Vet club up and running
THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE ’ S BSAC club has its first group of new divers about to complete their training thanks to support from the BSAC community . RVC Sub Aqua Club ( RVCSAC ) was set up in 2020 to offer the college ’ s veterinary and biological science students scuba diving and marine conservation opportunities . However , due to Covid , the club couldn ’ t introduce any training or diving although as restrictions eased the club started to offer try dives . Fast-forward to 2023 and RVCSAC ’ s first group of Ocean Diver trainees are now being put through their paces with Basildon-based Orca Scuba Diving Academy , part of BSAC ’ s Branch + Partnership initiative . The club has also been supported by other uni clubs , including Nottingham Trent University who will be providing Sports Diver and drysuit training to RVCSAC members later this year . RVCSAC President , Idaira Martinez , said that after the delays due to the pandemic , RVSAC is now developing into an active club . “ This year , we took the opportunity to reach out to as many people within the BSAC community and we received a huge amount of support ,” Idaira explained . With a summer of UK dive weekends as well as a trip to the Canaries planned , Idaira said the next step will be to get instructors trained within the club and to buy more of their own equipment . “ We are so proud of what we achieved and immensely happy to see the huge amount of interest we received from the students . We are forever grateful for all the help we received .” For more information on the BSAC Branch + Partnership Scheme , go to bsac . com / partnershipscheme
BSAC Member Survey 2022
What we learned
FROM NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER 2022 , BSAC undertook a membership survey to better understand how the community views their membership and what additional value the organisation could deliver to them . Just over 3,000 members responded .
The survey covered a host of topics focused around being a member , including why people do or do not join , how people perceive the benefits of BSAC membership , and where possible improvements could be made .
Top line results
■ Respondents rated their BSAC membership experience as 4.1 / 5 ( weighted average ).
■ Most would recommend BSAC to a family member / friend ; 61 % stated they are ‘ extremely likely ’ to recommend BSAC to family or friends .
■ The main reasons for joining are : 59 % joined BSAC to learn to dive ( 62 % in 2019 survey ), 52 % to dive and socialise ( 50 % in 2019 ) and 21 % to further their training ( 25 % in 2019 ).
■ Those planning to stay as members cite their main reasons as : to dive and socialise ( 72 %, slightly higher than the 66 % in 2019 ); 45 % to support their club ( not asked in the 2019 survey ); 41 % to further their training ( 45 % in 2019 ); 33 % to keep in touch with the sport ( 35 % in 2019 ); 32 % for member insurance ( 27 % in 2019 ) and 28 % to instruct ( 29 % in 2019 ).
■ In assessing the importance of BSAC activities , the highest-ranking activities have not changed since the previous survey . These are : safeguarding UK waters and marine life , protecting underwater heritage , developing safety recommendations and developing training .
■ The most important BSAC environmental activities for members are working in collaboration with conservation organisations ( 4 / 5 ) and publishing best practice guidance and advice for environment-related activities ( 3.9 / 5 ).
■ Email ( 4.1 / 5 ), the BSAC website ( 3.8 / 5 ), via their club ( 3.7 / 5 ) and SCUBA ( 3.6 / 5 ) are the most preferred communication channels cited by members .
■ bsac . com is by far the most regularly used website for diver-related information , followed by Divernet and Simplyscuba . 52 % of members engage with bsac . com regularly .
■ Facebook is the social media platform with which most members engage ( 68 %), followed by YouTube ( 35 %) and Instagram ( 24 %), with 18 % making no use of social media at all .
BSAC Chief Executive Mary Tetley welcomed the survey results . “ Having not done a survey since 2019 , it was important to find out what our members were thinking as a lot has changed in those few years .
“ The results are essential to help us determine priorities and inform the development of our future strategy .”
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