DU Sub Aqua Soc appeal to students to take the dive

sport

With DU Sub Aqua society is celebrating its 45th year, Stephen Collis describes the society’s unique appeal. 

Trinity’s Sub Aqua Club (Dusac) is one of Ireland’s most active and longest established scuba diving clubs in Ireland. The club is affiliated with the British Sub Aqua Club, which provides us with internationally recognised diving qualifications and training standards. The club was founded in 1968 and celebrates its 45th anniversary this year.  We dive everywhere around Ireland from scenic sites to the countless wrecks around the country. It may be surprising to some but the Irish Sea has an abundance of life from starfish, octopus and basking sharks to aquatic mammals such as seals, whales and dolphins.

Every year the club takes in thirty-two new trainee members who have never dived before.  In addition, the club takes sixteen  members who have already experienced the wonders of diving and cross-over from other diving agencies. The club can train everyone from the very beginning up to their instructor grade and beyond. All our instructors are members themselves and give their time voluntarily to train new members. During the winter months the club trains members in the pool in College’s Sports Centre and after a few weeks new members get their first chance to dive in the open water in Sandycove in Dun Laoghaire. Those with previous diving experience have the opportunity to go on the club’s annual October bank holiday trip. After Christmas all new members have the chance to come on the club’s largest training trip where over thirty experienced divers come together to make sure all our newest trainees get their first diving grade.

The club has also occasionally ventured out of Irish waters.  In 2011 we took a trip to dive in the Orkney Islands in Scotland where many World War II battleships were purposefully sunk. This summer we ventured slightly further a field and went diving around the Shetland Islands. We have also organised trips to warmer countries over the years such as Gozo, Spain and the Red Sea.

The club also runs various courses for its members throughout the year, including boathandling, first aid, Automatic Defibrillator training, underwater photography, twinset diving, enriched air diving and search and recovery skills. The British Sub Aqua Club also runs various inter-club courses which develop members’ instructing skills and advanced diving skills.

The club has two boats that are moored in Dun Laoghaire throughout the summer months. Every member has the opportunity to organise dives in Dublin Bay or organise a weekend trip away to somewhere outside of Dublin. Club members also have the benefit of using all club equipment, which includes full sets of scuba gear, wetsuits and weight belts.  The club also own its own compressors that allow the club to fill its own diving cylinders while in Dublin and away on trips.

Apart from club diving trips and dives in Dublin Bay, the club takes part in many other events. Each year the club participates in intervarsities with other university diving clubs where we get the opportunity to dive with people from other clubs. This year’s intervarisities will take place in Dingle. Last year the club also organised diving with UCD on a few occasions and we hope to continue this in the future.

Throughout the year the club has many non-diving events which cater for everyone including tables quizzes, trips to various marine attractions around Dublin and of course social nights out. This year we will be having our 45th Anniversary party planned on board the MV Cill Airne on the River Liffey.

Each year is better than the last and we are very happy to welcome new members to train and dive with us. If you wish to get more information about the club please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].