Clidive has always been a highly active club our entry had been finalised during Covid lockdowns. It gave us a real boost when we heard we had won, validating the doubling of effort required to navigate those difficult times.”
Clidive’ s Heinke 2020 win was actually the third time the club had been awarded the trophy. Each win, says Nick, has been led by a‘ new generation of leaders’, supported by all the club’ s members.
“ Entering the Heinke is a great opportunity for any club, especially if you involve as many people as possible. The creation of the 2020 entry made us really understand and value all that our club does, and the planning and delivery of our activities pushed us to special club and personal achievements. The entry itself was worth every effort, winning it was just the icing on the cake!”
As three-time Heinke Trophy winners, Clidive is well-placed to advise other clubs. And Nick’ s top tip is to have a strong central idea for your final entry.
“ There was a lot of mandatory content requested by BSAC in the entry, but at all points we kept to our theme. Ours was‘ Sharing the Adventure’ and celebrating the club’ s success in doing this over 50 years. If you have a strong story for your activities, then you may well have a winning Heinke entry in the making!”
Ras Al Hamra Sub Aqua Club( RAHSAC)
The most recent overseas club to
RAHSAC training receive the award, in action
Oman-based RAHSAC was BSAC’ s 2022 Heinke Trophy winner. And, like Clidive, the club chose to use an anniversary – their 40th- as the focal point for their application. Overcoming adversity also loomed large in their‘ story’.
RAHSAC Chair, Kirsty McDonagh explains:“ As well as recognising 40 years of dedication, we also wanted to highlight the club’ s high-quality teamwork to overcome hurdles, including cyclone Shaheen and Covid-19, while delivering safe and wellplanned diving for all our members.”
RAHSAC has seen tangible benefits since winning the Heinke Trophy.“ It’ s been a launchpad for new opportunities. We’ ve gained more support and momentum, especially for things like instructor training, new events, community links, and growing our membership.”
So, would RAHSAC encourage other BSAC clubs to dip their toe into the Heinke Trophy waters?“ Absolutely. Winning an award like the Heinke Trophy really builds credibility,” Kirsty added.“ It’ s external recognition that shows others we’ re serious about safety, quality, and community. It has also given a real boost to everyone’ s motivation and pride. It’ s a way of saying,‘ Look what we’ ve built together,’ and it being noticed.”
Is your club ready to enter the Heinke Trophy 2026?
Entering the Heinke Trophy is simple: capture a‘ year in the life’ of your club- how you dive, train, recruit, and connect with your community.
The rewards?
■ £ 1,000 prize and the Heinke Trophy itself
■ National recognition across BSAC’ s platforms
■ An opportunity to inspire the entire diving and snorkelling community
How to enter
You will need to register your club’ s interest in entering the Heinke Trophy 2026 by completing the online registration form by 30 November 2025 at the latest.
Once registered, your club should:
■ Record and document your club’ s activities from 1 Jan – 31 Dec 2026
■ Submit your final report by 31 January 2027
■ Take advantage of the new one-toone mentoring system as soon as you apply, to help plan your application year journey in 2026
The Heinke Trophy 2026 winner will be announced in Spring 2027. For more details on the new-look Heinke Trophy and to register for 2026, go to bsac. com / heinke
Interested in the Heinke Trophy 2026 but would like to find out more? Email heinke @ bsac. com today, and a member of the team will give you a call!
RAHSAC members celebrate birthdays alongside BSAC’ s 70th
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