‘New Year, new you’, or so the saying goes. But if creating a raft of New Year resolutions is not your thing, why not keep it focused on your diving? Wherever you are on your diving journey, setting yourself a few key goals can make a difference to your scuba life.
To inspire you, here are five new things you can do to boost your diving in 2025.
1. Progress to your next diver grade
We can all remember the thrill of gaining our first scuba diving qualification and the adventures that new Q-card opened up for us. So, why not look at signing up for your next diver grade training in 2025 to keep that feeling alive!
Each BSAC diver grade offers new opportunities and underwater possibilities – from depth progression and next-level skills to opening the door to instructor training. And along the way, you will continue to hone all those essential core diving skills. With regional diver training days available to practice diver grade skills, working towards your next diver grade means you can also meet more like-minded people along the way.
Or why not expand on your existing scuba qualification by developing additional skills to match the type of diving you would like to do. BSAC’s wide range of Skill Development Courses (SDCs) offer the ideal way to enhance or specialise your diving skills, whatever your current diving grade.
2. Become a marine champion
As divers, we have the opportunity to help protect the underwater world we enjoy so much. Which is why 2025 could be the year to stand up and be counted as a BSAC marine champion!
All our clubs and divers can play a key role in protecting the marine environment for future generations to enjoy – and BSAC offers a range of ways to get directly involved. It can be as simple as incorporating underwater litter picks into every dive trip or ‘adopting’ your favourite piece of coastline for regular beach cleans. Or why not sign up for one of BSAC’s marine environment SDCs.
Choose from Marine Appreciation, Shore Surveyor or the recently launched Underwater Surveyor courses and boost your skills and knowledge. Then put them into practice with one of the BSAC-supported marine environment campaigns, such as Operation Oyster, the Great Seagrass Survey and Seasearch.
BSAC environment-related courses
3. Brush up on your safety skills
With all things diving, keeping your skills fresh is essential. And top of the list should be those safety drills. The beauty of BSAC training is that there are plenty of opportunities within your club and through your regional team to practice and hone as well as expand and develop your dive safety knowledge. So, if you feel you are getting a little rusty, then make 2025 the year you bring your own safety skills bang up to date.
Check out the Safety section on bsac.com for a wealth of guidance on diver safety or use BSAC’s online ‘how to’ video guides for those essential safety skills. Then make the most of your club’s winter pool time to practice with your buddy, ready for the 2025 diving season.
BSAC also has a wide range of safety-related SDCs such as Practical Rescue Management, Lifesaver and Diver Sea Survival you could add to your own 2025 skills and training plan.
4. Start a Crowdfunder
Getting involved with your club outside of your diving can also be a rewarding experience and a chance to ‘give something back’. One way to make a difference is to get involved in your club’s fundraising. And, whether it’s for a new engine for the club boat, more pool kit for trainees or to fund an exciting diving expedition, creating a digital Crowdfunder campaign could be the way to boost your club’s coffers.
Sport England’s Movement Fund currently has grants of up to £15,000 to boost Crowdfunding for community projects that focus on physical activity – you can read more here. Looking for Crowdfunder inspo? Read how Sub-C Divers raised over £30,000 through their crowdfunding initiative.
5. Teach!
And finally, 2025 could be the year you take the plunge and start on the rewarding journey to become a BSAC Instructor. We have all benefited from the skills and experience of our instructors when we learnt to dive. And so teaching within your club is the ideal way to ‘pass it forward’ when it comes to supporting the next generation of new divers.
Sports Divers and above can take the first step with the popular Instructor Foundation Course to become an Assistant Diving Instructor. From Diver Leader, you can then sign up for the full Open Water Instructor Course, after which you will be able to teach the BSAC Diver Training Programme within your club.
Becoming an instructor can also be a win-win, in that you will learn so much more about your own skills and abilities, making you a better diver into the bargain!
