A BSAC Dive Leader is a diver who can plan and lead a range of dives including those requiring detailed dive, breathing gas and decompression requirements planning. They have the skill and level of knowledge to progressively extend their own skills to take part in a wide range of adventurous dives.

Dive Leaders have rescue management skills, and are competent to manage and supervise branch dives to locations well known to the branch, or using experienced skippers, or in conditions not normally described as 'challenging'.

Dive Leaders can dive to a depth which is initially limited to 35m, but which can subsequently be extended progressively to a maximum of 50m. They can conduct dives with divers of any grade, to expand their experience beyond that previously encountered by those divers, under the supervision of a Dive Manager.

They may also conduct experience building dives with trainee Ocean Divers, within the restrictions of the conditions already encountered by the trainee Ocean Diver, and under the supervision of a Dive Manager.

Training for Dive Leader involves much greater emphasis on gaining broader experience to supplement the 'formal' lessons.

The Dive Leader course consists of :

• 12 Classroom lessons - these include the oxygen administration module which can be undertaken at any time after qualifying as an Ocean Diver
• Theory assessment
• 2 Dry practical lessons
• 7 Open water lessons
• 20 dives - (which may include open water lessons) minimum 600 minutes underwater time since qualifying as Sports Diver.

Open water diving should encompass experience of at least five of the following: planned decompression dive, navigation dive, low (1.5-3m) visibility dive, night dive, wreck dive, drift (1-1.5kn) dive, wall dive. Of the 20 dives, at least six should be from boats, on at least eight the student should act as dive leader, and at least ten dives should be to greater than 25m depth. The student should also act as Dive Manager on at least two occasions additional to the dry practical lessons.