PADI vs BSAC - Which Training Agency is Right For YOU? ¦ UKDiver

[@liamhennelly3961]

Great vid mate. I started with Padi and now with BSAC and honestly hand on heart I should of never trained with Padi. To me they only want your money with the least training they can possibly give you. I'd recommend anyone wanting to start diving to join a BSAC club. They seem to care more and not just a money drip.

[@UKDiver]

Thanks for the comment and support pal! It’s appreciated 👍😎

[@AdventuresandLifestyle]

good explainations etc. etc. for those considering Scuba - dont worry if it sounds involved - it all runs smoothly and everything is well explained. Where you are now - we once were too! - so we all understand. For my money, BSAC or if in Scotland, ScotSac offer the best comprehensive training packages.

[@BlueHorizonDiving]

See I am of the opinion the agency doesn't matter it is the instructor as you end up at same level at the end of the day. I hate the whole BSAC v PADI thing but I have seen terrible SSI, PADI & BSAC instructors. It truly is the instructor that matters and this is even more important at Tec levels. Yeah I am a PADI instructor but also a BSAC diver from when had to teach for the uni club.

[@UKDiver]

I agree if we’re talking quality, but this video is not about that really. It’s about whether you want to dive in the UK or just on holidays as most clubs simply won’t want holiday only divers. Also, if you’ve any thoughts on doing at a profession, then BSAC probably is not the best place to start. The best divers I know are the ones that have a passion for the sport, irrespective, as you say, of training agency.

[@BlueHorizonDiving]

@@UKDiver I honestly couldn't agree more with what you said. Being in UK then BSAC the way to go and allows you to take time and truly be part of UK diving scene which is so underrated. Exactly it is the passion of the instructor that makes all the difference.

[@PX_Kev]

Great video! I did my first “try dive” in fuerteventura in July and got hooked instantly! Been racking my Brains since deciding which route to take! This video has helped me decide to take the BSCA route as I want to wreck dive and dive for a purpose in the UK. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@UKDiver]

Great stuff. Glad it helped. Hope you’ve liked the video and subscribed, it really helps me out!

[@liamhennelly3961]

As Andy said there will be a lot of bsac clubs around Britian that would let you dive with them. I am with a bsac club in Liverpool, Northwest UK called WAPSAC. It's a decent club, very friendly people and the club dives atleast once or twice a week even in winter (because we are hard as nails 😂). Diving in Britian you will need a decent thick drysuit. I use the OTTER BRITTANIC SUPERSKIN drysuit which has been perfect for british waters. If you are use to diving in warm water definitely wrap up well to dive in Britian. I have only ever dived in Britain I have never dived in any warm water yet. It will be strange for me from going to wearing huge thick undersuit and thick drysuit to wearing a 3mm shorty wetsuit 😂👌🏻✌🏻

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

In the States it’s different model they are basically the same it’s what’s in the area and what instructor works the best. I got PADI SSI TDI the training is very similar but what makes the difference is the instructor and his or her skill set and communication abilities. Thank you for helping me learn about across the pond one day I hope to dive over there

[@UKDiver]

Interesting as I keep hearing other tubers saying you should take your time to pick your instructor. Here in the UK you get whoever turns up on the day! The instructor who taught me was a young lass I’d never met and I’ve never seen since. Just a PADI instructor who they’d paid for the day that was free I guess. There was no chance to vet or anything before. Obviously in a club, the instructors are the instructors and there certainly is the opportunity to go and visit the club beforehand, in fact, it’s mostly a necessity as the club has to be happy you’re worth the investment they will be putting in. Joining a club is not like shopping. Both sides have to be happy that the prospective member will fit in before signing up to anything. Thanks for the comment and the support. I appreciate it!!

[@frogsgottalent1106]

It's a pleasant relief to hear that BSAC have not yet sold their souls to the devil. I did my PADI OW in '85 as part of ' Adventure training ' in the Army. One of the Divemasters * said " PADI just teach you enough to get yourself in trouble...". At the time I thought the remark arrogant and condescending. But 35 years on after a career as a military and Commercial Saturation diver, still with the original love of ' Sport ' diving, I realise that he was 100% correct. " Put Another Dollar In " was the proffered breakdown of the PADI acronym. In '85 I found the course quite involved and thorough, but they seems to be shaving more and more time off the course. I never did crossover to BSAC but I am very happy that they have kept their older philosophies. ( * Physical training instructor to the Clearance Divers at HMAS Penguin).

[@UKDiver]

Lol...not yet they haven’t but they are struggling as a club. Membership is in slow decline as it has been for decades as people don’t stick with hobbies like they used to and flit from one to the other. As a consequence, they are also not that bothered about spending a long time training and learning in depth and becoming really good as chances are, they’ll only stick with it for a year or two then move onto something else. I hear the ‘I used to be a diver...’ line all the time nowadays from people younger and younger. PADI with their super quick, superficial courses are doing well because as I say in the video, if all the trainee is ever going to do is a handful of dives a year with a DM holding their hand, who will have planned and will be responsible for the dive, why would they need to bother learning everything else and moreover, paying handsomely for the privilege? I know some absolutely super PADI divers, but same as the really good BSAC divers I know, they are the ones that dive regularly, invest in their own skills & equipment and have a real passion for diving rather then it being something they do from time to time. Thanks for the comment and I appreciate the support! Cheers. Andy.

[@johnhalsey1500]

Great job Andy. Another great video. Keep it up. It helps me get through the cold Canadian winters waiting for the spring thaw and the start of dive season. I have PADI and IANTD in my local area. Would you say IANTD is similar to BSAC?

[@UKDiver]

Ahhh... beautiful Canada 🇨🇦 Another bucket list place I want to come diving as well as just generally touristing! 😀 IANTD is a commercial operation so from that point of view, nope. It’s more like PADI as in you’re paying for your instruction and therefore there is the incentive for the instructor to just pass you out whether you’re up to it or not so they get paid, which is the biggest complaint I hear about the PADI system. However, at least here in the UK, IANTD is seen (correctly or not) as a technical training agency, not one you’d do your basic courses with, although they certainly do have the beginner courses in their stable. With that perception, the people I know who have tickets from IANTD are very experienced, passionate real divers (not holiday divers) with great skills anyway and have done the upper level, real technical, rebreather or tri-mix courses etc where I guess you really wouldn’t want to be cutting corners as an instructor as you’re gonna get a real bad reputation very quickly when you’re students start dying. I think the closest organisation you guys have over the pond to BSAC is NAUI, we have literally a handful of NAUI instructors in the UK and I’ve never met a NAUI trained diver as yet, so can’t comment on their training practices and quality. Bottom line, if I was starting again today, and I knew how deeply scuba diving would become part of my life; my passion and my salve for the soul and I had a choice between PADI and IANTD to start, I’d be taking a longer look at IANTD if I was being honest. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, drop me an email 👍😎

[@simonsays2685]

I've got qualifications from most training agencies and never rated the PADI format, do a skill such as mask clearing once and move on to the next, no repetition to get better at it, just move on. Even for holiday diving I'd go with BSAC, train over the winter and holiday dive when you want. Most of the PADI add on courses are pointless, reef diver, boat diver, PPB diver, waste of time and money to collect another badge, I worked at a dive centre and we had a PADI MSD turn up who'd only done thirty dives and were all on courses.

[@BurhanMuntasser]

You are very diplomatic and polite, the blunt truth is that BSAC is a million miles ahead of PADI in terms of the quality and comprehensiveness of its programs. The only issue is that BSAC courses take forever to finish and the student is left hunting after the instructors trying to get them to complete the courses :) Where is your club located? Do you offer any help for somebody like me who has experience diving outside the UK but is seeking orientation and familiarization to be able to dive safely in the UK?

[@UKDiver]

Haha... it’s not diplomacy really. I agree that the BSAC way of teaching is much more thorough, it’s has to be. But that depth and length of training just doesn’t suit everyone and really isn’t needed if your underwater time per year can be counted in hours in tropical waters with a Dive Master holding your hand hopefully we’ll away from delicate corals! I also understand that one of the big issues with BSAC is the volunteer model. This can really limit a club and like you say, can leave students in limbo if there are no instructors free or willing to give their time to students. It’s a tough one, as an instructor myself, I see it from both sides. The students want you to be there to teach them all the time, but teaching inevitably uses most of your dive time meaning you might not get any pleasure diving in yourself meaning it starts to feel like work. It’s a balancing act really. Me and my club are located in West Yorkshire and of course any club would welcome an already qualified diver with open arms and would be happy to do orientation as you put it and help you build your cold water experience. If you’re able to get to either Stoney Cove or if you’re up North Capernwray, drop me an email and we’ll go do a dive or two! If I’m too far, check the club finder tool on BSAC and drop a line to your local clubs when lockdown is over and I’m sure they’d be happy to help 👍

[@liamhennelly3961]

Did you get to come over an dive in the UK yet? Wooly socks, a big thick undersuit and a decent membrane drysuit and you will be sweet 👌🏻 I read somewhere once that you haven't really dived until you test yourself in cold British waters 👌🏻😂 hope you got to dive here in britian and enjoyed it 👌🏻✌🏻

[@BurhanMuntasser]

@@liamhennelly3961 Not yet. Working on it however 🤠

[@turgutvelettin6727]

Andy if you ask me so would say BSAC any time . I have PADI , SSI as well after BSAC I would say SSI

[@UKDiver]

I haven’t met many SSI divers Turgut, so I’ve not had chance to see them in the water or chat with them about the training. It’s still not a big operation here in the UK at the moment unfortunately. I keep mulling the idea of doing a crossover and maybe doing a bit of paid training, but I’m always worried that if my hobby becomes work, it’ll just ruin it for me 😂

[@marijajelic589]

This is great video. Thanks. It help me a lot.

[@gamernick1533]

I don't have experience with BSAC, I've only trained with PADI so far (but not averse to doing training with any agency) but I think the first point, about PADI being for fair weather divers with no UK social basis, is wrong. My club is an active PADI club and you can almost guarantee that every weekend you'll find a pick up group and a decent chance of hitting on weekday dives too. Granted, that's not directly PADI and maybe this is what you meant, but I've dived most weeks for the last 6 months :)

[@UKDiver]

We all have our point of view and mine is a generalised point of most UK PADI centres I’ve come across. There will always be exceptions to the rule. I’m glad you getting out and have an active shop club 👍 See you in a dive soon 😎

[@UKDiver]

@@CandyMan2001 yes, same when I did mine. To be fair, as you’re dealing with a commercial outfit, it’s probably to be expected. They get paid to train, not to go jolly diving with new students so I get it. For newly qualified divers, most just end to go and make use of this new skill they’ve just learned, and this is where a good active club really shines 👍

[@Hectorsdad]

Very well explained. Many thanks for that video.

[@robharris5245]

A couple of years ago my wife suggested that I try scuba diving. She has been qualified since 2003. I therefore signed up for a try dive with our local dive centre. My wife decided that she would like to come along with me so pretended she wanted to try it out as well. We went along to the local pool had the briefing and got in the pool with the instructor. After about 15 mins of instruction the instructor got out of the pool and left us to it. After about 2hrs we got out. I said I would like to sign up for the PADI OW course. After about six months I eventually completed the 4 open water dives, Received my cert card but then realised I actually hated scuba diving. Consequently have never dived since. My wife was extremely disappointed as she hoped would could dive together. I told her to carry on with others but not me.

[@MopH3ad]

currently paying 230 per speciality on padi (x5 needed for MSD) ,450 open water 400 advanced open water or should I say I was , just goto do my rescue diver now for my MSD thats another 450 its taken me 2 years (these all include kit rental and usage if you dont have your own) so yeah not cheap with PADI but they work around my work hours where as the local BSAC are unable to do so but thats nobodys fault just my job being a pain in the rear.

[@leeminter811]

Interesting being both BSAC and PADI, I am afraid I find that your perspective is a tiny bit slewed towards BSAC. I learnt to dive with PADI in the UK, did my Advanced and Rescue in the UK only. I then went to a BSAC Club, It was interesting, but not positive as far as the DO was concerned, who insisted that I was not able to dive until I had done the Sport Diver course which was not as thorough or demanding as the Rescue diver Course that was run in challenging conditions etc. I had no end of trouble with this guiy as he did not want cross overs and had said to me that I do not dive in the UK. When hwe found out that I had dived the Salsette with another member (not a club dive), he suspended me from diving, even though I was qualified to Advanced Trimix with TDI. My brother is a BSAC instructor and I have had many great experiences with his club and am not bashing BSAC just be warned BSAC clubs are not all equal. Choose carefully, and if your not happy, go to another club.

[@UKDiver]

Sorry you had such a bad experience with a club, but I never said all were perfect. There are bad clubs, sad clubs and stagnant clubs. But there are some superb clubs too. You’re absolutely right that you should check out all the clubs in your area and you should spend time doing so. As for my slant towards BSAC, of course for UK diving I’m going to have that slant being a passionate UK diver and club member. But that said, I stand by the video and everything I said in it. If you’re interested in UK diving, regularly, most BSAC clubs will serve you better than the a PADI centre in most instances. If you’re not, do the course you need to do with PADI and enjoy diving you’re diving on your hols!

[@ouestvotrevignette2263]

Bsac= bloody slow and cliquey. That diving officer must see you as a threat to their parochial little fiefdom. Find another club or report his behaviour to the regional coach.

[@fearlessbounty7391]

Bruch im still stuck at ocean diver one year later still not qualified omg i still need to do 5 open water dives. even though i passed them sighed off on the day.

[@godsbeast.69]

Hi Andy Great intro Basically would really appreciate a bit of basic sound advice if possible. I’ve been an enthusiast metal detector for the past 5yr’s And for at least 3yr’s have really had a strong passion to scuba detect only uk open waters, Not looking to explore mega depths But to learn safely upto around 20ft mark really on a regular basis. Would BCSA be best suited. from what I have taken from this video is that BSSA I felt would be more suited for My needs Advice would be greatly appreciated. 👍 Just subbed by the way👍

[@UKDiver]

Hey! If your thinking this is going to be something your doing in the UK, then BSAC is the way to go as I advise in the video. Not only for the training, but because of you have a good active club near you, you’ll also have buddies to dive with as well. I’ve often thought about metal detectoring around UK waters after watching channels like Man vs. River I think it is, here on KZbin. I think there is lots of crap around as we are blessed with a plethora of wrecks, but maybe in some of our fantastic rocky reefs there may be the odd gem. Deffo interesting 🤔 If you need any more info or would like a chat, drop me an email at [e-mail] 👍

[@godsbeast.69]

@@UKDiver Thank You Andy for not only replying But also for your in depth advice.👍 And thanks again. BSAC is def the way to go then. :) Cheer’s for the contact info.👍 And will do. I personally think underwater detecting would be absolutely awesome, I already purchased the Excalibur 2 sea hunting detector And a hand held ocean detector. Just need the training now.

[@patrickballucci2588]

hi i am a bsac diver and i doing courses but the exams are very hard to do due English very technical who don't have that fluent English will find it very hard

[@UKDiver]

That’s a fair point Patrick. There certainly isn’t as far as I can see any alternative languages available. May I ask where you are doing your training? Are you here in the UK?

[@triquetralband]

Interesting take. Agree with a lot of what is said but I wouldn't say that all BSAC clubs are as exclusive as the one in Pontefract. I'm sure it wasn't intended but it has come across as pretty off-putting at Pontefract. I'm with a BSAC club and I know a few people that mainly dive abroad as well as a few times in the UK. They offer a lot to the club. This gives BSAC a bad reputation.

[@UKDiver]

Hey, thanks for the comment. We have a few holiday only divers in the club, but they tend to be the people who have been with the club years and are winding down. They have put in their time doing club trips, teaching and passing on their knowledge etc and are indeed valued members. Needless to say their are exceptions, but we’ve found that people who start and only ever intend to dive when on holiday do their course, then we never see them again. Indeed only last weekend we had our latest child prodigy pass their OD only for him to give his kit back because he only intends to dive on holiday. 3 months of our VOLUNTEER instructor time down the pan as far as we’re concerned as the club has gained nothing from this. Would have been better for us to send him to a PADI centre. At least they would have been paid to teach him so someone would have got something out of it. As a club with limited instructor resource, we focus this on people who are intending diving in the UK on trips we’ve organised, turn up to club night regularly and become active club members who actually go diving rather than sit there talking about going diving which is what BSAC clubs ACTUALLY have a bad reputation for. If this makes us exclusive, then so be it! So I’m sorry, but I wholeheartedly disagree with you as your statement that holiday only divers “offer a lot to the club” just hasn’t been my experience in the 11 years I’ve been with PSC.

[@peterturnham5134]

hI iI'm English, but learn't to dive French federatiojn, up to CMAS III thirty years ago.. I have dived with BSAC divers in Scapa Flow, they are tgood. In the seycdhelles, there was a french instructer who askeed our qaualifications, the rest answered PADI , Open, Advanced, rescfue, bla bla. I just szaid French Federation iii; hE Knew what it meant, Continuous dives at -40+m to recdover a breathintg or a bhody, in pitch black 14° tempe'rature. He turned to thye rest of the group and said "These guys do -60 metres on air(" That is true. BSAC is good, When preparing Wreck diving and Drysuit diving I used the BSAC supports. NOW I got a new girlfriend, a brillaiant swimmer, I could beat her in 50m bt after that she walked away fr(om me. What did I get her to do? I got her to do PADI Open water then Advanced Open Water. She could then dive with me' when we were on holiday.

[@stephenpattle4757]

When I was looking to dive I never knew Bsac existed why don't Bsac advertise more,

[@UKDiver]

It's an interesting question as I was the same. I started with PADI and only found out about BSAC afterward when trying to find a buddy to go diving with. I guess that it's probably something to do with the fact BSAC always lives a little hand to mouth being a non-profit organisation. Advertising is expensive and I'm not sure the membership would go for a big advertising bill to be honest. That being said, I didn't know about... SSI SDI TDI GUE IANTD RAID SAA ISE NAUI UTD SSAC ...either until after I started diving (and that list is by no means all the certification agencies out there! There are many, most specific to their home country - You can be a NOB diver if you're in the Netherlands for example! Nederlandse Onderwatersport Bond) so don't hold it against BSAC too much. Glad your enjoying the content and thank for signing up to the website too! Appreciate the support! Cheers.

[@fearlessbounty7391]

you do have bsac centre lol

[@Beets1e]

I was £710 for Padi open water course. I wanted to do BSAC but arent doing training in my area at this moment in time.

[@UKDiver]

That’s a shame pal. You joined the club now as a qualified diver?

[@Beets1e]

@@UKDiver Only just started but just ordered a drysuit oofftt that hurt haha. Im hoping to be finished in next 4, 5 weeks.

[@josephlee7805]

@@Beets1eHow’s your diving going mate?

[@Beets1e]

@@josephlee7805 Great, with a local bsac group. Currently doing Sports Diver Training which is going well. Thanks 🙂

[@WeeBrian]

Padi open water in glasgow 495