What sparked the idea of a new club ?
Two of our founders moved here to run a dive charter business called Wreckspeditions ; you may have heard of their boat the Starfish Enterprise ? There used to be a ScotSAC club here years ago . We found some local divers , got a committee together , and applied to BSAC to set up a new club . It isn ’ t particularly difficult to set up a branch ; it ’ s more difficult to get the funding , kit and facilities in place to become sustainable .
All smiles after a great dive at Brackley Point
What does sustainability look like ?
Five founding members got the ball rolling and were able to bring in members from existing friendship circles , which took us to 10-11 members . The club applied for , and was very fortunate to be awarded , £ 9,992 National Lottery Awards for All funding , which was used to subsidise pool costs , buy dive kit and help with instructor training fees , because at the start we only had one qualified instructor . As it happened , Covid restrictions prevented members going on instructor training courses , but after a conversation with National Lottery it was agreed that we could use the remaining monies to buy a compressor and pay for our pool sessions in advance . Buying a compressor has allowed us to be selfreliant on some really cool trips that we have been able to put on for our members . The club has continued to generate funds through memberships , and the sale of some donated equipment from a dive centre we knew that sadly closed down . Now we have around 25 members .
Who are they ?
Ten of our members are local and the other two-thirds are from further afield . A couple of members are based in Ayr , a couple in Glasgow , and a few are from in and around London . They join us to experience the fantastic diving available on the west coast of Scotland . We think we ’ ve done well considering we only formed in 2020 and have had to grow and become established through the challenging period of the pandemic . Membership is growing . There aren ’ t many active BSAC clubs in the area any more , however we are re-establishing the connection and raising awareness in our local communities .
How did you grow so quickly ?
Our try dives attracted local folk who were new to diving . We created a members-only Facebook group and an open group . The present club website came later . One of our
Silly hats at the Kyle of Bute
founders had bought a domain name and created a simple site so we had an online presence . We have since taken up the BSAC website offer and are building our new website . We also use a Google calendar to list our events and set up Facebook events .
Did having a social media presence pay off ?
Yes , for example we were contacted by a group of women who were feeling a bit marginalised in their existing diving groups , and they joined the club after spending a few days diving with us . We have bought a camping toilet and toilet tent to use on our remote shore dive sites , which has made it
Wading out at Lamlash , Arran
more comfortable for our female members to stay out with us all day . This has been a popular move and made the club more inclusive . It ’ s pink and it ’ s not for boys . That ’ s an inspired idea , other clubs should take note …
So you formed a new club just before the UK ’ s Covid restrictions started ?
Yes , it wasn ’ t the ideal start , but we simply want to create a fun and friendly club environment , get people trained up and allow them to get involved in this amazing sport . We want to be an active club too , both in a diving sense and socially . We want
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