FAQs
The British Sub Aqua Club, which TSAC is affiliated to, also provide an FAQ. Please click HERE to peruse this.
The British Sub Aqua Club is a non-profit organisation. It is a membership association, awarding internationally recognised courses in scuba diving. Almost all BSAC instructors are volunteers.
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors is a company. PADI also offers internationally recognised courses in scuba diving. Its instructors are paid; some instruct for a living.
For many years now we have been based at the John Alker (Ex-Servicemen’s) Club on Flixton Road in Flixton.
The John Alker has a bar upstairs for members and a bar downstairs for functions. They also have a smaller room downstairs, which we have used for theory lessons in the past. The larger room downstairs is used for our AGM and any large presentations we hold.
Practical Training - We do all our initial training from Urmston Pool, Bowfell Road in Flixton. Our timeslot there is 2045hrs until 2145hrs. The pool is just under 2m at the deep end.
Theory Training – The fair majority of our theory training is performed at the John Alker Club, Flixton Road in Flixton. It is 300 yards away from Urmston Pool.
You must be 18 or over to join TSAC - We in TSAC, do not have a safeguarding officer or any safeguarding procedures in place. Sixteen-Seventeen-year-olds may be considered; with a guarantee from a parent/career or appointed responsible adult, that they will also join as a full diving member and always be present during the child’s training sessions and any dive events the child attends.
You would need to join BSAC at the cost of £60.50 per annum (click HERE for full cost of Joining BSAC). There is a TSAC joining fee of £50.00 followed by a monthly subscription of £13.00, which we ask you to pay via Standing Order.
All divers in the UK must declare their own fitness to dive. If a diver answers “yes” to any of the conditions listed on this document, they are advised to speak to a medical referee, who will give their professional opinion on the diver’s fitness to dive. This may require an examination in person.
Divers do not need to be in tip-top physical condition to dive, but it is clear that a good level of fitness will help deal with the ordinary requirements of diving. Being dehydrated, drunk, hungover, exhausted, anxious or otherwise badly out of shape are conducive to neither a safe nor enjoyable experience.
Generally, we expect club members to be fit enough to swim several lengths of an ordinary swimming pool without stopping to rest
All your training is performed in house and is part of your subs, right the way up to Advanced Diver - other than the cost of training packs, usually between £32.50 and £42,50 each.
It usually takes 3-6 months to qualify as a BSAC Ocean Diver. We all learn at different paces and TSAC match your pace of learning, never the other way around. Ocean Diver is BSACs first diving grade.
- 6 Theory lectures with an Exam
- 6 practical pool sessions
- 4 Open water lessons (2 training dives each).
These are performed in local flooded quarries, usually either Eccleston Delph or Capernwray Quarry. Both have full first aid facilities and a safety boat. Both provide a dive shop with Air.
When you first start training, which is in Urmston Pool, Flixton; we will provide you with all the kit you need. But all BSAC clubs encourage trainees to start purchasing their own kit, once they are sure the sport is for them.
You can always seek advice from members of TSAC and sometimes, members of the club, have kit for sale.
Kit costs can vary, it depends on several factors – whether it’s new or 2nd hand, the brands you go for, whether it is bog standard kit or more specialist kit. But most, when first starting out, turn to the likes of eBay and/or other such market platforms.
Certainly not, but it is suggested that you start buying the cheaper items as soon as you decide you're going to stick with the sport.
Cheaper items include:
- Weights for Weight belt
- Weight belt
- Snorkel
- Mask
- Fins
Expensive kit would be:
- Your Buoyancy Control Device (Controls your buoyancy in and on the water).
- Regulators (the bit you breath from)
- Your Cylinder (Tank)
- Under suit
- Dry Suit
Your Under suit and Dry suit are required for open water training. We do a lot of diving in cold water so having a watertight dry suit is required.
BSAC encourages each diver to buy their own kit. That way, you can become more familiar with it and understand it.
Spend time setting it up in your own home and familiarise yourself with its function and placement around your body. It soon becomes second nature to kit up. There’s nothing like owning your own kit.
TSAC would always advise you to get any second-hand kit checked out by reputable professionals, whom can ensure its correct functioning and service the kit (at a cost, obviously), if necessary.
A chat with the more knowledgeable members of TSAC is highly encouraged as they can provide advice and pointers.
We have one of the most active dive trip calendars in the North-West:
- 2016 Dive Total - 1018
- 2017 Dive Total - 749
- 2018 Dive Total - 954
- 2019 Dive Total - 1213
- 2020 Dive Total - 357
- 2021 Dive Total - 585
COVID-19 obviously had an impact on the 2020 and 2021 figures.
As at 04/12/21 our Membership consists of -
- 65 FULL Members.
- 9 SOCIAL Members.
- 3 SWIMMING Members.
Giving a total membership of 77. Only FULL members can Dive and Vote.
As of 04/11/2021, we are blessed to have 18 instructors in our club, this includes:
- 1 First-Class Diver.
- 4 Advanced Instructors.
- 7 Open Water Instructors.
- A number of Assistant instructors
All our instructors are volunteers, love instructing and the sport.
Very much so, we have a social secretary that arranges many social events in the year. From:
- Nights out (Pub Walks).
- Annual Dinner Dance.
- Beer Festivals.
- Annual BBQ.
- Curry nights.
- Walks.
Our social calendar is usually very active.