British Sub-Aqua Club

The British Sub-Aqua Club or BSAC has been recognised since 1954 by UK Sport as the national governing body of recreational diving in the United Kingdom.

British Sub-Aqua Club
AbbreviationBSAC
Formation15 October 1953 (1953-10-15)
TypeNGO
Legal statusLimited Guarantee Company incorporated in England
PurposeRecreational diving services, training and advocacy
National governing body
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Location
Region served
International
Membership
22,000 in 2022
President
The Prince of Wales
Chair
Edward Haynes
CEO
Mary Tetley
Main organ
BSAC Council
AffiliationsEUF
Staff
19
Websitewww.bsac.com

The club was founded in 1953 and at its peak in the mid-1990s had over 50,000 members declining to over 30,000 in 2009. It is a diver training organization that operates through its associated network of around 1,100 local, independent diving clubs and around 400 diving schools worldwide. The old logo featured the Roman god Neptune (Greek god Poseidon), god of the sea. The new logo, as of 2017, features a diver with the updated BSAC motto "Dive with us".

BSAC is unusual for a diver training agency in that most BSAC instructors are volunteers, giving up their spare time to train others, unlike many other agencies, in which instructors are paid employees, or self-employed.

Given that UK waters are relatively cold and have restricted visibility, BSAC training is regarded by its members as more comprehensive than some. Specifically it places emphasis on rescue training very early in the programme. BSAC also maintains links with other organisations, such as NACSAC.

Science writer and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke was a famous member of BSAC.

The current President of BSAC is the Prince of Wales. His father Charles, and grandfather Philip also held that position and his brother Harry also trained with BSAC.

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