The Sub-Aqua Association or SAA is a

diver training Diver training is the set of processes through which a person learns the necessary and desirable skills to safely dive underwater within the scope of the diver training standard relevant to the specific training programme. Most diver training ...

organization for scubadivers in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The SAA and other UK-based diving groups have traditionally used a club-based system with unpaid instructors, while other training agencies organise most of their training programs through professional instructors and dive shops. The other major club-based diving organizations in the UK are the

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. The club was founded in 1953 and at its peak in the mid-1990s had over 50,000 members dec ...

(BSAC) and the

Scottish Sub Aqua Club The Scottish Sub Aqua Club (ScotSAC) was founded in Glasgow in 1953. Today it is a company limited by guarantee with nearly 70 branches and 1200 members. ScotSAC instructors provide scuba diving training to branch members on an amateur basis ...

, and the principal non-club-based organisation is PADI.

History

The Sub-Aqua Association was created in 1976 to represent diving clubs outside of the BSAC branch structure. Its training structure is based on the BSAC levels and offers a full range of diving qualifications. The association is made up of independent clubs, while the BSAC is a single club with many branches.

Training

Sub-Aqua Association member clubs maintain their independence and individual clubs organize diving programs and instruction according to the national standards of the association. The association provides regional and national support for these activities. The SAA is one of two UK affiliates to

World Underwater Federation In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

(CMAS), the international umbrella organisation for diver training organizations, and has voting rights for both CMAS Technical and Scientific Committees. Application for CMAS cards (qualification or "C-cards") for divers in Great Britain is done via the SAA and its qualifications are accepted worldwide through the CMAS affiliation. The association's training focuses on preparedness for the relatively cold and often visibility restricted waters around the UK. The SAA training also aims to be as comprehensive as possible, emphasizing

rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...

training very early in the programme. 1 T 10 and 1 P 6 cover rescue. The association exercises regulation of its membership and has disqualified divers found guilty of breaches of its safety rules. The SAA is a member of the British Diving Safety Group (BDSG),

CMAS Europe CMAS Europe (CMAS EU) is an organisation created expressly to represent the interests of Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) within the European Union and in other parts of Europe by European national diving federations a ...

. and the Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee (JNAPC). It also collaborates with other external organisations, such as the

Marine Conservation Society The Marine Conservation Society is a UK based not-for-profit organization working with businesses, governments and communities to clean and protect the oceans. Founded in 1983, the group claims to be working towards "cleaner, better-protected, h ...

, Seasearch, and other environmental groups, the media, and examination boards to provide advice and expertise. The SAA also acts as an advocate for amateur divers in the UK, representing their views to government agencies and similar bodies.

References

Sources

Sub-Aqua Association official web site

External links

British Diving Safety Group (BDSG)
{{Authority control Sports organisations of the United Kingdom Underwater diving in the United Kingdom Underwater diving training organizations