In 1955, Mr Jack Willands and Mr John Lawton, spoke to the then chairman of the B.S.A.C. Mr Oscar Gugen, about forming a local sub-aqua branch in Huddersfield. The local newspaper, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, published an article to give the idea some publicity, and 35 people attended a meeting on the 10th of February 1955.
At that meeting it was decided that the aims of the club would be: “The promotion of underwater exploration, science and sport, and to promote safety in these activities”, and so the 18th branch of the British Sub Aqua Club was born!
Initially the branch borrowed an aqua lung, and 6 months later, the club tried its very own set for the first time in Ramsden St. Baths, Huddersfield, which in those days cost the princely sum of 15 Shillings an hour to hire.
In August 1955, members of the branch set off to Trearddur Bay in Anglesey, where they were transported out to the dive site by rowing boat!
A reporter from the Examiner, covered the expedition and wrote “Once you have put on your aqualung, mask, snorkel breathing tube, and flippers, you are on your way to becoming a real live Tarzan, cum underwater frogman”
We have over 60 members, some who dive at every opportunity, and others who only dive occasionally. What unites us is a love of diving and enjoying it with a group of friendly like minded people.
Although primarily a group that like to go diving, we offer training for BSAC diving certifications to encourage new members to join us. We have pool time in the Competition Pool on a Monday evening at the Huddersfield Leisure Centre where we are lucky enough to have a storeroom and compressor. We have all the necessary pool and open water equipment (except drysuits, which are individual size specific).
If you want to see if diving is for you, then contact us have a try dive in the pool. We can then tell you all about learning to dive, whether with us, or another agency.
Over the last few years we have taken club trips, from a weekend up to 10 days, to Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides, Mull, Loch Fyne, St Abbs, Farne Islands, Anglesey, Pembrokeshire, Portland, Plymouth, Channel Isles, Normandy and smaller groups to the Maldives, Red Sea and Lanzerote.
