Women divers have played a huge role in BSAC ’ s evolution
London No . 1 branch in 1959
give a talk about the club and I would give a demonstration with the Aqualung in the pool and describe its use to prospective members .”
The first issue of BSAC ’ s magazine , then called Neptune , appeared in September 1954 , edited by Peter Small . Besides news from the new branches and some beautiful photography , it covered the first diving schools . The first ten branches formed were London , East Lancs , Bristol , Blackpool , Merseyside , Bournemouth , Brighton , Torbay , Southsea and Taunton . BSAC ’ s early rival , The Underwater Explorers Club , collapsed when its founder Harold Penman ran out of money – many of its members migrated to BSAC . In October 1957 , the club ’ s first overseas branch was formed in Kingston , Jamaica , leading the way for a network of international clubs and organisations joining the BSAC family .
As more divers joined , the need arose to formalise the club ’ s training into written form . Alan Broadhurst had taken over as National Diving Officer and modernised BSAC ’ s terminology , imposing a ban on using the term ‘ frogmen ’. The first edition of the BSAC Diving Manual appeared in 1959 , priced 10 Shillings ( 50 pence ); it was written by George Brookes and Alan Broadhurst .
What was UK diving like in those very early days ? They were recalled by pioneering diver Pauline Davy , later quoted by BSAC ’ s historian Reg Vallintine at the 50th Anniversary Diving Officer ’ s Conference : “ Very few of us had cars , and we carried fully charged cylinders on buses , trains and motor bikes . Two members came off their bikes at 70mph with fully charged cylinders on their backs – like bombs – but were quite unhurt . One member had specially fitted racks on his pedal bike to carry the cylinders and gear !”
A time to celebrate
These early events in BSAC history provide a snapshot of the original vision of the club . Certainly there were some powerful personalities involved , and they helped set up many of the systems that have guided BSAC for 70 years . Still , this is just a taster . As the year of BSAC 70th anniversary continues , SCUBA will run occasional pieces dedicated to the landmark . It will culminate in an anniversary special in the November 2023 issue . If you or your club have anniversary plans for this year , please get in touch by email ( simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk ) and we ’ ll find a way to publicise your own celebrations .
TODAY
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