Mentoring and developing divers to their full potential is the mantra at Swanwick Divers . The founders have taken a minimalistic approach to create an engaged community of divers who work together to dive together as a club . Meetings are virtual , dives take place using commercial operators ; so there isn ’ t much more to maintain than a bank account and as a result members ’ energies are devoted to going diving . I wanted to find out more .
Does Swanwick Divers have a base ?
Members meet virtually or on dive trips , but the club ’ s founders are based around Southampton , on the south coast of England . We dive anywhere from Littlehampton to Portland on a regular basis and go on club trips all over the UK .
When was the club formed ?
Four local instructors formed a Facebook group in August 2015 , as they felt that a ‘ club ’ would help students to bridge the gap between gaining an entry-level qualification and having the practical skills to go sea diving in UK conditions . Once formed , we realised it would be ideal to have a broader appeal , including experienced divers who could help the less experienced . By 2019 , the Facebook group had around 300 members .
How engaged were your members ?
Good question ; some we didn ’ t know well at all , and we were picking up some concerns about the liability aspect of a club based on a Facebook group . So , we wanted a bit more structure for safety reasons , while keeping it as lighttouch as possible , plus some liability protection . Having searched high and low , the only insurance we could get for organisers was through BSAC . The team at BSAC HQ was great , gave us loads of help ; and so in 2019 we became Swanwick Divers BSAC 2589 .
What resources does the club have ?
We have deliberately set out to avoid owning assets . We want to be as accessible as possible , which means being low cost and accepting members from anywhere in the UK . In turn that means we either meet on dives or virtually , rather than having a clubhouse . We use professional skippers and get gas and servicing from professionals too . We just have a bank account to keep track of .
Advanced Diver Simon Macrae
Colin Knight ( left ), Dive Leader ; and Pete Atkins , a PADI recruit
What sort of diving do members get involved in ?
Members include about 10 deep CCR divers , with the rest evenly split between open-circuit twinset divers and single cylinder divers . Some are interested in undersea maritime heritage , an interest pursued through the Nautical Archaeology Society , others have undertaken SeaSearch courses and got involved in citizen science marine biology .
Who are your members now ?
Certified divers are welcomed from any training agency , and our 76 active members range from Ocean Diver through to Technical Instructors and everything in between . Facebook is still valuable to share plans and coordinating . It also enables members to find buddies and join others on private dives , so we have an active and vibrant community .
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