We really hope that you enjoy this copy of BSAC Talk. If you have any comments regarding this issue, please let us know by email at maryt@bsac.com

A PDF copy of this issue of BSAC TALK can also be downloaded from the BSAC TALK index page on our website at www.bsac.org/services/talk/index.html.

If you need to change your email address, please go to the foot of this email and choose the "To unsubscribe/change profile: click here" option.

The NEW BSAC Forums have been designed and built specially for us by a dedicated team of volunteers who have been working for months to give you all of the things you have been asking us for over the years. Now they are ready, a very warm online welcome awaits all of our members on www.bsacforum.co.uk.

What we have done is create a 'Club Bar' type of atmosphere just like you all have down at your local club. Everybody is friendly, everybody is welcoming. There's hundreds of divers using the forums already, including our Chairman Marcus Allen. Registering is easy! All that you need is a PC with internet access and an email account, within minutes you will be online and part of our ever expanding online club.

But there's more…

As BSAC members you get some very special features and facilities on our new forums that are exclusively for our members. You have your very own forums - there's a chat room for all members, a place for our instructors, a place for our branch officers and branch committee members to chat with other branch officers. There is also a growing list of special interest forums for you, there's an area for our coaching and ITS teams, there's an area for our NI's and FCD's. All that you have to do to get all of these additional facilities is have your membership card handy, tell us your number, branch and renewal month and within minutes our new HQ systems will recognise you.

These forums are for you! There is a special team of forum System Administrators (Sys Admins) who have created these forums for you, worthy of a very special mention are Adrian Kelland, David Walker, Steve Pearson and Tristan Green (plus a few more!).

There is so much in these forums that the only way you are going to find it all is to come and look. So come on over to our NEW forums on www.bsacforum.co.uk and join in, they are for you, they are run by you. A very warm welcome awaits you all in our new online Club Bar.

Keith Lawrence.
BSAC IT Team Leader

Following on from Project Neptune key user training in October, November signalled the turn of the membership department to undergo their training.

This training involved creating membership records using the different membership types and creating plans. The Membership department learnt how to use the renewal process as well as subscription plans and processing membership fees into the system.

Once the membership training was completed for this part of the project, we moved onto the data mapping and conversion.

The data mapping involved looking at our current data and calculating how to convert this over to the new Integra system. This process involved listing each data field and its purpose and identifying where those values would populate the Integra data tables.

This data mapping will lead to the first data conversion which will be a 'test cut 1' to determine any issues or items that need further work before we make the live cut early next year.

As well as the data conversion, we are looking at ensuring our data is as clean as possible by running sophisticated data cleansing tools. This will ensure that our data is moved to the Integra system as accurate as we can possibly get it.

During the imminent data conversion phase of the project, it will be the turn of the finance department to undergo training. This will include processing and receipting payments for members and seeing how the members record is linked directly to the finance side of the Integra system.

Next month sees us looking forward to working with more familiar data once the 'test cut 1' data conversion has taken place, which will help with further training for the key users and the rest of the BSAC HQ team.

Watch this column for more 'Project Neptune' news in BSAC Talk each month.

Chris Horan
BSAC Project Neptune Project Manager

Following the success of COAST this year, BBC1 are planning a week of programmes on the amazing sea life that can be found in the waters around the UK. This will be for transmission next year, and we would like to hear from anyone that has videoed anything notable underwater around our coasts (so no holiday videos from the Caribbean or the Med. thanks) This could be species that we don't usually see like scorpion fish, or maybe species that have been swept here by the Gulf stream like turtles or various species of shark, or maybe whales, dolphins, seals etc The BBC would be keen to look at anything you have that is unusual or dramatic.

It doesn't have to be alive though, have you filmed the finding of any wrecks or treasure you could tell us about?

In the first instance please contact me at odetteb@bsac.com and we'll put you in touch!

I look forward to hearing what wonders our sea waters hold.

During the next few weeks the BSAC Branch Survey - Branches In Touch will be available.

The BSAC has produced this survey to allow us to have a better understanding of your Branch needs:

• Understanding your Branch will help us ensure that the services we provide are relevant to you, your Branch, and your members
• BSAC HQ wants to be more in touch with you and your needs
• We want to provide what your Branch wants, and not waste your time on things that you don't want
• When people contact HQ wanting to learn to dive, or join a BSAC Branch, we will be able to give out accurate contact information and be able to direct people to the most suitable Branches i.e. those that want to train new divers, or those that want existing divers.
• As part of Project Neptune, we hope to publish accurate and relevant listings-style information about your Branch on the BSAC website.

Win Prizes!

Each Branch that responds to the survey will be entered into a Branch draw to win one of these fantastic prizes:

(for the first and second named Branches straw polled)
1 x full set of diving kit supplied for Branch training and use, to include: 1 x cylinder, 1 x Regulator, 1 X BC Jacket, kindly donated by Aqualung worth £900.00
1 x Marinox Marine Oxygen Therapy Unit supplied for Branch use, kindly donated by Sub-Aqua Products

Prize draw will take place on 31st January 2006, so please do respond to the survey and be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize. The survey will be available at www.bsac.org/survey2005.htm or in hard copy on request.

Anna Bowman from Blairgowrie, was looking for snorkelling lessons in Scotland for herself, husband and two children and, thanks to the dedication of snorkelling instructor Carol Reid, has now had one!

Carol travelled to Blairgowrie - about 2.5 hours from her home - where Anna had hired the local Leisure Centre pool for one hour. Beforehand Carol went to their house and gave them the BSAC PowerPoint presentation to let them all know what was involved - especially any dangers for the benefit of their adventurous 12 year old son!

One hour in the pool is not much but was enough to show them what was involved with masks, clearing snorkels, entries and surface dives. They all got on very well, only the 7 year old daughter having trouble with the snorkel which they'd bought.

They were all very grateful and learnt enough to make them careful when on their forthcoming holiday.

Do you have a snorkelling story to tell? Do you teach in Scotland? Email your stories to odetteb@bsac.com and we'll feature you in the next edition of BSAC Talk.

The BSAC have had very clear guidelines in place for a couple of years now, enabling Branches to provide a very enjoyable and safe experience for prospective divers and new members. Information Sheet T12 can be viewed and downloaded from the BSAC website at www.bsac.org/techserv/tecpubs1.htm#technical. Also the Medical and Liability disclaimer can be downloaded.

The 'Scuba Experience'

In October 2005, BSAC have reintroduced the more structured 'Try-Dive' - The 'Scuba Experience'.

The 'Scuba Experience' can be provided to a prospective member and comprises elements taken directly from the Ocean Diver Course.

There are two parts to cover:

• Theory Lesson OT2: 'Diving Equipment and Diving Signals'
• Sheltered Water Lesson OS1: 'Being Underwater'

Successful completion of these two elements will qualify the prospective member to receive a BSAC 'Scuba Experience' Certificate, which the Branch should issue. The Certificate will be recognised and lessons credited to the prospective member if they subsequently enrol on an Ocean Diver Course in the future - either at the same Branch or at any other BSAC Branch or recognised BSAC Diver Training Centre in the UK or overseas.

If a prospective member presents a Certificate to a Branch when joining and embarking on an Ocean Course, the lessons OT2 and OS1 can be signed off immediately in their Qualification Record Book.

Certificates are freely available to Branch Diving Officers from BSAC HQ for them to issue and Branches can make a nominal charge to provide 'The Scuba Experience, for their funds.

Contact the Membership Department at HQ to request Certificates: 0151 350 6257.

The 'Technical Department' at BSAC HQ has been a source of advice and guidance on many aspects of diving, particularly aspects that were considered to be 'technical'. With the advent of 'technical diving' the title is now somewhat of a misnomer. The Team deals with all matters and enquiries on diver training, instructor development, ITS bookings, SDC registrations and Coaching Scheme. The Team also liaises with other diver training and government agencies on all diving related matters.

As part of the recent department restructure and to reflect the wider range of activities that the team covers, it has been decided to change to title of the department to:

Diver Resources Team

The Team members are: Alistair Reynolds - Diver Resources Team Manager, Mike Clack - Diver Resources Adviser and BSAC Centres Co-ordinator, Phil Clifton - Diver Resources Adviser and Coaching Co-ordinator, Zoe Macleod - Administrator and Katey Smith - Administrator.

Always striving to improve quality and value, the BSAC are including excellent reference manuals bundled with the student's course notes for two very popular Skill Development Courses (SDCs).

Boat Handling Course

"Seamanship: a guide for divers" perfectly complements the BSAC Boat Handling course. Hot of the press (October 2005), this manual is the essential reference for all divers who use boats to go diving. It provides a thorough review of the skills needed to be in charge of a diving boat in UK coastal waters and gives an up-to-date overview of all pertinent regulations and guidelines. It also explains, in easy-to-understand language, the information all divers should know when they get aboard a dive boat - either as skipper or passenger.

Consequently the cost of registration of the Boat Handling Course will now be £29 from 1 January 2006. Representing excellent value for money, for really good syllabus content, comprehensive student notes - and now with this great manual.



Practical Rescue Management

"Safety and Rescue for Divers" is a comprehensive manual and essential reading for every diver. Covering all aspects of rescue and safety, it is a book that almost certainly has saved lives. An excellent companion and reference source to accompany the Practical Rescue Management SDC.

Consequently the cost of registration of the PRM will now be £19 from 1 January 2006.

Representing excellent value for money for both the course - and now with this great manual.

The Club 1953 - 2003

This superb book is the first of its kind - charting the development and history of the BSAC. Written by Reg Vallintine, a past Director of the BSAC, the book draws on his archives of information, anecdotes and photographs which form the basis of the book along with contributions from many names associated with the BSAC. The book tells the story of how it all began and takes the reader through the development of the Club and the changes in diving. Read about the pioneers of our time, some even losing their lives as they tested the boundaries of the sport we love. See how the equipment has changed through the years and marvel at how people managed to dive in spite of the hardships.

BSAC branches are reserving their corresponding unique branch/book number. Instructors are also reserving their corresponding Instructor /book number and First Class Divers reserving their corresponding First Class Diver/book number. Some people are just ordering a copy dedicated to a particular member of their branch. With each of the above scenarios a special dedication sticker (displayed opposite) will be included with the book quoting either Branch Name & Number, Instructor Name & Number, First Class Diver Name & Number or Name only.

Price : £20.00 (inc P&P)

BSAC Shop wish you a very merry Christmas and to help you celebrate we are offering 10% off all BSAC Products* during December 2005. *This excludes training material and book-shop books. *This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

If you know friend or colleague who may like to receive this monthly bulletin, please ask them to visit www.bsac.org/etalk, where they can subscribe online.