Newbie diver needs advice

[ScubaAndy]

I completed my PADI OW and AOW in Thailand last summer and havent dived since, im looking to do some UK freshwater dives and gain some experience for diving abroad

I posted on the Scubaboard forums and someone suggested that BSAC maybe more suitable for me rather than PADI

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=150690

The Padi OW course was excellent and the instructors very competent, the AOW course was less impressive so i was thinking of repeating it and using it as an orientation to UK diving

I was wondering what the main differences were between the PADI OW and AOW courses and the BSAC alternatives?

Would i have to start from the beginning of the BSAC course or could i miss some of the basic parts? (nothing important i mean very very basic stuff)

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated

[Chris Cherrington]

Hi there.

You have a couple of options. If you join BSAC your next course will be Sports Diver and this will give you plenty of UK experience and lots of new friends. It may take a while depending on the branch near you. (Post up some more about your location etc and you will find people helpful in branch location etc.)

The other option is to complete your PADI rescue course. This is much better than the AOW (which most people find a bit "poor" like yourself). You would then join BSAC as a sports diver without the need for any further training.

The PADI Rescue is the best course that organisation does and is well worth the time effort and money. But of course it doesn't get you into a club if that is something that you would like.

Chris

[AndyDavis]

IMHO, there is very little point in repeating your AOW course as an intro to UK diving. Within PADI, there are a number of speciality courses that you could opt for that would be more beneficial - namely the Dry Suit speciality, Deep Speciality and Wreck Speciality. These 3 courses will prepare you well for the majority of UK diving.

As with chosing any diving course, what matters most is the quality of the instructor. The agency is irrelevant to some degree, as all agencies and organisations have good and bad instructors. I'd happily recommend Go-Dive (Derby), Stoney Cove (Leicester) and Aquanauts (Plymouth) as excellent PADI schools.

The main factor when considering a move to BSAC is whether you want to join a club, or whether you just want to go diving occasionally with a steady buddy.

BSAC offers you a weekly club meeting, ongoing training (more diverse courses than PADI and much cheaper in the long run). They have their own boats and you will get taken to some interesting dive sites without the cost of renting space on commercial charter boats. Qualifications generally take longer to achieve with BSAC, depending upon the availability of instructors and rescources. Costs are spread over an annual membership, with little extra to pay. This is good if you have the time to invest in the club and 'get your monies worth'.

With PADI, you get served as a customer. You pay more, but the courses are intensive and delivered slickly. More courses are run and you are free to shop around schools to find the right course, on the right date, with the right instructor for the right price. The downside is that most PADI schools have no social aspect, so you must still go out and find yourself a diving buddy/ies (advertise on the internet diving forums), then plan your own trips to the coast, paying for boat spaces where required. Some PADI schools now run clubs, and these can be very good fun.

[ScubaAndy]

Thanks for the advice so far

I live in Manchester so i think Capernwray is probably the closest dive site suitable for orientation dives (by that i mean pretty shallow, no current, good vis)

I was thinking of repeating my AOW as a way of building confidence by doing the deep and nav parts and then doing the Drysuit, Nitrox, and PBB electives as they seem the most useful for UK conditions

I dont really have a steady dive buddy so a club with whom i could find a buddy and train with would be great

[Chris Cherrington]

If you are interested in Nitrox the PADI Nitrox course will also give you a BSAC basic nitrox if you decide to join your local club. It might be a good point to start and you can do that course before, after or during any other training. Make sure though that there are dives as the Nitrox course can now be taught without any dives. That would give you a couple of dives in your local area and a chance to meet people. I think that would be the first thing on my list if I were you and use the extra time to check out your local clubs.

I agree with Andy, the AOW is the least suitable route to take. If you want to do your training with a school then the Nitrox, followed by the drysuit and the rescue courses would be my route in your position.

Don't forget you can also do the BSAC Sports Diver through a school if you want. I think you would find it (Sports Diver with either a club or school) worthwhile at your current level.

I don't know the Manchester area well but most folks there seem to dive round Anglesey which is a very nice area.

All the best with whichever route you decide.

Chris

[Mike Halligan]

If you are interested in Nitrox the PADI Nitrox course will also give you a BSAC basic nitrox if you decide to join your local club.

Is that so? Not terribly long ago, I got the full-on blast of BSAC negativity (blazers, cravats AND moustaches)! In fact, the BSAC's response to my PADI EANx was so dog rough that I dropped my association with Regional SDCs like a hot brick. Let's hope things are different and will change further when we see the incorporation of Nx into the Diver Training Programme,

Don't forget you can also do the BSAC Sports Diver through a school if you want. I think you would find it (Sports Diver with either a club or school) worthwhile at your current level.


This I do agree. If you're interested in diving UK waters with a friendly bunch of competent divers, then your local BSAC Branch can't be beat. Ask HQ about "Go Dive with the BSAC" to track down a welcoming Branch.

You can still employ the quicker, school, route to Sport Diver. If you want a BSAC centre, then see Dennis at RoHo. If you insist on PADI, then I rather respect Orca Divers.

HTH
Mike

[Chris Cherrington]

.. Not terribly long ago, I got the full-on blast of BSAC negativity (blazers, cravats AND moustaches)! In fact, the BSAC's response to my PADI EANx was so dog rough that I dropped my association with Regional SDCs like a hot brick. Let's hope things are different and will change further when we see the incorporation of Nx into the Diver Training Programme,
..

Its a shame that BSAC still has people like this in it. This problem is the club's cancer eating away at its future.

Chris

[ScubaAndy]

Thanks for the advice, Orca Divers is just down the road from me and ive spoken to the lady co-owner briefly on the phone

She seemed really helpful and informative (also advised me against AOW, instead to do some Drysuit and orientation dives)

The thumbs up from someone here also counts in thier favour