BSAC Sports Diver
BSAC's intermediate cert · €620, 4 days, 8 dives. PADI Advanced + Rescue combined, with the BSAC theory depth.
BSAC Sports Diver is the second BSAC qualification, equivalent in scope to PADI Advanced Open Water plus elements of Rescue Diver. Four days in Hurghada, eight dives, working through deeper depths (to 35 m), rescue scenarios, surface support, and dive planning at the level a UK club expects of an active diver. The qualifying ladder rung for BSAC Dive Leader and the natural step for any BSAC Ocean Diver who plans to dive UK wrecks or lead cylinder-equipped club dives.
- Duration
- 4 days
- Dives included
- 8
- Minimum age
- 15+
- Price
- €380
What you'll do
Four days, eight dives. Day 1 theory plus a 'rust-off' dive at 18 m to confirm Ocean Diver skills. Days 2-3 progressively deeper dives (24, 30, 35 m) practising deep dive planning, narcosis recognition, decompression theory, and rescue scenarios. Day 4 the final assessed dive plus the rescue scenario · simulated unconscious diver recovery from 6 m, surface tow, and out-of-water care.
Prerequisites
- BSAC Ocean Diver (or equivalent · PADI Open Water with our Cross-Over upgrade, €180)
- 20+ logged dives strongly recommended
- Minimum age 15
- Medical fitness · BSAC self-declaration plus doctor's note for flagged items
- Comfortable with surface marker buoy deployment from Ocean Diver
01 · Day 1
Theory + rust-off dive
Morning: BSAC Sports Diver theory · deep diving physiology, decompression model basics, dive planning at the Sports Diver level. Afternoon: 'rust-off' dive at 18 m · we re-confirm your Ocean Diver skills before the deeper progression.
02 · Day 2
Dives 2-3 · Deep dive progression
Morning dive at 24 m · narcosis self-assessment exercise, slow ascent profile. Afternoon dive at 28 m · deep planning practice, gas reserve management. Theory module 2 in the evening.
03 · Day 3
Dives 4-5 · Deeper + rescue intro
Morning at Carless Reef wall (32 m) · full deep dive procedures including emergency ascent simulation. Afternoon at El Fanadir · rescue scenario module 1, simulated panicked-diver-on-surface intervention.
04 · Day 4
Dives 6-8 · Final assessment
Three dives. Morning: dive 6 to 35 m · the deepest of the course, full Sports Diver-level planning. Mid-day: dive 7 · rescue scenario · simulated unconscious diver recovery from 6 m, surface tow back to the boat, out-of-water care simulation. Afternoon: dive 8 · the assessed certifying dive · the instructor evaluates the full Sports Diver skill set. Card and logbook at the surface.
✓ What's included
- BSAC Open Water Instructor
- All scuba equipment for the course (twin-tank exposure where appropriate)
- BSAC Sports Diver manual
- 8 boat dives at depth-appropriate Hurghada sites (El Fanadir, Carless, Erg Somaya, Abu Nuhas)
- Hot lunch on the boat each day
- Hotel pickup and dropoff
- BSAC Sports Diver certification (lifetime)
Not included
- Travel insurance
- BSAC branch membership (~£75/year)
- Nitrox tank fills if you elect Nitrox (€5/tank)
“Best decision of our trip. Got my Open Water in three days with Karim, then we did two daily-dive days · the captain picked the sites and we ended up on quiet reefs with almost no other boats around. Pickup was on time every morning.”
Maria R. · EN
“Finally a dive center that does exactly what it says. My guide spoke perfect German, small groups, well-maintained gear. Abu Nuhas was a highlight.”
Thomas K. · DE
“A genuinely international team. No deposit required, transparent prices, and a different dive site every day. We'll definitely be back next year.”
Sophie M. · FR
Common questions about the BSAC Sports Diver
Same depth (35-40 m), more theory, integrated rescue scenarios. PADI Advanced lets you off lighter on physiology and planning theory; BSAC Sports Diver bakes them in. Practically: a confident Open Water diver can do PADI Advanced in 2 days, BSAC Sports Diver takes 4 because of the extra theory and the rescue work integrated into the dives.
Yes · BSAC's intended progression is Ocean → Sports → Dive Leader, with 20+ logged dives recommended between Ocean and Sports. We've taken students straight from Ocean Diver into Sports Diver in the same trip · usually that's a 9-day Hurghada trip with 1 rest day in the middle. Doable but tiring; most BSAC students prefer to come back the following season for Sports Diver.
Yes · Sports Diver is the entry-level qualification UK BSAC clubs typically expect for North Sea or English Channel wreck diving. The training is calibrated for UK conditions (cold, dark, current) even though we run it in the warm clear Red Sea · the procedural training transfers.
Yes · BSAC offers a Sports Diver Cross-Over (€280 · 2 days, 4 dives, theory and rescue assessment). Cheaper and faster than full Sports Diver if you already hold PADI Advanced + Rescue. Useful if you trained PADI on holidays but are joining a UK BSAC branch.
BSAC Dive Leader · the third BSAC qualification, broadly equivalent to PADI Divemaster but with explicit dive-leader skills (planning expedition dives, leading buddy pairs, surface support coordination). 14 days, 25 dives, €1,250. Most of our BSAC students go on to Dive Leader within 2 years.
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