The British Sub-Aqua Club was formed in London in November 1953 . The 6th branch was founded in Bournemouth at the Linden Hall Baths by 12 keen stalwarts, after a demonstration of their primitive equipment by our friends from London. Very little equipment was available . The only diving suits that could be obtained were ex Navy Dunlop frogmans outfits , failing this you wore granddad's winter combs and jumpers. The only Aqualungs on the market were Siebe Gorman and Hienke adapted fire brigade equipment . Club members resorted to making up their own Aqualungs using Calor Gas regulator conversions and oxygen cylinders from Lancaster bombers which were being broken up at Tarrant Rushton at the time. We did not have a club dive boat until 1959 which was an Avon dinghy with a Seagull engine, which took most of the day to get to the dive site. Most of the diving in the early years was from the shore mainly along the Dorset coast.Spearfishing was very popular in the 50s and early 60s. The Bournemouth branch were forerunners in setting up the sport and in 1958 organised the first National Championships at Newton Ferrers . We made up most of the National Committee and supplied many competitors . The first ever game of Octopush was played between Bournemouth and Soothes branches in the Royal Navy baths at Eastney in 1954. The batons were sawn off walking sticks and the puck was hacked instead of being pushed . We had some damaged fingers so we changed to the batons.In 1964 the Bournemouth branch embarked on one of the greatest experiments ever achieved by a club when we built an underwater house named " Glaucus " . Two members lived in the house for 7 days off Plymouth Harbour at 40 feet and surfaced without decompression using a primitive oxygen mix . The house was self contained with its own internal air supply, the only connection with land was a T.V. supplied by Marconi . The Bournemouth branch has always been in the forefront of activities within the diving world. The club is one of the oldest in the UK, being founded in 1954. Consequently the club has a wealth of experience and expertise. Within the club you'll be able to get advice on any aspect of diving from more than one person allowing you to make an informed decision. Currently the club can count amongst its members: Underwater photographers and videotakers (Abroad and the UK);Nationally qualified diving instructors; Experienced wreck divers; Nitrox divers Extended Range Divers; Trimix Divers; Cave Divers; Boat handling instructor You can be sure whatever type of diving you want to do - you can do it safely with Bournemouth and Poole BSAC. Access to Some of the Best Diving on the South Coast The club operates a 7.25 m Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), fitted with a 185 horsepower diesel inboard engine. This provides a combination of seaworthiness, speed, reliability and economy, which is unmatched by any other club owned boat in the area. If you're not familiar with boats, its bigger and faster than the RNLI RIB operated from Poole (shown in the background). To aid in navigation and dive site location the boat is equipped with: An Eagle Differential Global Positioning System DGPS), which allows us to know exactly where the boat is and to refind dive sites with a minimum of effort; A hummingbird echo sounder, to locate wrecks and establish the depth of water before diving. Safety is also of paramount importance, so the boat has:A VHF radio; A full set of flares; An oxygen administration set for the initial treatment of Decompression Sickness.Hummingbird (the boats name) allows the club to dive all of the well known and some of the less well known dive sites in the area. Take a look at the dive programme! For more details contact us.