we are
Whether you are already an experienced diver looking to continue diving while at university or you've never dived before then this is the place for you! We are affiliated with the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) and offer training as well as dive trips for all experience levels.Have a look around our website, find us on Instagram, or contact us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions. Hopefully, we’ll see you out on a dive trip soon!
ABOUT US
The club is a diverse mix of students with all kinds of diving backgrounds; from those never dived before to instructors, and from a range of training agencies including BSAC, PADI, SSI, and the French Underwater Federation. Despite being a student club, we welcome people from any background, including alumni and staff.We run many training courses from Ocean Diver through to Dive Leader (the equivalent of PADI Divemaster). We also run a broad range of skill development courses to keep you up to date and learning.SUSAC also offer regular trips. Our trips can be inland sites, shore dives, hard boat dives or even dives from our very own boat. We've explored the length and breadth of the UK as well as travelling to many other countries.As a club member you can join in on all the fun, as well as use our large stock of high-quality and professionally serviced equipment for extremely low prices.We're not just a group of divers though, we're also a group of friends. We have a broad range of socials and meetups that take place throughout the year.So, what are you waiting for? Come and join us!
HOW TO JOIN US
To dive with us you'll need to be a member of both SUSAC and BSAC. SUSAC membership options can be viewed here and currently stands at £49.50 for a years worth of membership. BSAC membership can be viewed here and currently stands at £34 per year for students. Make sure you search then select Southampton University SAC, and join via a club.
LEARN TO DIVE
Ocean Diver course
If you are not already qualified and are looking to dive with us, you will need to complete the Ocean Diver (OD) course which will allow you to be qualified to dive down to 20m. It is an internationally recognised qualification that you can gain right here at Southampton University! To enrol, you only need to comfortably swim 200m in a pool.Your instructor will start by getting you comfortable breathing underwater and then develop your skills until you are competent to dive safely in open water. After that you’ll head out for a series of at least four dives to practice your skills. Our OD course comes with the Drysuit and Nitrox qualification, added bonuses that are not usually included elsewhere.Currently, our OD trainees undertake the training with BSAC directly to allow us to offer this course to a greater number of members. Due to this, we can offer the course for only £495 with annual membership required (£49.50) as we make no profit. Commercially, right here in Southampton you would expect to pay around £800-900!
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Our Ocean Diver courses are typically advertised in September and begin from October. We advertise this through the 'Bunfight' also known as the Clubs and Societies Fair. Here, all the university clubs and societies will have stalls and representatives to introduce you to the club. In addition, you can sign up through the links on our social media (WhatsApp community and Instagram).If you're interesting in joining one of these courses, please contact us.
PROGRESS YOUR DIVING
We also offer advanced diver training courses including Sports Diver, Dive Leader and a vast array of Skill Development Courses (SDC's).If you're familiar with the PADI system, Sports Diver is considered equivalent to Rescue Diver, and Dive Leader to Divemaster. After qualifying, Sports Divers can dive to 35m and Dive Leaders to 50m with full training given in decompression.We can offer courses such as drysuit training, nitrox workshops, Practical Rescue Management, Dive Planning and Management, Oxygen Administration, the RNLI Sea Survival Workshop, wreck diving and more.We also have club members who are experienced in using twinsets, stages and sidemount diving configurations. No matter your equipment or your qualification, you should feel right at home in SUSAC.If you're interested in any of the above or have anything else you would like know, please contact us.
TRIPS & EXPEDITIONS
SUSAC have members with experience of diving worldwide. We have members who know where to book the perfect holiday in the sun and those who know where to find the best wrecks around the UK coastline.
ABROAD
Every Easter we go diving abroad. We suggest locations and ask our members for their budget and their preferences on where to go. We find the perfect mix of affordable and fun so that you can experience the best diving for the best value.We are currently looking at trips this year from Gozo to the Seychelles!
UK
Every summer we run a UK based diving residential to make the most of the good weather. This is a brilliant alternative if the easter trip is out of your budget. This year we are planning to go to North Scotland, so stay alert for any updates!We also run regular trips in the UK. Being on the south coast provides the perfect base to run regular trips to places such as Portland, Cornwall and many other highly-regarded dive sites around the UK. We have our own boat, enabling us to reach almost any site we want and there is a wealth of knowledgeable charter boats in the south for larger trips or more complex sites.
GET INVOLVED
Want to go somewhere we haven't advertised? Keen to run your own trip on dates that work for you? No problem! We'll teach you all about dive planning and management leaving you confident to run trips to almost anywhere!To see the trips we run, check out our photos on our Instagram @sotonunisac. You could also view our calendar to see where we're going in the future.
MEET THE COMMITTEE
The committee are elected by the members at an AGM every year. The committee are entirely volunteers who manage every aspect of the clubs day to day functions and are there to make sure you get the most out of SUSAC. The committee are passionate about diving and about the club and strive to make the club the best it can be. We'd love to hear from you and we'd love you to get involved. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to contact the committee at any time.
PRESIDENT - JAMIE TAYLOR
The president is responsible for the overall running and direction of the club. Alongside managing the rest of the committee they are also responsible for interacting with external parties such as BSAC, the University, the student’s union and other clubs.
Jamie is a 3rd year Oceanography student who found his passion for diving upon joining SUSAC in September 2023. He has previously served on committee as engagement and social secretary and now as president his aim is to bring the club closer together than previous years with plenty exciting events. Jamie really wants to get the club diving more often and is currently working towards both dive leader and diver coxswain.
TREASURER - DANIEL HAMPTON
The Treasurer oversees and maintains the finances of the club. They are responsible for setting budgets, administering payments, providing financial advice and ensuring the future financial health of the club.
Daniel is currently in his final year of an integrated master’s in marine biology. Daniel Learnt to dive when he was ten with his late godfather in a NATO base in Lisbon, and ever since has fallen in love with the oceans. Serving as SUSAC social secretary in 2023 and President in 2023-2024, Daniel returns after his semester abroad in Australia as treasurer. This year, Daniel wants to grow the snorkelling branch of SUSAC to make the club more accessible to the student body and set up more marine biology opportunities in SUSAC alongside getting 50-50 in the water more.
DIVING OFFICER - FREDERICK SIMPSON
The responsibility of the Diving Officer includes overseeing the safety of all diving in the club as well as awarding qualifications. Despite the emphasis on safety, the Diving Officer also exists to promote diving within the club and ensure that a diverse range of dives are being organised for all divers.
Freddie is mysterious, but very good at doing risk assessments.
BOAT OFFICER - ABIGAIL WILLIAMS
The boat officer is responsible for maintaining our beautiful club rib, 50-50 , as well as organising diver coxswain training for club members and committee. 50-50 has supported us on many trips, including Plymouth and Portland harbour, since she was donated to the club by fifty-fifty divers in 2023.
Abi is currently a third year marine biology student who has also had a love for the ocean and boating, living by the water her whole life. Since completing her Ocean Diver qualification with the club in 2023 she has gained a deeper appreciation for the calm of the ocean and the beautiful marine life. Abigail is now working towards her Sports Diver and Diver Coxswain qualification to bring the best of diving and boating to SUSAC! Abigail is looking forward to running more boat dives this year with the clubs own 50-50 Diving RIB- hope to see you there!
WELFARE SECRETARY - SLAVA BOGDANOVA
The welfare secretary is the person who keeps us safe and happy in the club. If a member has an issue with another club member, their course or general wellbeing they can contact our welfare secretary directly for help.
Slava is a Psychology student at the University of Southampton with a strong passion for mental health and student well-being. As Welfare Secretary of SUSAC, she supports the psychological and physical health of the club’s members, ensuring they have access to the resources they need to thrive. She learned to dive when she was 10, inspired and supported by her mother, who is a former diving archaeologist. Slava is committed to helping members maintain their well-being while enjoying their passion for diving
EXPEDITIONS OFFICER - YASMIN THOMAS
The Expeditions Officer helps to organise trips around the country during the year, including planning travel arrangements and accommodation. They also organise the Easter and Summer field trips, finding a fun diving location and working with the rest of the committee to ensure exciting, memorable and safe trips for everyone.
Yasmin is a fourth year MSci Marine Biology student specialising in DNA barcoding of isopods. She began diving when she was 10 and has loved it ever since although with a preference for warmer waters! In light of this, her role this year will be to provide the club with an exciting trip abroad for our members to explore the waters overseas. Feel free to contact her if you have an interest in helping to run or joining a trip this year.
SOCIAL SECRETARY - JULIAN PILKINGTON
The Social Secretaries are in charge of coordinating and planning social events for the club members. They are the first people to go to when planning a fun event for members to get together and socialise.
Julian is a 3rd year Marine Biology with Oceanography student. He is passionate about all things marine and is looking forward to exploring the sea more this year. As social sec Julian aims to boost our social scene at pubs and clubs, as well as organising some exciting trips to aquariums, museums and more. As a marine scientist, Julian also wants to organise beach cleans and conservation activities.
ENGAGEMENT OFFICER - JACK TANG
The Engagement Officer is responsible for all external communications and promotional activities. This includes the running of the club’s social media accounts and responding to email inquiries.
Jack is a 3rd year BSc Marine Biology student. As Engagement Officer for SUSAC, he aims to keep members of the club informed of any upcoming dives and socials, and communicate members interests to the committee. He is not currently a diver, but has experience managing social media and creating engaging posts.
EQUIPMENT OFFICER - NINA BRANKIN
The Equipment Officer is responsible for making sure all the club equipment is serviced and maintained to the highest possible standards. You can be sure that any equipment you borrow from SUSAC will be in top shape!
Nina is currently in her second year of studying Biology and Marine Biology. She started diving last year with SUSAC, in hopes of being able to implement it in her studies, working through ocean diver and sports diver. She is currently training to become a dive leader. Since starting training she has dives mostly in the UK but has done some trips to dive in Croatia and was pleasantly by the lack of hypothermia symptoms experienced.
FAQs
Can I try it out before I join?
We run a try-dive session every year in the Jubilee Sports Centre pool on Highfield campus. Here you can meet the instructors, get a feel of breathing and swimming underwater, and find out if diving is the sport for you. Due to the closure of Jubilee sports centre in September 2025, our try dives will be delayed this year until October.Who can join SUSAC?
Students, staff and alumni can join our society easily. If you are none of the above, you may be able to join the society depending on your skill set and how it can aid us as a club. Please reach out to us and we will see what we can do to get you involved.How do I join SUSAC?
See the section 'How to join' above. If you are still stuck, send us an email or a message on Instagram and we can help you sort everything out.When and where do you meet?
We organise frequent diverse socials such as bowling, go-karting or just going to the pub. We publish any upcoming events on our Instagram. Regularly, you'll most likely find us in the Mitre pub or on Highfield Campus, but if you'd like to meet us then we suggest you contact us and we'll let you know where we'll be next.I trained with another agency (e.g. PADI, SSI), can I join?
Certainly! SUSAC welcomes divers from all training backgrounds and many club divers have trained with other agencies. You'll still need the BSAC membership for insurance purposes, but that's all!You can also continue your training with us and importantly, you won’t lose your current qualifications. You simply gain access to a different agency’s training. So you never lose, only gain! If you have any questions about the BSAC system or qualifications, please contact us.How much does a dive cost?
The cost of UK diving is kept at cost price of fuel, air, food, slip fees, parking, boat charter costs etc. The club does not make any profit and all income is reinvested into the club. Expect to pay around £90-100 for a typical coastal boat charter day and £30-45 for a typical shore site diving day. These prices include kit hire, fuel and air fills, so are approximate.Is UK diving worth it?
Although diving in the UK is undeniably colder and more challenging than in the tropics, it’s well worthwhile! With our strong naval history, the country is now the home of many amazing wrecks. For those more interested in the life beneath the waves, our seas host a wide array of animals, from tiny nudibranchs, to the seals of the Farnes Islands and the Isles of Scilly, up to the massive basking sharks that can be found off Cornwall. If that hasn't tempted you check out what BSAC have to say and see some amazing photos!What if I haven’t got any equipment?
The club maintains an extensive supply of high-quality scuba equipment which is available for use on all dives. This includes a large of drysuits, regulators, BCD's, cylinders (including ponies and O2 Clean Nitrox cylinders), computers, weights and more. The cost of equipment hire is capped at £15 per day for full kit hire.It is possible to dive entirely using club kit. We do however recommend that all of our members invest in basic gear, including a mask, fins, boots, gloves and a hood for maximum enjoyment. We are all happy to provide suggestions on particular pieces of kit, as well as arranging trips to local dive shops.More questions? Contact us!
THANK YOU
A member of the committee will be in touch with you ASAP. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours.
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