Frequently Asked Questions

UL Wolves, General FAQs

I am not a UL Student, can I be part of the pack?
If you are not a registered UL student and you are 18 years and over, you can still sign up to any of our wonderful clubs and socs!
How do I get more information on clubs and socs?
If you have any queries, you can pop an email to info.clubsandsocieties@ul.ie and we will do our best to help!
What times of the year can I join?
You can join any time of the year! At the beginning of each semester, we hold a ‘Sign up Fair’ so that you can meet the students running the clubs and societies and ask any questions. Keep an eye on ULWolves on Instagram for up to date information on the sign up fairs
Who runs the clubs and societies?
There are three full time staff members based in the Student Life Building. Paul Lee, Head of Student Engagement; Aisling Ryan, Clubs and Socs Coordinator and Lisa Ryan, Clubs and Socs Administrator. We are here to enable and support the individual committees made up of students just like you! Make no mistake, the student committees make all the key decisions about the activities and direction of their clubs and socs.
How many clubs and socs can I join?
You can join as many clubs and socs as you want, but we encourage you to be realistic with your time. Maybe start with two or three and you can always revaluate!
What time are trainings/meet ups on?
This varies for each club/society. To find out when their sessions are on you can head to the what’s on page on ulwolves.ie or you can contact the committee directly.
Can I try a club/society before I join?
Unfortunately, no. You must be an approved member of a the club or society so that you are covered by our insurance policies.
How much does It cost to join?
Your initial account set up doesn’t cost anything, each club or society has a membership fee, many are €5 to join for the academic year though some may be more. These membership fees can be paid in person or through the website.
I don’t see the club/society I want, what can I do?
We have over 75 clubs and societies here in UL, but if there is a special pack you would like to add, why not start your own? Simply contact lisa.ryan@ul.ie for all you need to know.
Why do I have to set up an account?
Our ulwolves.ie website is tied directly to our insurance cover so it is essential that you are an approved club/society member before taking part in their activity. It takes 5 minutes to set up an account and it is for you own protection. If you would like to know more about insurance, head over to our health and safety page.
How do I sign up for a club or society?
Joining your pack Is very simple, simply go to ulwolves.ie, create a user account, then go to the page of the club or society you are interested in and click on ‘Request Membership on the top right of the page.

Photographic Society FAQs

Do I need to bring my own camera?
No! We have spare Canon cameras and lenses we can let you use. We'll do this on a random basis per event so different people get cameras each time.

Sub Aqua Club 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.

Music Society FAQs

Will ULMS provide music lessons?
Our Voice, Jam and Deck sessions group orientated activities seeking to benefit members in their unique musical disciplines. One To One lessons are not provided although we are happy to try and put you in touch with relevant parties.
Do I need to be a member to come to Open Mic?
No you do not need to be a member to attend Open Mic. All sessions take place in the Scholars Club free of charge (To listen). Anyone wanting to participate however must confirm their ULMS membership prior to going on stage.

GAA Club FAQs

If I did not tick the box to recieve emails when signing up, how to I change this setting?
Contact: info.clubsandsocieties@ul.ie
How do I know when Training & Games are on?
When registering membership. Make sure you tick the box to receive emails.