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Well all of this is very interesting but how much is it going to cost?
How fit do I need to be to be able to dive?
How long will my training take to complete?
What equipment is available and how much does it cost?
I already have a diving qualification with another organisation. How would I fit into your club?
These prices are much lower than anywhere else I've seen. Are you guys doing all this on the cheap?
So who are these SAA people if you're an independent club?
What is the age limit to join the club?
Will your club qualifications allow me to dive abroad?
Are my family and friends welcome on dive trips and at club social events?
Got a question that's not listed on this page? Then email it to us by clicking here.
Well all of this is very interesting but how much is it going to cost?
Let's start with the question everyone wants the answer to! With so many options, this is a lonnng section - please bear with us!
Six types of membership are available: Full, Family, Junior, Disabled, Social and Country.
Joining the MDG as a full member entails a one-off joining fee of £90.00 and then the annual diving membership fee of £85.00 per annum. In return each new member receives a copy of the diving manual, "Sport Diving" free of charge (shop value about £20.00). A full member is entitled to the complete range of facilities within the club: free training, free air, free equipment hire (whilst training), use of the club boat, participation in the Monday night Octopush matches, the option to hire the clubhouse for private events, full voting rights at club meetings and the opportunity to take up a position on the Committee if so desired. Whilst the Friday night training sessions and Monday night Octopush matches are free, a charge of £2.50 is levied for the hire of the pool at Chorlton Baths. Discounts apply to the Annual Membership Fee after 5, 10 and 15 years of membership. People joining halfway through the club year, which runs from April to March, are usually asked to pay just half the annual membership fee until the next full club year begins. Unlike many other clubs, the MDG will not ask you for any money up front. As a prospective new member you are perfectly welcome to come down and check us out for a few weeks before making any decision to join.
Family membership (one adult and child in full time education) is available for £128.00. Junior membership (14-18yrs) and disabled membership cost £43.00 per year.
The rate for Social and Country membership is £22.00. Social membership allows the holder full use of the clubhouse facility and they are naturally welcome at all events. However a social member is not allowed to train, dive or vote at meetings. Use of the pool on a Friday night is permitted (subject to space) but only for swimming, not for training. Participation in the Monday night Octopush match is allowed.
Country membership applies to those people living more than 40 miles from the clubhouse but who still wish to keep up some connection with the MDG. Friday and Monday night socials at the clubhouse are open to the family and friends of members free of charge. Phew! (back to top)
How fit do I need to be to be able to dive?
As with any physical activity, if you have any doubts at all about your level of general fitness you should first seek advice from your GP before participating in the club's activities. In order to obtain your diving certificate you will need to state that you are fit enough to dive. However, there's no need to be superhuman or an Olympic swimmer - just as long as you feel comfortable in water. The first part of your training will comprise of a few basic swimming exercises which just about anyone should be able to pass. (back to top)
How long will my training take to complete?
It all depends how keen you are. Attend the baths every Friday night and get out doing your open water training every weekend and it has been known for people to qualify within 3 months. Most people manage it in somewhere between 3 to 6 months whilst with others (like the author of this article) it can take a year or more.
Whilst this may not match the offers of "learn to dive within 3 days"
that you may have seen on holiday abroad, it should be borne in mind that
learning to dive is fun and full of new experiences. With the MDG you progress
at your own pace and will not be pressured to complete any exercises within
a fixed timescale.
(Back to top)
I am due to go on holiday in the next month or so. Do you run any special short term courses that will allow me to gain a diving qualification before I leave?
No. As an amateur club we are composed of people who all have day jobs to hold down and bills to pay. We simply haven't got the spare time avaiable to offer a "fast track" 3-day diving courses like you may have seen from a commercial diving outfit. The only basic course we offer is the one featured here. However, were you to start our course prior to your holiday, you would become familiar with all the necessary equipment and also gain an introduction to the technical aspects of diving, such as pressure effects. This would give you a real head start with your training overseas with which you should be able to sail through your tuition whilst out there. (Back to top)
What equipment is available and how much does it cost?
Our Equipment Room stocks the following items: Cylinders, Regulators. Buoyancy Jackets, Weightbelts, Contents and Depth Gauges There is also a compressor for refilling cylinders. All equipment is provided free of charge during training. Once qualified the hire fee for equipment is £1.50 per item. The only items of equipment you need to provide yourself during the initial stages of training are a mask, snorkel and fins, A wetsuit is recommended upon progressing to open water activities! (back to top)
I already have a diving qualification with another organisation. How would I fit into your club?
A tricky question to answer as every case is different, but in general this would be the procedure. If you already hold a diving qualification we would ask that you first visit the club and meet with our Diving Officers for an informal chat. You would discuss your level of experience with them and if possible present evidence of your diving history, such as a log book. An Assessment Dive would then be arranged so that they could judge your level of ability at first hand. If you can demonstrate that you are a fully competant, experienced diver then you should breeze through this session and could be awarded the club certificate outright with no further training. If, however, the Assessment Dive reveals areas where we would like you to develop your skills further, then you would be slotted into our training schedule at the appropriate point rather than having to start from scratch again. This latter scenario tends to apply to those people who have done a "quickie" diving course overseas but who want to keep the hobby going when they return home. UK diving tends to require a deeper understanding of the safety issues surrounding the sport than is needed abroad, so this is usually the area we like to see such people improving upon as well as building up their level of diving experience in general. (Back to top)
These prices are much lower than anywhere else I've seen. Are you guys doing all this on the cheap?
Absolutely not! The Manchester Diving Group is an independent amateur club run for diving enthusiasts by diving enthusiasts. We're not here to line the pockets of some anonymous organisation, nor to make anyone rich. Any profit made by the MDG is ploughed back directly into the club. That is why we can offer such good value. (Back to top)
So who are these SAA people if you're an independent club?
SAA stands for the Sub Aqua Association which is an umbrella organisation for independent diving clubs. Apart from specifying a minimum level of training (which our schedule far exceeds, by the way) they have absolutely NO say in the day to day running of our club. SAA membership is available to everyone within the MDG on an entirely voluntary basis - there is absolutely no obligation to join. The annual SAA membership fee is £28.00 which allows access to their events and insurance scheme. (Back to top)
What is the age limit to join the club?
Open water training mainly takes place at a couple of local quarries. Most diving expeditions take place at Anglesey in Wales. (Back to top)
An overseas club holiday takes place each year - check out our Holidays and Galleries pages for more details. Additionally, members usually band together to organise their own foreign jaunts throughout the year. (Back to top)
Will your club qualifications allow me to dive abroad?
We have never experienced a problem diving abroad with the club's qualification. (Back to top)
Are my family and friends welcome on dive trips and at club social events?
Most certainly - the more the merrier. (Back to top)