Equipment and Costs

Equipment and Training: How Much Will it Cost??

To train with us, you will first need to join both the Scottish Sub-Aqua Club (see scotsac web site; currently £55pa plus a first year cost for your training schedule pack ) and the Grampian Branch (currently £150pa). Branch fees may be paid monthly by standing order or annually as a lump sum.

Once you have joined the branch, to train with us in the pool, all you need are fins, mask and snorkel. Because you will be aiming to use your fins eventually in the open water on dry suit boots, we recommend open heel fins worn with neoprene pool boots/shoes. You can expect to pay about £120 for this kit new, All other equipment for the pool is provided by the club.

Before you progress to the sea (typically before the end of the pool training season in March), you will need to obtain a dry suit. While a few hardy souls have been known to wet suit dive in the North Sea, our training is geared to dry suit diving (and hence our divers are generally all dry suit qualified). We recommend this goes onto your list for Santa Claus and that you have a dry suit ready to use when you complete pool training. If you are lucky you might find a good second hand suit locally; but if you are buying new you can expect to spend between £500 and £800 depending on whether you go for "off the peg" or "made to measure". While this is a big investment, your dry suit will last you many years and is best compared to the investment you would need to make in starting many other outdoor sports (think about a mid-range mountain bike). Apart from the dry suit, the club can provide all other equipment for open water diving, and this is one of the benefits you get as a club member. Most members do gradually start to collect their own scuba kit once they complete training.

Our experienced members are happy to offer advice on dive kit and its purchase, whether new or second hand, and for expensive items such as dry suits we strongly recommend taking advice in this way before making any purchase

PLEASE USE LINK HERE FOR OUR CURRENT GUIDE TO KIT AND COMMITMENTS