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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Membership fees
In addition to the BSAC HQ membership fees of £50.00 per year, our branch membership fees work out at £168 per year, payable on a monthly basis at £14 per month.
BSAC and ourselves offer a preferential student rate for those members who are in full-time education. BSAC membership is reduced to £19 per year and club membership goes down to £11 per month. This works out at an extremely reasonable £139 per year!
Where there is an abated member, we charge an additional £6 per month (£72 per year), making £20 a month for a couple or parent/young member.
See also below re. training costs.
- Where and when we meet
We meet on Wednesdays at Monks Walk School, Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City between 1930 and 2030 hrs for the classroom sessions and 2030 and 2130 hrs for the pool sessions, also at Monks Walk, during school term time.
Afterwards we normally decamp to a local pub where we also meet during the school holidays for any lectures, etc.
- Pool access
as above
- Open/sheltered water diving
We use are the Blue Lagoon, Arlesey (max depth 12m), Guildenburgh Water (max depth 22m), Stoney Cove (max depth 35m) for progressive inland training plus a variety of UK coastal sites including Dover, Brighton, Portsmouth or Poole for day trips, Portland/Weymouth, Plymouth, Farne Isles/St Abbs for Weekends/long weekends.
We have also organised - over the years - week long trips to the West Coast of Scotland (Islay), Scapa Flow, Ireland (Baltimore), Channel Islands (Sark, Normandy) or Canary Isles (Tenerife, Lanzarote) in the recent past. We do not have a branch RIB and charter hardboats/RIB shuttles and in order to encourage the uptake of charters, the branch guarantees the cost of the charter to all members, making up any shortfall from branch funds.
- Branch membership
We currently have almost 50 members at various levels of training ranging from from Ocean Diver trainees through to Advanced Divers.
We also have 12 nationally qualified assistant, theory, open water and advanced instructors who can deliver most BSAC Skills Development Courses (SDCs) including those at Regional level.
- Inclusive membership
Currently, we have five female members and are welcoming of families who we encourage to come down and join in on our trips particularly to the coast or to attend any of our social events.
Our branch policy is in line with that of BSAC's which is to commence training at 12 years (on the basis that a parent/carer is a member). Training generally from 14 years has proved particularly successful with parents/younger adults who want to have an opportunity of a shared diving experience.
Our oldest members are in their late 50s.
- Additional fees
We charge a fee of £5 per month to Ocean Diver trainees to cover the use of club scuba kit during their pool and initial open water training.
This covers the costs of regular servicing and repairs to kit including masks, fins, snorkels, BCDs, regulators and cylinders.
Once through Ocean Diver stage (5 open water dives), we gently encourage members to become self sufficient and obtain their own kit.
We have access to a compressor, so air fills are currently provided free to all branch members.
We do not yet have a club facility no provide Nitrox (enriched gas) fills
- Equipment hire costs
See above but note that the branch cannot provide wet/drysuits, hoods, gloves or boots. These can be obtained at a reasonable price from local dive shops.
- Mid Herts Sub-Aqua Club BS-AC Branch 1784 Policy for the Welfare of Vulnerable People in SCUBA Diving
Introduction
BS-AC have developed Procedures and Guidelines for BS-AC Branches on the above subject. The Branch Policy below distils these Guidelines into the Policy that has been adopted by Mid Herts.
Branch Policy
- Anyone under the age of 18 years will be considered as a “child” for the purposes of Policy. However, adulthood is not an absolute cut-off for vulnerability.
- All branch members are to be made aware of this Policy and the BS-AC Procedures and Guidelines.
- A copy of the BS-AC Procedures and Guidelines is to be held by the Branch Welfare Officer (see below)
- The person within the Mid Herts branch responsible for implementation of the Policy will be the branch Committee appointed Welfare Officer as defined within the BS-AC Procedures and Guidelines. In lieu of an appointment, the branch Diving Officer will undertake these duties.
- BS-AC membership conditions "requires that all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that people with convictions or a past history of an inappropriate nature are prevented from significant contact with children or vulnerable adults". Therefore Branch Policy is that Self Declaration forms should be completed by all Branch Instructors (NQIs) and where branch non-training dives involves children or vulnerable adults, by the Dive Manager and as appropriate the Dive Leader.
- This branch Policy has also been developed to guide branch members away from actions that could be considered as inappropriate behaviour and to protect the responsible member against later allegations.
- Parents, guardians or carers of anyone under the age of 18 years undertaking diving activities (both SCUBA and Snorkelling) are required to accompany the “child” as an observer at all times, except in-water. Parents, guardians or carers are to be encouraged to undertake diving activities with their “child” in order to better understand the diving environment and associated risks.
- The implementation of this branch Policy is reviewed on a regular basis and reported on as a minimum at the branch AGM.
Promoting Good Practice
Key extracts are detailed below from the BS-AC Procedures and Guidelines. However, it is strongly recommended that all members read and note the BS-AC Procedures and Guidelines for themselves.
- Always work in an open environment for all activities eg avoid private or unobserved situations.
- Ensure that if any form of physical support is required that it is provided openly and sensitively eg rescue training.
- Deliver instructions first verbally, secondly role-modeled and thirdly if necessary, with hands-on.
- Involve parents, guardians or carers wherever possible eg observing poolside, at open water venues, kitting up/dekitting and transporting situations. If this is not possible, ensure that independent observers are present.
- Parents or guardians must be made aware of the branch policy and what is required from them and their children.
- Whenever possible, ensure that males and females who are familiar with this Policy, accompany mixed sex groups.
- Recognise as Instructors the developmental needs & capacity of the students. eg avoid pushing them against their will or putting undue pressure or bullying them.
- If First Aid treatment is required, discuss and seek the subject's permission before action is taken, advise parents/carers of the injury and action taken asap and make a written record (for the Branch Welfare Officer).
- Never allow allegations to go unchallenged, unrecorded and not acted upon.
- Guard against and look out for the effects of cold and exhaustion especially when training in open water.
- Care must be exercised in the application of training tests and the requirement as divers to lift heavy SCUBA equipment.
- Photography or publications must have prior permission from the Committee and parents/guardians and must not provide information on individuals but only make reference to a group.
- Branch members need to understand what is meant by the term "abuse" - emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, negative discrimination or bullying. In addition, Branch members need to understand what is "poor practice".
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Knife safety
So often in the press recently there are all sorts of issues surrounding the ownership and use of knives. The important consideration revolves around the issue of safety and I would recommend that the in-water needs outweigh the risks on the surface.
The law
The law in the UK restricts the sale and use of knives especially to young people who might misuse them. The use of knives in a public place is also subject to prohibition unless you have a specific reason for owning and using them. This extends to their use for sport and in the context of diving the use of a knife for safety purposes would be an acceptable reason for carrying such a tool, whilst engaged in the activity. You would however be well advised to exercise suitable caution when in public places. For example when back on the shore at popular locations such as Lamorna Cove, Rhosneigr, Chesil beach then don’t wear your knife whilst queuing for an ice-cream or burger.
Safety
A knife, or suitable cutting instrument, should be considered an essential piece of safety equipment where the risk of entanglement in fishing line, nets or rope exists. To an extent this applies more so to snorkellers as divers are able to take more time untangling themselves, whereas a snorkeller tangled under water only has the duration of their breath hold to escape. There have been situations where the snorkellers have been entangled underwater but have fortunately been rescued by their buddy or instructor who was able to quickly use a knife to free them and avoid a tragic accident.
Responsibility
How does the knife safety and diving mix? Diving Safety, whether snorkel, aqualung or rebreather, requires training, equipment and the discipline to act responsibly. Concerns that allowing the use of readily accessible knives may be abused are currently unfounded and the safety advantages they provide should not be ignored. It would make sense to adopt suitable procedures to avoid the misuse of this equipment such as ensuring knives are transported out of view and are removed when not in use and stored securely away. If you are a group leader for a number of young people it might be appropriate to keep a register and collect all knives back in removing any temptation to misuse.
Where the hazards of a particular site are known, e.g. there is ONLY monofilament fishing line and no thick ropes, then it might be more appropriate to use shears or net cutters. Most importantly choose a cutting implement that matches your needs – and no one needs one of those big 'classic' diver's knives unless your name is James Bond!
If you have any questions that aren't answered here, please contact Clive Murphy on 01438 716 411 or e-mail ClivePaulMurphy@aol.com for more information
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