News

03/04/2024  Make your voice heard regarding the closure of the NHS Recompression Chamber at Dunstaffnage, near Oban.

The closure of this chamber means that decompression incidents on the West Coast will now need helicopter (or Ambulance) transport to Aberdeen increasing delay and risk to affected divers.  You can express your views directly to your MSP or MP and by signing the online petition https://www.change.org/p/prevent-the-closure-of-the-nhs-recompression-chamber-at-dunstaffnage-near-oban

29/03/2024  Easter Holidays - HQ closed.

Please note that the office is closed from 29Mar - 10Apr for the Easter Holidays.  If you have an urgent query during that time, please contact the relevant member of the Board.  Thanks.

25/03/2024  Upcoming Courses

After the successful delivery of courses in Feb/Mar, plans are being progressed for further courses, but we can already confirm the following:

  • Branch Instructor – 20th April 2024
  • Deep Dive – 11th / 12th May 2024
  • Nitrox – 25th May 2024

Courses are only run where there is sufficient interest so…

Please register your interest on JustGo by adding your name to the Waitlist (in JustGo – Click on Events and Courses>>Click on the relevant course>>Click on Add to Waitlist.  Note: Club Admins can also do this for members of their Branch). 

If you have any questions, please do contact the relevant Course Director and if you have any problems adding yourself to the Waitlist, please contact HQ.  Thanks.

19/03/2024  Keep our Pools Open

Scottish Swimming have a petition in the Scottish Parliament at the moment to keep swimming pools open as they are so vital not just for swimmers but for other sports such as our own who use them for techniques, training and safety.

This petition is being considered in Parliament on Wednesday 20th March and it will be great to get as many signatures on it ahead of this.

The petition link is here. Recognise the value of swimming pools and provide financial relief to help keep pools open - Petitions (parliament.scot)

13/02/2024  Update on upcoming training courses

The significant work to ensure courses are running to meet demand is bearing results with following courses taking place in Feb/Mar:

  • Thursday 15th Feb – CWPS (Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport)
  • Sunday 25th Feb – Club Examiner Course
  • Sunday 10th Mar – First Aid/Heartstart/Oxygen Administration Course
  • Saturday 16th Mar – ScotSAC Nitrox Course
  • Saturday 16th Mar / Sunday 17th Mar – Regional Instructor Course

Thank-you to all those involved in arranging and delivering these courses.

9/01/2024

We hope the Christmas and New Year period was good to you and you are all ready to try out any shiny new kit Santa brought!

Membership Fees:

Please note that the updated membership fees as agreed at our AGM are now in operation and you can refer to them in the table on the Join Now page.

Training Courses:

There is significant activity in progress getting courses scheduled to meet demand.  The current plans are as follows:

  • HeartStart / O2.  Next course is 14th January 2024. Course is now full, but planning is underway for the next course (potentially mid February) – please register your interest on JustGo
  • Deep Diving.  Next course 13th / 14th January 2024.  Course is now full, but planning is underway for the next course – please register your interest on JustGo
  • CWPS course (essential if you instruct in a branch that has juniors).  Next date 15th February 2024 (Virtual). Spaces available – please register your interest on JustGo.   Branch CPOs will be given priority, however future courses will be scheduled to accommodate demand.
  • Nitrox.  Next Course 16th March 2024 in HQ.  Spaces available – please register on JustGo if you want to attend.
  • Regional Instructor. Date TBC but targeting mid/late March 2024.  The course is now full, but please speak to your Regional Coach if you want to take your instructing contribution to this level.
  • Branch Instructor.  Next course TBC but targeting April – Spaces available.  Please speak to your BDO and/or Regional Coach if you want to progress to become an instructor in your branch. You can then register your interest by joining the waitlist.

Note that in JustGo, when the course you wish to attend is full, you still have the option to join the waitlist for the course – that gets you into the queue for the next one or onto the scheduled one should a space become available.  If you have any problems registering onto the waitlist, please contact HQ.

 

8/12/2023

Christmas/New Year: Please note that the ScotSAC office will be closed from 22Dec to 7Jan inclusive.  Urgent items can be addressed to the Chair or to the NDO by email as appropriate.

7/12/2023

Reminder: Please be aware that there is only one postal collection per week from Caledonia House (on a Wednesday), so please allow for that when expecting qualification logbooks for new members of your branch.  Once Kirsty has the logbook packaged up, it can take up to a week for it to actually leave the building.

1/12/2023

Scottish Sub Aqua Club
Please note that our office at Caledonia House | 1 Redheughs Rigg | South Gyle Edinburgh | EH12 9DQ is open: 

Monday and Thursday on 0131 625 4404

Also available by phone only on Tuesday on 07543 673 616

Email: hq@scotsac.com | Website: www.scotsac.com   | Membership login: scotsac.justgo.com

 

18/7/2022

New Admin and Finance Officer

After much searching we are delighted to welcome Kirsty Carella as our new Admin Officer.  Kirsty comes to us with lengthy experience in administrative roles in various settings.

She started work with us on 18th July 2022.

She will be working 21 hours per week, her working days are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Medical Forms

08/06/2020

Medical forms.

In light of the Covid pandemic, the UKDMC have revised the medical form which we use.

This has just been released and is not yet on the website. In addition our medical referee has been on compassionate leave, but will be available for consultation if necessary from 1st July.

It would be advisable therefore to delay submitting your medical form until then especially if you have had or suspect you have had Covid 19.

 

 

 

Eyemouth: Green Ends Gully and Nestends

06/06/2020

You may have heard some news about the access road to this popular dive site. It is hoped the access road can be re-routed.

The harbour trust are keen to hear the views of interested parties including the diving community.

ScotSAC has been in touch with Eyemouth Harbour trust today and the NDO is to attend a meeting on Tuesday at which interested parties will have the opportunity to discuss the way forward and to provide information about usage of the site.

Christine Bell, Business Manager for Eyemouth Harbour Trust offered this,

“For background: Eyemouth Harbour Trust intend to lease an area at Gunsgreen Basin to construct an operations and maintenance facility for an offshore windfarm. This will bring new employers into the town and we have had generally positive feedback so far following local consultation. The development will alter the layout of the area to the north of the basin. This will cover the current entry point to the dive shore access road, therefore realignment and embankment engineering are required. There has been some misguided speculation over the last 24 hours on social media but to clarify the situation, the intention is to relocate the access route, not close it. Options for alternative routes are being considered with a view to submitting a planning application in the near future”

BDSG - Diving in the Covid/Post-Covid Era

29/05/2020

BDSG - COVID-19 release #1.pdf

Please read the attached statement from the British Diving Safety Group.  Although the statement refers to the UK, in Scotland we are still being advised to stay at home.

 

Office Closure

19/03/2020

Please note Caledonia House, ScotSAC Headquarters is now closed until further notice. Dannielle will be still working from home replying to emails.

A temporary contact number is available if you need to speak to her please call: 07543 673616

You can pay your renewal fee and send an updated medical through the ScotSAC website as normal. Unfortunately new cards will have to wait until the office opens again. 

Keep checking the website for updates. We appreciate your patience at this difficult time.

In case of an emergency contact ndo@scotsac.com 

Corona Virus

18/03/2020

Corona Virus
ScotSAC hopes all members and their families  stay safe and well in  the coming weeks and maybe months.
All members are advised to heed the general advice about  hand washing and social distancing  which are the main methods of keeping yourself  and others safe.
Further information can be found  here
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19                  

   If this link does not work you can google NHS Inform         

In addition members should avoid sharing regulators  and branches should consider  allocating a set of regulators to each trainee.  If this is not feasible  then the equipment should be washed thoroughly and allowed to air dry for 3 days  before being used again.

 

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