Atherton Sub Aqua Club is committed to promoting diving and would be delighted to help you learn to dive. Why not start by having a try dive.

If you decide that scuba diving is for you, then ASAC is able to train you to dive anywhere in the world.

For new divers, training begins with sessions in the pool with lectures on theoretical aspects of diving at the poolside or in the pub afterwards. After a few weeks, the new diver should qualify as a SAA Elementary Diver

During pool sessions you will learn how to use scuba equipment, skills such as how to clear your mask underwater, and basic safety skills.

These skills are complemented by lectures on scuba equipment, how diving affects your body, accident avoidance and basic first aid.

Once these basic skills are mastered, training progresses to dives at one of the nearby quarry dive sites (the Delph or Capernwray) to give experience in diving in open water in a sheltered environment. This training leads to the SAA Open Water Diver qualification.

Training soon moves on to inshore dives from the club's boat, eventually leading the SAA Club Diver qualification. Once qualified as Club Diver, you can dive with any other club diver.

Training doesn't stop here. You can go on to qualify as Dive Leader or Dive Supervisor or obtain qualifications in diving skills such as Diver First Aid, Diver Rescue, Nitrox Diving, Boat Handling, etc.

The SAA has a comprehensive training programme to equip divers for every sort and level of diving. Atherton Sub Aqua Club has a number of people who are qualified to train divers from absolute beginners up to Dive Supervisor level.

This page gives details of the skills that are taught during training for Elementary Diver, Open Water Diver and Club Diver. Each level also has a number of qualifying dives that must be completed before the qualification is given.

1. Introduction to diving
2. Air-filled spaces, ascent and descent
3. Principles of SCUBA
4. Physics and the diver
5. Buoyancy management and BCDs
6. Metabolism, respiration and circulation
7. Decompression
8. Accident avoidance
9. Protective clothing
10. Open water diving

1. Basic snorkling
2. Mobility and confidence
3. SAA ascent procedure
4. Buoyancy skills
5. Out-of-air diver recovery
6. Basic diver rescue

1. Oxygen provider
2. Dr ABC (emergency response to injury)
3. Basic first aid
4. Ancilliary equipment
5. Diving with a personal dive computer
6. Repetitive diving and diver behaviour
7. Deep diving
8. Diving risk assessment
9. Dry suit diving

1. Basic diving skills
2. Ascent procedure
3. Buoyancy skills
4. Out-of-air diver recovery
5. Dry suit diving

1. Diver rescue
2. Introduction to Nitrox diving
3. Dive planning
4. Underwater navigation
5. Introduction to boat diving

1. Basic skill and diving in various environments
2. Safety skills - mask removal , alternative air source
3. Surface rescue and towing casualty with rescue breaths
4. Small boat diving procedure
5. Basic underwater navigation
6. Use of DSMB and buddy line
7. Shore dive site selection
8. Use of Buhlman Deep Stop tables
9. Completion of dive records