Learn To Dive

For some, learning to dive provides an opportunity to venture under the waves and away from the other tourists while on holiday abroad. For others, the sport will develop into a lifelong obsession, to be pursued at every opportunity for fear of 'drying out' between dives. Most of our members fall somewhere between these two extremes but, no matter what the future holds, you must first learn to dive.

Scuba diving is unlike the majority of hobbies in that you need to spend a significant amount of time learning new skills before you can take part. Our club accepts around ten new entrants each winter for initial dive training. Some may have experienced diving in the past during try dives in the UK or on resort dives abroad but, unless you hold a recognised diving qualification, you will need to start training as a novice. To enquire about joining, please contact us.

Our training syllabus has been developed by the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC), the parent organisation for Ipswich Sub Aqua Club and many other diving clubs in the UK and abroad. The course aims to take students from complete beginner to BSAC Sports Diver in about a year.

All of the equipment and books that you need for initial training will be provided by the club following payment of your first year's membership fee. There is no need to spend a lot of money on equipment in order to start learning. The only items of equipment that you will have to buy are a mask, pool fins, weights and a snorkel.

Initial training follows two parallel paths: theory and practice.

The Theory Course
Theory training for beginners consist of a series of lectures that take place in a classroom one weekend or evening per week. The lectures cover all aspects of elementary diving theory including the effects of pressure, communicating under water and emergency procedures.

The initial series of lectures is followed by a multiple choice test. You don't need to be a genius to pass but you will need to do a little private study using the books you will be provided with. You can sit the test more than once if you need to and instructors from our club will give you all the help you need. Passing the first test qualifies you academically for Ocean Diver, the first BSAC diving qualification.

Following the first exam, there are a few more lectures covering more advanced topics like decompression planning (avoiding 'the bends') and first aid. This is followed by another multiple choice test. Passing the second test qualifies you academically for Sports Diver, the second BSAC diving qualification.

The Practical Course
Practical training for beginners takes place on Thursday nights at Fore Street pool in Ipswich. The initial pool session will only involve snorkelling skills and a basic swimming test (eight lengths of the pool). You will then be paired up with another novice (your 'buddy') and a qualified instructor for training purposes.

After the initial lesson, you will be issued with a set of equipment consisting of an air cylinder, a buoyancy compensator (a bit like a life jacket) and a set of regulators (the valves and hoses that let you breathe from your air cylinder). You will be shown how to assemble the equipment and test that it is working safely before starting lessons in the pool.

The first pool lessons will concentrate on safety checks, learning about your buddy's equipment (you'll need to use it if your own kit malfunctions under water) and buoyancy control. Controlling buoyancy is an essential skill which allows you to control your depth in open water and which requires a fair bit of practice. As you gain competence and confidence in the pool, you will learn more advanced skills like clearing your mask if it fills with water, rescuing an unconscious buddy and breathing from your buddy's regulator if yours breaks down.

When your instructor thinks you are ready, you will undertake your first open water dive. This is likely to be in a sheltered, inland site like the reservoir at Alton Water. You will have opportunities to dive in the sea at weekends or during club trips. You must complete a number of open water dives involving certain specific tasks in order to qualify as an Ocean Diver. Some more dives and open water lessons are required to qualify as a Sports Diver. You are likely to need a protective suit to keep you warm during these dives. Dry suits can be hired in Ipswich but, by this stage in their training, most club members will be starting to buy equipment.