Cheltenham Sub Aqua Club (CSAC) is a member of the Sub Aqua Association (SAA) which is the only UK diving organisation affiliated to CMAS (the Worldwide Underwater Federation).

As such all qualifications attained through CSAC or the SAA are internationally recognised, allowing you to present your SAA / CMAS qualifcation anywhere in the world as proof of diver training and experience.

Directly within the club we can train and qualify upto and including Dive Supervisor as part of normal club subscription.

The remaining diver and instructor qualifications can be done through the club by the SAA at regional / national level and do incur a small course fee - usually much less than you would have to pay for a similar qualification with a dive school.

You will come across many diving organisations in the UK and abroad but most will have a qualification heirarchy that is comparable to that of the SAA / CMAS. See the table below on Equivalent Diver Grades.

Knowing how qualifications from different agencies relate to each other is particularly useful when you are buddied up with someone from another organisation and need to understand their level of experience and training.

SAA qualifications can be "crossed-over" to equivalent qualifications of other agencies such as BSAC or PADI and vice versa. This means that you will not have to retrain if you have an SAA / CMAS qualification and want to move to a non-SAA club at a later date or if you are already trained with another agency and want to join an SAA club.

(Note that crossing over instructor grades between may require some further training or an orientation course to allow the destination agency's syllabus to be taught correctly.  Also see the table below on Equivalent Instructor Grades.)

For more information e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Elementary Diver

• An Elementary Diver is fully pool trained but inexperienced in open water.
• Must be accompanied by a minimum of a certified Dive Leader in open water to a maximum depth of 20m.

Open Water Diver

• An Open Water Diver has limited open water experience.
• Must be accompanied by a minimum of a certified Dive Leader in open water to a maximum depth of 35m.

Club Diver

• A Club Diver has further theory knowledge and has proven compentance in open water including rescue training.
• May dive with others certified to Club Diver or above to a maximum depth of 50m.

Dive Leader

• A Dive Leader has additional theory and practical experience with a proven the ability to lead divers underwater.
• May dive with certified Elementary Divers or above to the depth limit of their qualification or 50m maximum.

Dive Supervisor

• A Dive Supervisor has a broad theory knowledge and a proven practical competance in organising and leading club diving expeditions.
• May dive with certified Elementary Divers or above to the depth limit of their qualification or 50m maximum.

Dive Master

• An SAA Dive Master is assessed on a national level for all-round competance including boat-handling and rescue skills.
• May dive with certified Elementary Divers or above to the depth limit of their qualification or 50m maximum.

Equivalent Diver Grades

The following table shows equivalent diving qualifications of various agencies compared to the diving grades ceritified by the Sub Aqua Association. (Since the SAA is a member of CMAS, each SAA qualification also has its CMAS equivalent shown afterwards in brackets).

Assistant Instructor

• An Assistant Instructor has been assessed in instruction and practical competence but is inexperienced in teaching.
• Is able to teach theory and pool lessons under supervision from a Club Instructor or above.

Club Instructor

• A Club Instructor is experienced in teaching both theory and pool lessons.

Open Water Instructor

• An Open Water Instructor has proven competence in the ability to instruct and assess trainees in open water (eg in the sea).

Regional Instructor

• A Regional Instructor is certified as an experienced instructor in open water conditions and will usually act as a course co-ordinator for regional courses.

National Instructor

• A National Instructor is expected to be a completely competent instructor with an extensive experience of diving and teaching methods.
• Will instruct at a regional or national level and also be involved with developing courses.

Equivalent Instructor Grades

The following table shows equivalent diving instructor qualifications of various agencies compared to the diving instructor grades ceritified by the Sub Aqua Association. (Since the SAA is a member of CMAS, each SAA qualification also has its CMAS equivalent shown afterwards in brackets).