Here We have tried to answer most Questions BUT we will never be able to answer them all, If you don't see a Question that helps you please use the CONTACT US page and we will reply as soon as possible or why don't you come down and see us on a Monday night at the poolside FAQ Do I have to be an expert swimmer? Not at all. A good basic level of swimming ability is all that is required. Do I have to be super-fit? No. A reasonable level of fitness is enough. Is there anything that might preclude me from diving? There are very few cases where someone is unable to dive. Conditions like severe asthma or ear problems, lung or heart disease, epilepsy and diabetes could possibly prohibit you entering dive training. All prospective divers are required to undertake a "self certified" medical, prior to commencing aqualung training. This is arranged through your Branch and is a simple Questionnaire form Is it dangerous? It can be, that's why you need proper training. To put things into perspective although there have been several reported scuba diving related incidents over the years, given that there are many tens of thousands of active scuba divers in the UK, making hundreds of thousands of dives each year, the headlines in the papers can be mis-leading. Like any adventure sport, scuba diving can be dangerous. You are probably at more risk driving to the dive site than actually scuba diving. How deep to you go and how long are you down there? Most UK diving is in the 10-30 metres range, although dives to as deep as 50 metres are not uncommon. An average dive duration would probably be 30 minutes or as long as 75mins depending on environment How much will it cost? Firstly the Fees to Join Scot sac are Single Adult £75 1st Year Then £55 per annum renewal Couple £126 1st year Then £86 per annum renewal FAMILY membership is £183 1st Year £103 renewal and Students £62 1st year £42 renewal
Branch Members also pay a Branch levy, set locally by the Branch committee. In Bo'ness these are set at £120 per year , For new members this is paid in Full then after your first year you may decide to pay in 4 Quarterly instalments (£30 x 4) The local Branch levy varies depending on the type of equipment the branch has and other circumstances. For example Branches who have a dive boat or compressor may have higher annual levies than those that don't., So a new member just joining Bo'ness would initially pay out a total of £195, however I'm sure if you looked at other options you would find this much cheaper than them
We have our own compressor and a portable compressor in Bo'ness and to all our members Air fills are FREE (most places charge £3-£5 per fill so annually if you dive regularly that's a lot of savings)
We all also pay a weekly pool fee of £1...yes £1 from the Branch Diving officer to a Branch Diver this helps cover the cost of using the pool at night, Hot showers, Electricity for the Compressor and The Tvs for lectures Is there much to see underwater in Scotland? - And isn't it always cold? Scotland is a diver's paradise, visited by divers from all over the world. A combination of clear waters, abundant sea life and a multitude of shipwrecks make it an ideal location for scuba diving. Conditions do vary a lot with the weather, particularly the wind, but on a good day it is unbeatable. The water temperature varies from 14°C (September) to 4°C (March). The suits provide excellent thermal protection as does some 'warming liquid' after the dive (e.g. soup!). There is so much more too see underwater in Scotland than your led to believe, Why do you think we all Dive? Can I dive abroad with my ScotSAC qualification? Yes. The qualification is recognised world-wide. How long does it take to train? This depends on how intensively your particular Branch trains and to a certain extent on the individual. The normal arrangement is to meet once a week and the training commences with pool skills, supported by lectures, followed by open water training in the sea, which is reached about 2-3 months after starting out. More intensive programmes are available from within the National Diving Council's course programme. How old do I have to be (or am I too old)? You have to be fourteen to start aqualung training, although some branches set the limit for joining at 16 or 18 years of age. One is rarely too old to start scuba diving there are many active divers in their 70s in the UK. After all, the French called it the sport for active grandmothers! I need vision correction. Is that a problem? Not at all. Many divers wear soft contact lenses and prescription masks are also available. What happens in the Branch apart from diving? Branches are really the key component of the whole Organisation. They provide not only training, support and safe open water diving for their members, but they also tend to have a strong social focus as well. Events such as sponsored dives, skittle evenings, ceilidhs (ritual Scottish dancing - similiar exercise value to aerobics!), nights out and trips abroad as well as the traditional visit to the pub (after the dive!) are just some of the sort of activities that occur. It's also worth pointing out that Diving, by it's very nature of one individual depending on another for their well-being, tends to form strong and lasting friendships. I trained on holiday; will you take me diving? It depends, the answer is probably 'yes -but...'. Due to the differences is UK conditions when compared to holiday destinations you are probably not prepared for what you will encounter. For this and other reasons we recommend that you convert your qualification to a ScotSAC one , This will make you a safer diver with a higher level of skill and confidence. All ScotSAC Branches can perform these conversions Sounds great - whats next? You can make a shallow scuba dive in the safe confines of a local swimming pool, accompanied by a qualified instructor, to see if you like it., If you intrested doing a "try" dive please email us on the contact form as places are always limited for saftey reasons