BSAC has just released its eagerly awaited Deeper Diver Skill Development Course (SDC), designed to enable Dive Leaders to plan for deeper diving.
Following the 2023 revamp of Dive Leader - which saw its post-qualification progression depth set at 40m - Deeper Diver provides Dive Leaders and above with the opportunity to safely extend their diving on open circuit up to 50m.
The Deeper Diver SDC has been specifically designed to increase flexibility for students, offering a choice between eLearning and in-club theory teaching. The theory awards divers with Deeper Diving and the optional depth experience then allows the diver to extend their depth to 50m should they wish to. If the optional dives are conducted on trimix this enables the diver to qualify on trimix containing no less than 20% Oxygen and no more than 40% helium.
In club - purchase a digital pack and complete the training in club
In Centre or Region - purchase eLearning and complete the optional Open Water experience with the centre or on a Regional Course to gain a 50m certification. Register interest in Regional Open Water Training dates. Open Water depth progression dives will require specific locations that can accommodate dives safely and that may require the students travelling and potentially if a a sea dive boat costs as well. All details will be provided before booking,
Deeper Diver then offers an optional post-course depth progression - in 5m increments - to a maximum depth of 50m with an appropriately qualified and experienced diver, supervised by a qualified Deeper Diver Instructor.
Become a Deeper Diver Instructor
Deeper Diver can be taught in-club by a suitably qualified instructor.
To become a Deeper Diver Instructor, you must already be at least an Open Water Instructor (OWI) and have completed the Sports Mixed Gas (SMG) course or CCR Mod 1. If you don’t hold the SMG qualification, you will need to complete the Deeper Diver SDC with evidence of a minimum of 20 dives to 40m+ first to be able to teach the course, instructors will need to have completed the Open Water Depth Experience using Trimix to lead students using trimix in their Deeper Diving Depth Experience Dives. Those holding the required existing qualifications on MyBSAC will be awarded Deeper Diving Instructor status.
For more information on becoming a Deeper Diver Instructor or to download the training materials (qualified instructors only), go to bsac.com/deeperdiverIM
Deeper Diver theory includes physiology, decompression planning, gas planning and limiting factors. As qualified Deeper Divers, students will be able to dive using a weak trimix (a minimum of 20% oxygen, maximum 40% helium) or choose nitrox or air and make risk-based decisions about diving to depths greater than those previously encountered.
BSAC’s Technical Chief Examiner, Alex Warzynski, said the Deeper Diver SDC would provide Dive Leaders with the right tools to extend their own diving limits. He said:
BSAC was the first agency to introduce nitrox into the core Diver Training Programme and is now the first to introduce trimix.
The new Deeper Diver course will enable divers to safely explore deeper depths up to 50m, appreciate the risks involved in these dives, and mitigate these through simple, effective planning using the latest techniques.
Deeper Diver will also form part of a suite of linked SDCs, which include Buoyancy and Trim, Accelerated Decompression Procedures (ADP), Twin-set/Sidemount, and the yet-to-be launched Propulsion (finning), which can all be taught in-club. Once all have completed, members will be awarded their Sports Mixed Gas qualification.
To be eligible for the Deeper Diver SDC, students must be current BSAC members and hold a minimum grade of Dive Leader (or equivalent), including nitrox, and be qualified to plan and complete decompression diving. The course is only relevant for divers using open circuit equipment.
Full course details of the new Deeper Diver SDC can be found at bsac.com/deeperdiver. If the course cannot currently be delivered within your club, please email drt@bsac.com to discuss your training requirements.
