FAQ’s

To join DSAC you must be 18 years of age or over and be able to complete the BSAC Medical Self Declaration Form.

If you are completely new to diving then you would start with a TryDive, which is a taster session led by our experienced instructors in the Olympia pool. Following the trydive you will be invited to attend a presentation that will give an introduction to BSAC, DSAC, and training with us, after which the Ocean Diver course will begin.

We only run trydives and a new Ocean Diver course intake once a year in September/October. We do this so the theory and pool lessons can be completed over the winter months leading to the open water lessons being completed the following spring so you be qualified to dive by the summer.

• The joining fee for new members, without any previous dive qualifications, is £406. Included in this price are:
  • The annual fee for BSAC (£57.50) and DSAC (£100).
  • The pool hire for training or equipment tests on Monday evenings.
  • Free hire of professionally serviced equipment for pool training and open water training.
  • Training to Ocean Diver, Sports Diver and Dive Leader levels.
  • Internationally recognised qualification certificates
  • BSAC Member Benefits

In subsequent years only DSAC and BSAC fees are payable.

Already Qualified

If you already have a diving qualification with another agency then you are most welcome to join DSAC, whether you would like to progress with your training through BSAC qualifications or just continue to dive at your current level.

If you would like to join and continue to progress with BSAC qualifications then cross-over courses are available depending on your current qualification and our joining fees adjusting accordingly. Information on equivalent qualifications can be found here.

At the moment, we do not supply nitrox but it's something the club are looking into.

Yes, in fact we have seven active rebreather divers in the club. We also have a page on this website just for technical diving.

Yes, several of our rebreather divers use trimix although the club does not supply it.

Yes. The club own a 6.8m Cobra RHIB, capable of carrying up to 8 divers called 'Tay Explorer'

Yes, the club has just about all the equipment you'd need to get started. We have drysuits, regulators, masks, fins, dive computers, weight belts, harnesses and BCD's.

Yes, we have a large compressor capable of 300 bar fills which is regularly tested to ensure clean and safe air.

The club is active all throughout the year (yes, even winter) and most weekends there will be something on the calendar 

Like most sports there are risks involved but with proper training and following the safe diving practices put in place by the British Sub Aqua Club it's as safe as any other watersport. As a BSAC club we always dive in pairs and experience and confidence will be gained under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

The British Sub-Aqua Club and DSAC welcome previous diver training by recognised organisations, whether recreational, commercial or military. Divers can join a BSAC branch and enjoy diving with that branch within the recommendations of their existing qualification and BSAC Safe Diving Practices (whichever is the more conservative).

You can also crossover to a BSAC qualification subject to a few conditions. For more information please check out this crossover PDF

We dive all over Scotland. The sheltered sea lochs on the west coast can be dived in almost any weather so are frequently visited during winter months. We also regularly take our club boat (Tay Explorer) out to the Isle of May and many of the wrecks in the Firth of Forth. Oban, Sound of Mull, and Ullapool are some of the favourite destinations for longer trips.  Dive trips can be organised by any member so if you have a particular place you'd like to dive it can probably be organised.

Yes. You don't need to be a strong swimmer but you do need to be confident in the water and a swim test may be required.

No but we do ask for some commitment when you start on a course. The theory and pool lessons are run on Monday evenings from October-March. We do realise that people can't make it every week so if a lesson is missed then arranging a catch up won't be a problem, but bear in mind the more lessons that are missed the longer it will take to train.

The requirement for evidence of medical fitness to dive within the UK Sport Diving agencies (British Sub Aqua Club, Scottish Sub Aqua Club and the Sub Aqua Association) is met by the Self-certification process recommended by the UK Sports Diving Medical Committee (UKSDMC), an advisory body comprising doctors who specialise in diving medicine. These recommendations are as a result of a study undertaken by Dr S Glen and his colleagues at Edinburgh University involving all the members (around 3000) of the Scottish Sub Aqua Club (SSAC) and publication of this study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The UKSDMC therefore recommend that a new medical self-declaration form be completed annually by each member on renewal of membership. This form is a legal document and the signed declaration confirms that the declaration is truthful. If a diver answers 'No' to all questions on the form they complete the declaration and hand the original to their DO to be held by the branch for one year. They need to retain a copy for the Qualification Record Books for reference purposes. If a diver answers 'Yes' or is unsure on any area, they should not sign the form but must seek advice from a Medical Referee.

The BSAC Self Declaration Form can be found here: http://goo.gl/Mschp3

No. A few options available: One is to use prescription masks; the other is using your contact lenses. Prescription Diving Masks are ideal for those who wear glasses and are not confident or comfortable wearing contact lenses. Some divers wear their glasses under their mask.