Sports Diver

If you already have some diving experience with an entry-level qualification and want to take your underwater adventures to the next level, Sports Diver is your next step in BSAC’s Diver Training Programme.

There are two routes to becoming a Sports Diver – either from Advanced Ocean Diver, or directly from Ocean Diver.

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 40 metres.

To become a Sports Diver, you must have successfully completed an Ocean Diver or Advanced Ocean Diver course (or have equivalent certification from another recognised training agency) and be aged 12 or older, but you need to be 14 or older to progress to depths greater than 20m post qualification.

Skills that make Sports Divers stand out from the crowd include doing longer deeper dives, with decompression stops if needed.

You’ll learn how to spot if something is wrong and what to do in an emergency including self-rescue, recovery of unresponsive divers, and basic life support – these are among the most valuable skills any diver can learn.

It’s a continually assessed qualification, so after your classroom and in-water training and a short theory exam, you’ll be competent to complete a series of depth progression dives – at increments of 5m – enabling you to dive down to a maximum of 40m.

How do you get there?

Qualified Sports Divers can dive buddied with another Sports Diver, in familiar locations and conditions, allowing you more freedom to explore. You can also support a Dive Manager as a competent assistant, the first step on the road to helping to organise diving within your club.

You can extend your experience by diving with someone qualified as a Dive Leader or above, under the supervision of a Dive Manager. You can also dive with an Ocean Diver or Advanced Ocean Diver, so long as you stay within conditions they have already encountered.

Your qualification will be recognised worldwide and you will be certified to use breathing gas mixtures of up to 36 per cent nitrox to increase your dive times. 

Should you wish, you will also be qualified to complete dives that require in-water decompression which will permit greater bottom time on deeper dives

What diving experiences will this open up for me?

Being competent to dive to 40m allows most divers to do all the diving they want in the UK and abroad. At these depths you can access the majority of UK wreck diving, and with Sports Diver skills you can extend your dive times safely and relax to take in your surroundings and any wildlife you encounter.

Qualifying as a Sports Diver will also enable you to take part in a wider variety of BSAC Skill Development Courses to increase your diving skills.

You can sign up to become a Sports Diver by joining a BSAC club. Find a club

Training at your local BSAC club allows you to learn at your own pace, spreading your training sessions over several weeks. You’ll be taught by highly trained volunteer instructors and will attend club training sessions with other BSAC members.

You can get involved in social events at your club and start building a network of friends to go diving with in future. Many clubs have access to boats, compressors, and diving kit that members can use.

You don’t need any special kit to become a Sports Diver – a swimsuit and towel should be enough, although you may soon want to buy your own mask and snorkel.

You’ll receive the necessary training pack when you sign up, which contains all the learning materials you’ll need. We recommended you also buy a Dive Profile Red Logbook and BSAC Nitrox Decompression Tables, available from the BSAC shop.

Alternatively, you can sign up for eLearning and begin your training today…

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