Excellent Divers
Safety in diving is the number one priority at BSAC Japan , which runs an ongoing Safety First campaign for all members . Marine life and ecology are also important to members , who can take part in education throughout the year . As part of its marine protection activities , BSAC Japan organises litterpicks on beaches and underwater , and since 2006 it has run an annual Reef Check campaign to monitor and report the health of Japan ’ s underwater environment .
A Tokyo office is the centre of operations , holding the database of all instructors and members and managing the administration of qualifications . Training materials are printed in Japanese , with manuals translated from the UK versions . The BSAC look and feel is very much the same as in the UK , but it should be noted that BSAC Japan is not a club . It is a commercial operation , with training provided through dive centres and shops . The centres have BSAC instructors who are trained and certified via centrally organised instructor courses . Centres offer new diver training as well as crossovers from other agencies . Skill Development Courses ( SDCs ) are modelled closely on the UK equivalents . Online training and digital certification are provided via an app .
The Diver Training Programme is slightly different in Japan . Of course , diving is diving wherever you go , so all of the skills , and most of the grades and courses are the same as in the UK . If you meet Japanese divers , on holiday perhaps , you ’ ll notice that there are some different grades . For example , Ocean Diver Plus adds simple navigation techniques , observing underwater organisms , and simple underwater photography .
Hosakawa san with former BSAC Chairs Eugene Farrell , Maria Harwood and ( right ) Alex Warzynski
Other grades have the addition of mandatory and optional SDCs . Excellent Diver , for example , includes seven SDCs , five are compulsory ( CPR , Rescue , Deep Diving , Navigation and Night Diving ) and two more are choices from a list that includes many UK stalwarts and some unfamiliar courses such as Current Diving , Cave Diving , DAN Oxygen Provider , Aquarium Diver , and Shell Collector . First Class Diver involves an exam just like in the UK , and seven SDCs must be completed ( adding to the list Equipment Care , First Aid ) alongside one additional chosen SDC . In Japan , people like to collect cards recognising their experiences . These are a valued recognition of progress , so BSAC Japan issues experience cards , including
milestone numbers of dives , such as 30 , 50 or 100 . There are cards for diving at specific locations such as Yakushima and the wreck USS Emmons . Cards are also issued for the spotting of specific marine life such as whales , dolphins , turtles and sea squirts , as well as Reef Check and Beach Clean activities .
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