To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we’re profiling some of the amazing volunteers who give their all to BSAC. Kristina Pedder interviews newly qualified National Instructor Craig Daniel, who is also London Regional Coach and a rebreather test diver.
Craig Daniel is a member of Kingston & Elmbridge BSAC in Surrey. As London Regional Coach, he provides support to all local clubs, as and when needed. He enjoys teaching in his branch and on the Instructor Training Scheme (ITS), where he says he finds it particularly fulfilling to see people progress to being the best diver or instructor they can be.
His love for diving began in Cornwall where, aged 13, he was introduced to the sport by a family friend. Back then, BSAC did not allow members under the age of 14 so after a few agonising months of waiting he joined Peninsula BSAC and eagerly undertook his theory and pool training.
He fondly recalls his first ever sea dive at Pendennis Point, Falmouth, on New Year’s Day 1987. “I dived in my 6mm wetsuit,” he says, “which I absolutely loved.” His love for diving is just as strong now as it was 39 years ago. “Nothing quite compares with the tranquillity of the ocean; every day, I do something to do with diving, either reading articles, setting up gear or servicing cylinders.”
FACT FILE
Name: Craig Daniel
Job titles: London Regional Coach, National Instructor
Area covered: London
First dive: 1 January 1987
“From then, I dived fairly regularly with dad,” he says, “but he always told me that Uni diving would be the best diving I would ever do, and the cheapest. Portsmouth University club definitely delivered on that.”
Peter began to volunteer at university clubs. He was always critical of ticket chasers, but he realised that as a very experienced Sports Diver, he couldn’t help out nearly as much as an instructor could. “I then worked very hard to get to OWI,” he says. “And before I knew it, I was teaching all year round.”
FAVOURITE KIT
My favourite piece of dive fit is my VMS Redbare rebreather, it allows complete freedom on dives from shallow to deep. I like breathing the warm air and love the peacefulness of closed-circuit rebreather diving
In 2024 Craig endured the ‘four days of fun in the sun’ otherwise known as the National Instructor (NI) exam. This, he says, was one of the hardest but most rewarding courses he has ever done. Despite that, he says he would definitely encourage all fellow divers to add this unforgettable experience to their bucket list.
When I ask what motivated him to go for NI, Craig replies: “I used to say that I got into teaching for me. I wanted to improve my own diving skills and found that teaching improved them very quickly.
“Over the years my thoughts have changed and now I strive to help others. Becoming a National Instructor allows me to help and encourage many more people to become divers, instructors and leaders of BSAC.”
Preparation for NI was a long journey, he says, starting with First Class Diver (FCD). On FCD events he saw how the NIs taught and decided that he wanted to be able to teach like that.
Craig took the NI exam twice and says he found the experience different each time: “I do feel that on the first exam I wasn’t ready – I learned a lot about myself and what was expected of me.” This made him more prepared for his second, successful exam. “I had a lot of help and support from so many different NIs,” he says, “I will always thank those that have helped me along the way.”
As a new NI, Craig hasn’t yet had the opportunity to teach on the higher-level courses but is sure that will come. When not teaching, his favourite pastime is diving wrecks. He has done thousands of dives, but on the subject of logging them he admits he doesn’t officially write them up, instead relying on his dive computer. His most memorable and favourite dive sites are along the north Cornish coast, including the Pandora and the St Chamond (known as the train wreck).
As diving doesn’t pay the bills, Craig works as a paramedic in a GP surgery, which, while keeping him very busy does bring weekends off for diving and enjoying life with his partner. At present, he is focusing on regional and technical courses, so most of his diving consists of teaching in quarries or pools. Craig is a test diver for the Atlas closed-circuit rebreather (CCR), which should hopefully be on the market this year, and is always happy to facilitate CCR training if there is a demand.
More recently Craig has set up an IDEST testing centre with a collection service. It is located at Kingston & Elmbridge BSAC clubhouse for the time being, with a view to becoming a mobile service in the near future.
Finally, I asked Craig for a top tip. “Always ensure you are ready for the dive you are about to do,” he replies. And never be afraid to bail out at the last minute if it doesn’t feel right. You can always get in the water another day. Never take risks or feel pressured to do something you’re not comfortable with. Keep safe and may you enjoy many years of happy diving.”
SKILLS TIP
I would recommend all clubs to run a Practical Rescue Management course before every dive season. This ensures that your members’ skills are up to date and practised just in case you need them.
Article ‘’Elevated Instructor' by Kristina Pedder first published in SCUBA magazine, Issue 158 September 2025.
