Sub Aqua Club

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Sub Aqua FAQs

Can I become part of the committee?
We are always delighted to have people who want to help run the club. In fact it is vital that everyone volunteers in some capacity to keep the club running. We have elections twice a year for committee positions however you can always join in to organise events, as well as helping experienced members to organise dives and trips in general. Shoot the chairperson a message with your vision and how you would like to participate.
Whom do I contact if I have a question?
If you have a question that is not answered by the FAQ feel free to either message us through the "send a message" function on Wolves or write an email to ulsac.chair@gmail.com or ulsac.secretary@gmail.com
When and where is the dive training?
Our club's training officer coordinates the schedule and resource for diver training. Communication & updates are sent to members regularly of when we have courses commencing. Typically, we organise a Diver 1 Star course to kick off in Sept and the Diver 2 Star courses runs directly after. Exact dates will be communicated at our Newbies Intro Night.
Can you teach me how to swim so I can join the dive training?
We are not qualified to provide swim training. If you fail the swim test we cannot accept you as a member of our club. You can of course repeat the test in the next academic year. Please look at the Question about the swim test for further information.
Can I dive with a medical condition?
If you have a medical condition please consult with a doctor whether you are fit to dive or not.
Do I have to complete a swim test?
Yes, every member must complete a swim test when they initially join. It is an annual requirement for our members to complete a fitness to dive swim there after. It is a mandatory requirement as part of our regulatory body's code of conduct. The initial swim test requires you to swim 200 meters freestyle without stopping, 50m back stroke without stopping and to hold your breath for 30seconds while head is submerged within 5mins of swimming the pool lengths. There is no time limit for completing the distance requirements.
Do I need to complete a dive medical?
We no longer request mandatory dive medicals for new members. You will be required to fill in a confidential diving medical disclaimer online. If, as a result of the disclaimer, there are underlying health conditions you may be required to provide a medical report. Most people do not have any restrictions but if you suffer from common conditions such as Asthma, heart conditions, claustrophobia, fainting episodes, etc. you will most likely be required to consult a medical professional or your GP. This will also be the case if you take medication like anti-depressants on a regular basis. If you have further questions or wish to discuss more our diving officer can help.
I requested membership but was told to come back at the beginning of semester 1, why?
We would love to be in a position to accept all membership requests all year round but regretfully it's not practical. With novices or inexperienced divers it can take at least a full semester to train you up to achieve an initial diving certification and likely a full year until you are an autonomous diver that can dive in a buddy pair without instructor supervision. We have a limited number of volunteer instructors and the club has 25 full sets of scuba diving equipment. In order to ensure we deliver high quality training that is safe for all we restrict our intake of novices based on the resources we have available. As a result, we ask everyone to register in Sept at the recruitment drive and give full commitment to achieving their certification.
What kind of things do you see when in the water?
In Ireland especially, there is a lot of variety. We have wrecks, reefs, kelp farms, sand coves, big landscapes, underwater sea arches and many more. Often crustaceans and shellfish are plentiful like spider crabs, lobsters, mussels, cockles, topshells, limpets, etc... It is common to see things like dogfish, sea urchins, various species of seaweed like kelp, sea lettuce, carrageen, bladder wrack, and some brown/red algae. The big tick items that a lot of divers enjoy seeing are dolphins, seals and the odd whale or basking shark. Seeing these are jackpot for underwater photographers. Other's enjoy the colourful life from jewel anemones or blue ray limpets. Hunting for the hard to spot nudibranchs is a favourite pastime among many Irish divers, you really have to have a keen eye for those. If your dive visibility wasn't on the epic side the sea cliffs and rocky outcrops of the mainland and many islands off the coast offer sanctuary for seabirds, such as Puffins, Gannets, Guillemot and Fulmars. We have fun watching these from the boat.
How do you fill your tanks?
Our club maintains a fixed electric and portable petrol compressor for filling our tanks. Our established members can teach novices on how to fill tanks as part of their diver training. In the club everyone has a role to play and filling tanks each week is a task we delegate and everyone helps to complete. Fun fact: It's a misconception that our tanks are filled with oxygen. They are primarily filled with air, which is 79% Nitrogen and only 21% Oxygen.
Do you have a boat and can I drive it?
Yes our club owns the majestic Plassey Bird, a 7.4m RIB which was custom built for diving. We are very fond of our club boat and we go to great efforts to look after her well. Typically, we would run training for our members to learn how to drive the powerboat once a year. It's a comprehensive Diver Coxswain course that teaches you how to launch/recover, drive the boat and look after divers in the water and onboard. You must be a qualified powerboat coxswain or under a coxswain instructor's supervision in order to drive the club boat.
I already have diving experience or a qualification, how do I join the club?
If you already have diving experience or a certification we absolutely would love to have you as a member. Many try diving abroad or on their travels and when they return to Ireland they wish to keep the sport up as a hobby. Contact our committee members to discuss. In these instances, we have a crossover process. We consider your experience on a case by case basis and follow the process to recognise you diving grade under Diving Ireland (our regulatory body and insurance provider). We carry out an equivalency assessment and cross your cert over. The most common one's we come across are PADI open water or PADI Advanced open water. We generally cross these grades over to a Diver 1 Star Grade. You may be required to complete a check dive with an instructor and attend 3 additional theory lectures when crossing over. After that you more than welcome to join any club trip or diving event.
How long does it take to become a diving instructor?
Generally we would estimate that the fastest a member has progressed from complete novice to an instructor is 4 years. Many often take longer, and everyone has their own set pace at which they learn. The reason for the length of time is because the building up of experience and exposing yourself to various diving environments and challenges takes time. Remember, we run as a voluntary organisation so finding time on weekends or evenings after college is a commitment. If you are committed regularly it is a hugely proud achievement to become a diving instructor and graduate university all in 4-5 years.
What are the first steps in learning to dive?
There are a few elements to becoming an autonomous diver. Firstly, we begin in the pool with snorkel skills and we run weekly theory lectures that details all the practical information that comes with learning to dive. Once you have mastered the snorkel skills and begin to grow in confidence in the water, our instructors will teach you everything there is to know about assembling equipment, how to use the SCUBA gear and different skills in the water to achieve neutrally buoyancy. That's when you begin to feel like your floating on a cloud and there is little exertion required.
Where do you go snorkelling or diving?
Well to answer that question, the world is your Oyster!! The limits are purely your imagination and willingness to make it happen. For training purposes, our regular dive sites for training are Portroe Quarry, Kilkee, Whitestrand, Doolin, Quilty and New Quay. We've also been known to have weekend trips away to the likes of Downings in Donegal, Hook Head in Wexford, Valentia Island/ Portmagee and Dingle in Kerry, Carroe/Killary/Clifden in Galway, Killala/Kilcummen in Mayo and many others. Similarly, each year we run a January trainee's trip to Lanzarote and some of our members have been lucky enough to get themselves organised into group trips to the Red Sea in Egypt, Gozo in Malta, Isle of Mull in Scotland. Some members have used their recognised dive qualifications to travel on their own merits to Croatia, Cyprus, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and many more.
How much does it cost to learn to dive?
The estimated cost for a Student to start diver training with the UL Sub Aqua Club is €245. Compared to Dive centres and other training organisations we aim to teach students to become autonomous divers and snorkelers in the most cost effective way possible. We have a good cohort of volunteer instructors, our equipment is free to use for our registered members, we subsidise a lot of the boat and equipment maintenance costs and a lot of other training items are kept a cost effective as reasonably possible. We recognise that SCUBA is an expensive sport to start but the start-up costs are at their lowest possible and we collectively work hard to fundraise and apply for grants where we can to encourage uptake of the sport. Broken into: 1) Club Membership fee: €20 Student & €40 for Non-Student 2) Diving Ireland members fee, insurance & D1/D2 course registration fees: €145 Student & €215 Non-Student 3) Logbook: €30 4) Access to Portroe Dive Centre: €50
I have never dived or snorkelled before, can I join the Sub Aqua Club?
So long as you have some basic swimming ability, you are absolutely welcome to join the club. We conduct a very basic swim test each year to ensure fitness to dive. After that, we have volunteer instructors within the club that can train you and teach you everything you need to know to learn the theory and skills around snorkelling and diving.
Do you rent dive equipment?
This is a common question, but no unlike dive centres we do not rent or sell dive equipment. We very much operate as a club and our equipment is available for our members only. Equipment is expensive and we provided it on the basis of trust and it is available for the sole purpose of training & development. Our club runs on the basis of volunteers and everyone must pitch in to take good care of the equipment. As a member you will learn all about looking after equipment and best practice in it's use.
What is it like to dive in Ireland? Is it not really cold?
Ireland has some of the most scenic underwater landscapes, incredible diversity of wildlife and very unspoilt coastal areas. It competes with some of the best diving in the world. Check our social media accounts for incredible footage of what our diving is like. The water temperature is approx 16 Deg Celsius at it's warmest in August and seawater drops to it's lowest temps of 7 deg C in around Jan/Feb each year. The majority of our diving is during the spring/summer season in seawater and we train in the pool, a local freshwater quarry or the lake in winter time. We also have really good club equipment to insulate against colder temps.

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Awards Roll of Honour

2017/2018	UL Award: New/Improved Club of the Year
2015/2016	UL Award: Paddy McHugh (Fresher of the Year)
2008/2009	UL Award: Club of the Year

Sub Aqua Full Profile Sub Aqua News Archive Sub Aqua Event Archive Sub Aqua Activity Archive

All Sub Aqua Activities Hosted

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Diver 1* Lecture Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	18:00, to 19:30
Cost	FREE
Max	28 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: PESS Building

D1* Lecture Series

1. Introduction

2. Hand Signals

3. Dive Physics 1

4. Dive Physics 2

5. Dive Equipment

6. Out of Breathing Gas

7. Decompression

8. Dive Tables

9. CPR

This is a PAST activity
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Trainee 1* Lecture Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	18:00, to 19:30
Cost	FREE
Max	30 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: PESS Building, P1-004

Trainee 1* Lecture Programme will run every Tuesday in semester 2 for a number of weeks. Bring diver logbooks with you to every lecture to receive credit for certification.

Introduction to the Course and Diving Ireland and CMAS
CPR
Dive Physics 1, Buoyancy
Dive Physics 2, Effects of Pressure
Diving Equipment
Out of Breathing Gas
Decompression
Dive Tables

There is no formal lecture on Hand Signals, however a planner for an interactive hand signal break out session is provided. These sessions can be run as often as necessary at either pool training or coupled with other lectures until the required standard is achieved.

Note: The 1* Trainee diver programme will be followed by the 2* Club Diver programme.

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Club 2* Diver Lecture Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	18:00, to 19:30
Cost	FREE
Max	30 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: PESS Building, P1-004

Lecture Programme for Club 2 * Divers will follow after Trainee 1* Lecture series is complete. They will be hosted on campus every Tuesday. Please ensure you bring along your logbook to every lecture and receive credit for certification.

Compulsory

Gas Laws
Physiology
Dive Ailments
Oxygen Administration
Diving Environments
Diving Skills
Dive Computers
Diving Deeper
The Sea
Personal Dive Planning
Dive Planning
Accident Prevention and incident Handling
Marine Habitats and the Environment
Regulators and Cylinders
Dry Suit

Optional

Marine Life
Compressors

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Lecture Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	18:30, to 19:45
Cost	FREE
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: Pess floor 1 room 004 P1004

The CFT trainee and club diver lecture series, covering all theoretical aspects of diving, including equipment, physics, emergency action and medical first response. Essential for any aspiring diver!

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Diver 1* Lecture |Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	19:00, to 20:30
Cost	FREE
Max	8 attendees
Type	VIRTUAL Activity

Our D1* Lectures from the CFT Diver 1* course will now be running each week and will be held by various instructors throughout the course. Please contact the training officer Brian O'Leary for further information. Each lecture will be run as an event through wolves and is hosted through Zoom. The Lecture Series will run as follows:

Hand Signals
Effects of Pressure
Dive Physics
Decompression
Buoyancy
Out of Air procedure
Dive Equipment
Dive Tables
CPR and Diver Safety

Zoom link to the meetings will be pasted into the Trainee chat on whatsapp and on the Wolves site. They will run from the 9th of February to the 16th of March on Tuesday evenings at 7pm , where after that we will review trainee progress and the national pandemic situation to see if we can continue the D1* program into the D2* lecture series. This lecture series is limited to our 2020/2021 Trainees only. For further information please contact our committee!

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Trainee 1* Diver Course - Lecture Series

Day	Tuesdays
From	19:00, to 20:00
Cost	FREE
Max	27 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: P1-033, PESS Building

Register here for the weekly lecture series for the trainee 1* programme. If unable to attend we kindly ask you to unregister so our instructors can accommodate room bookings. Any questions please reach out to our Training Officer- Brian O'Leary.

Lecture topics include:

1. Introduction to the Course and Diving Ireland and CMAS

2. CPR

3. Dive Physics 1, Buoyancy

4. Dive Physics 2, Effects of Pressure

5. Diving Equipment

6. Out of Breathing Gas

7. Decompression

8. Dive Tables

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ULSub Aqua Pool Training Support Team

Day	Tuesdays
From	19:30, to 22:30
Cost	FREE
Max	15 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Areana 25Meter Pool

Help and support assistants are required on the 25M pool deck to help with

* Transfer of Training equipment onto Pool Deck,

* Distribution of equipment to Training Group.

* Assist with equipment changes during training.

* Wash and Prep of Snorkelling and scuba Equipment at the end of training period

* Prep of equipment back into boxes

* Loading of equipment to vehicles for return to Boat house

* Wash/disinfectant requirements in the Boathouse.

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Pool Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	19:45, to 22:00
Cost	FREE
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena Pool

Weekly pool training where our members can put their theoretical knowledge into practice.

SCUBA skills are mastered in the safety of the UL Arena pool before members take to the open water.

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Diver 1* Pool Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:00, to 21:45
Cost	FREE
Max	35 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: ULBoathouse (7.45pm) UL Arena Pool (8pm)

Hi Everyone,

Weekly pool training starting Oct. 4th. We need help with equipment every week 7.45, at the UL Boathouse. Pool training will start in the Arena at 8. Gear returned to the Boathouse at 10

Pool Snorkel Training

1. Introduction to basic equipment.
2. Finning techniques.
3. Mask and snorkel clearing.
4. Methods of entry: Jump, Vertical, Silent, Step, etc.
5. Snorkel diving head first and feet first.
6. One forward and one backward roll.
7. Snorkel dive and fin 25m underwater with & without mask.
8. With face submerged, snorkel 25 meters without a mask, while breathing through a snorkel.
9. Recover mask and snorkel from bottom of pool, clear mask underwater and clear snorkel on surface.
10. Snorkel dive and fit fins underwater without mask. 11. Tow a snorkel diver 50 meters while giving Expired Air Resuscitation (EAR)

This is a CURRENT activity

Diver Pool Skills Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:00, to 22:00
Cost	FREE
Max	28 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena, Dive Pool

D1* Pool Skills

1. Snorkel skills 1

2. Snorkel skills 2

3. Snorkel skills 3

4. Snorkel skills Assessment

5. Scuba skills 1

6. Scuba skills 2

7. Scuba skills 3

8. Scuba skills 4

9. Scuba skills Assessment

Hi Everyone,

Weekly pool training starting Sept. We need help with equipment every week 7.45pm, at the UL Boathouse. Pool training will start in the Arena at 8pm. Gear returned to the Boathouse at 10pm.

Pool Snorkel Training

1. Introduction to basic equipment.

2. Finning techniques.

3. Mask and snorkel clearing.

4. Methods of entry: Jump, Vertical, Silent, Step, etc.

5. Snorkel diving head first and feet first.

6. One forward and one backward roll.

7. Snorkel dive and fin 25m underwater with & without mask.

8. With face submerged, snorkel 25 meters without a mask, while breathing through a snorkel.

9. Recover mask and snorkel from bottom of pool, clear mask underwater and clear snorkel on surface.

10. Snorkel dive and fit fins underwater without mask.

11. Tow a snorkel diver 50 meters.

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Diver 1* Pool Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:00, to 21:45
Cost	FREE
Max	35 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: ULBoathouse (7.45pm) UL Arena Pool (8pm)

Hi Everyone,

Weekly pool training starting Oct. 4th. We need help with equipment every week 7.45, at the UL Boathouse. Pool training will start in the Arena at 8. Gear returned to the Boathouse at 10

Pool Snorkel Training

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Trainee 1* Diver Course - Pool Session

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:00, to 21:45
Cost	FREE
Max	40 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena, Dive Pool

Please register for tues pool training with the 1* Trainee programme each week. If you cannot attend please unregister so our instructors can plan accordingly. Any questions please reach out to our Training Officer - Brian O'Leary.

Snorkelling skills:

Exercise 1 Snorkelling

Exercise 2 Mask & Snorkel Clearing

Exercise 3 Methods of Entry

Exercise 4 Surface Dives

Exercise 5 Forward & Backward Roll

Exercise 6 Fin 25 metres underwater with no mask

Exercise 7 Snorkelling 25 metres with no mask

Exercise 8 Ditch & Recovery of Mask & Fins

Exercise 9 Tow 50 metres plus EAR

Scuba skills:

Exercise 1 Assembly of Scuba equipment

Exercise 2 Disassembly of Scuba equipment

Exercise 3 Mask and Regulator Clearing

Exercise 4 Regulator Retrieval

Exercise 5 Buoyancy Control

Exercise 6 Removal and replacement of SCUBA underwater

Exercise 7 Methods of Entry

Exercise 8 Out of air

Exercise 9 Alternative Source Breathing Gas

Exercise 10 Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) deployment

Exercise 11 Tow an unconscious diver giving EAR

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Members Pool Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:00, to 21:30
Cost	FREE
Max	25 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena, Dive Pool

Bring a towel, togs & hat for the pool session. Volunteers helping with equipment we will meet at the boathouse at 7:30pm each week before the pool session at 8pm.

Trainee 1* Course Skills: Snorkel Skills

Snorkelling
Mask & Snorkel Clearing
Methods of Entry
Surface Dives
Forward & Backward Roll
Fin 25 metres underwater with no mask
Snorkelling 25 metres with no mask
Ditch & Recovery of Mask & Fins
Tow 50 metres plus EAR

Scuba skills:

Assembly of Scuba equipment
Disassembly of Scuba equipment
Mask and Regulator Clearing
Regulator Retrieval
Buoyancy Control
Removal and replacement of SCUBA underwater
Methods of Entry
Out of air
Alternative Source Breathing Gas
Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) deployment
Tow an unconscious diver giving EAR

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UWH Pool Session

Day	Tuesdays
From	20:30, to 21:45
Cost	FREE
Max	4 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena, Dive Pool

Please register your interest in attending training for UWH on Tuesday night here. If unable to attend we kindly ask you unregister so our committee can arrange adequate resources and assign training to the covid pods of 6 required. Any questions please reach out to our UWH Officer - Sean Lynch.

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Underwater Hockey Training

Day	Tuesdays
From	21:00, to 21:45
Cost	FREE
Max	18 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: UL Arena Main Pool - Lane 10

UNDERWATER HOCKEY TRAINING

16/11/21 - 7/12/21

What: ULSAC Underwater hockey training
Where: UL Arena - Lane 10 (far end of the big pool)
When: Tuesday 15/11/21 @ 9pm-9:45pm
Why: Because uwh is the best, need I say anymore?
How: Meet at UL Arena 50M Poolside

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Summer Midweek Evening Dives

Day	Wednesdays
From	18:30, to 22:30
Cost	FREE
Max	15 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: County Clare

Hey All,

The summer midweek dives are back with a bang! We hope to schedule a dive each Wednesday evening during the longer days of summer to make the best use of the finer weather and longer days. Each week committee will communicate via WhatsApp the dive site, designate a DOD and COD by the Tuesday evening beforehand. Please be sure to register here via Wolves to be included in the buddy pairs. Trainees and Novices may attend if there are instructor resources available, please register your interest here to secure a place.

Plan is to give access to borrow gear and provide fills from the Boathouse by opening it up every Tues and Fri at 7pm. Please be sure to log all borrowed and returned gear via the new club Google form for tracking equipment. Keyholders can advise, if in doubt.

Covid-19 precautions apply: Max 15 ppl to attend the dive site. Max 2 ppl in the BH at once. Wear masks, maintain social distancing, sanitise regularly, no carpooling, etc. Please read the covid compliance doc attached for reference.

Plan is to meet at the designated dive site on Wed eve for a 6:30pm fully kitted dive brief (tide time dependant off course). Any questions or concerns please reach out to the club diving officer, Naomi Keogh.

See you then!

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Summer Midweek Evening Dives

Day	Wednesdays
From	18:30, to 22:30
Cost	FREE
Max	15 attendees
Type	IN-PERSON Activity

Location: County Clare

Hey All,

See you then!

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Semester 2 Games Nights!

Day	Thursdays
From	19:30, to 21:00
Cost	FREE
Type	VIRTUAL Activity

Calling all members: GAMES NIGHT IS BACK ON!

Due to popular demand, our weekly games nights are returning for the semester! As always these are open to all our members. At least one night week (usually Thursdays at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise through social media/wolves) we will play easy to use, interactive multiplayer games that will be posted in the Events section of the Wolves Club Page and through the Whatsapp. We will be hosting these nights every Thursday from 7.30pm, so feel free to drop in for a chat, a quick game or stay for the whole night! We will be playing a variety of games that are available on desktop and/or mobile like Among Us, Scribbl, Broken Picture-Phone, Codenames and many more! If you have never played the game before, don't worry - we will always give a run down of how the game works before playing. Communications will all be held through Zoom calls that will remain open for the duration of games night, so feel free to drop into one of our game' nights whenever suits. As always, links will be posted through the Events section of the Wolves page and into the Whatsapp groups. Hope to see you all there!