMBs), navigation, techniques with equipment, and more about breathing gas. In addition, BSAC Sports Divers are taught how to support a Dive Manager by acting as their deputy as the first step in developing this important role in support of safe diving. The BSAC Sports Diver course has both practical and classroom lessons run in an integrated sequence. The course includes a sheltered water lesson and five open water lessons.

The fun bit

You will love the variety in this course. To ensure you experience a range of conditions, your instructor will include five types of dive from the following for you to experience: shore dive, nitrox dive (using a breathing gas >21% Oxygen up to a maximum of 36% (nitrox)), dive using a shot line, low visibility dive, drift dive, small boat dive, large boat dive, wall dive or a dive in protective clothing (wet suit or drysuit).

Qualification and what that means

A BSAC Sports is defined as a diver who is competent to:

  • conduct dives to 20m (if you choose to do the post qualification progress dives, the depth is increased in 5m increments to 35m)
  • conduct dives with a BSAC Ocean Diver within the restrictions of the conditions already encountered by the Ocean Diver
  • conduct dives with another BSAC Sports Diver, within the restrictions of the conditions already encountered during training.
  • Conduct dives with a Dive Leader or higher grade, to expand experience beyond the conditions encountered during training, under the supervision of a Dive Manager.
  • use breathing gas mixes up to Nitrox 36
  • plan and conduct dives requiring mandatory decompression stops
  • rescue a casualty and provide basic life support
  • support the role of Dive Manager by acting as a competent deputy

Sports Diver Student Notes

You will be given a pack as part of your course which includes all the learning materials you need for the BSAC Sports Diver course. The pack includes a Qualification Card application and your student diver notes. (There is also an A5 binder for divers crossing over from another training agency.)

Recommended gear

Although the diving equipment is usually provided by the club or centre, having your own mask, snorkel and fins, as well as a diving suit, is highly recommended.

View products to go with the BSAC Sports Diver course

How to do this course

You can do this course by joining a local BSAC club and training with other club members, or at a BSAC Centre where you can do the course in four days.

* The BSAC Sports Diver course normally takes four days but is weather dependent and could take longer. Where club training is spread over a number of evenings and weekends then total time commitment can be much longer.

Eager to start? – contact the training officer now

Your next steps

After completing this course your options significantly expand. You could continue your diver training by doing the BSAC Dive Leader course (the next Diver Grade course).

Alternatively you could begin developing the skills to become an Instructor by doing the Instructor Foundation Course (IFC) or develop your interests and/or skills by following one of the 30+ Skill Development Courses (SDCs) to develop specific skills such as Dive UK, First Aid for Divers, Boat Handling, Oxygen Administration or Drysuit Training.

Eager to start? – contact the training officer now