Many divers – especially at ESAC – see Ocean Diver as a great first step. With the ability to dive down to 20 metres, and a solid set of techniques mastered, Ocean Diver is a great achievement in its own right. However, it won’t take long before you want to build up more advanced skills, take on more challenging dives, and perhaps work your way up through the various levels of the BSAC qualifications.
Your Next Step
Once you have qualified as an Ocean Diver, you can move on to train as a Sports Diver, as well as being able to take a number of Skill Development Courses (see below). Sports Diver is your next step in BSAC’s Diver Training Programme. You will broaden your experience in a variety of challenging open-water conditions, and learn essential techniques to prepare you for diving to a maximum of 35 metres.
After Sports Diver…
After completing Sports Diver training and consolidating your skills, your options for diving significantly expand.
- You could learn to plan and lead dives by doing the Dive Leader course, which is the next grade in BSAC’s Diver Training Programme, and takes you further on the path to helping organise dives and expeditions within your club.
- You could develop specific skills to expand your diving interests further. There are more than 30 BSAC Skill Development Courses open to Sports Divers from Ice Diving or Underwater Photography, to Closed Circuit Rebreather Diver and Sports Mixed Gas Diver training.
- You could start on the road to instructing by signing up for BSAC’s Instructor Foundation Course to become an Assistant Diving Instructor.
Skill Development Courses
BSAC’s range of special interest courses is designed to ensure you get the very best out of your diving. SDCs are regularly held by Regional Coaching Teams, BSAC centres and can be staged in clubs. This page gives some idea of the huge number of SDCs available. A popular example is the Buoyancy and Trim Workshop, helping to perfect using a drysuit.