A BSAC Sports Diver is a diver deemed competent to conduct dives with an Ocean Diver, within the restrictions of the conditions already encountered by the Ocean Diver during their training, and under the supervision of a Dive Manager.

A Sports Diver can dive with another Sports Diver within the restrictions of the conditions already encountered during their training or previous experience, and can dive with a Dive Leader or higher grade, to expand experience beyond that previously encountered, under the supervision of a Dive Manager.

Sports Divers can dive to a depth which is initially limited to 20m, but which can subsequently be extended progressively, under the supervision of a Nationally Qualified Instructor (NQI), to a maximum of 35m.

Sports Divers can plan and conduct dives requiring mandatory decompression stops, and may also use breathing gas mixes up to Nitrox36.

Sports Divers must conduct dives within BSAC safe diving recommendations, and only where other divers, capable of providing assistance and rescue management skills, are available at the surface.

The Sports Diver course consists of :

• 6 Classroom lessons
• Theory assessment
• 1 Sheltered water (pool) lesson
• 1 Optional Refresher/Orientation dive
• 5 Open water lessons/dives
• 1 Dry practical lesson
• 5 Dives, minimum of 150 minutes underwater time

Open water diving should encompass experience of at least five of the following: shelving shore dive, nitrox dive (using a breathing gas > 21% Oxygen up to a maximum of 36%), dive using a shot line, low (2-4m) visibility dive, drift (0.25-0.5kn) dive, small boat dive, large boat dive, wall dive, dive in protective clothing