BSAC Level 3: Advanced Ocean Snorkeller

ADVANCED OCEAN SNORKELER is a snorkeler who has achieved the status of BSAC Ocean Snorkel Diver and trained to have a greater level of theoretical knowledge in all aspects of snorkelling and having broad practical experience of snorkel diving. The Advanced Ocean Snorkel Diver should know how snorkelling skills might be applied to specialist activities.

Theory Training

• Section 1: Cause and effects of pressure change - Weather conditions can change quickly. We take a look at how pressure changes in the atmosphere can cause windy conditions that can make snorkelling dangerous. We look at basic observation, which will determine whether it is safe to dive, or not. It is generally recommended that when the wind creates waves over 1 metre in height, then diving should not take place. Waves at this height would also make shore diving more dangerous due to the crashing waves on the beach, together with dealing with strong surf conditions. In this lesson we will show you how to use the Beauport wind scale table to access information on which conditions are safe to dive in. As an Advanced Snorkel Diver you will probably be extending the depth of your surface dives. With this in mind, we will recap on the volume and pressures changes experienced at these deeper depths, together with the effects of repeated compression and expansion as in breath–hold diving and the tiring effects due to extra exertion needed to counteract water pressure. The deeper we dive, the more buoyancy we lose both naturally and artificially, so at this point we recap on the correct weighting when conducting deep dives.

• Section 2: Elementary marine biology - We take a look at a variety of marine life, from different types of fish, crustaceans – such as lobsters, crabs and shrimp as well as looking at corals, algae, seaweed and kelp etc. We will also explain where to find these animals and at what depth you can expect to find them.

• Section 3: Diving from small boats - As a snorkeler, you will find that many dive sites can be inaccessible from the beach and these sites can therefore only be reached by boats. We take a look at the types of boats that are commonly used for snorkel diving together with some boat diving procedures. Boat cover is essential when diving offshore or at a remote site. They do not only provide a mode of transport to and from the site, but also are essential dive platforms from which we are diving. If an emergency occurs, then these boats will also rapidly react to incidents where these boats are considered as safety or rescue boats.

• Section 4: Snorkelling activities - Mainly, people learn to snorkel because they want to explore the underwater world. However, snorkeling doesn’t stop there! There are many other activities that relate to snorkelling in which the whole family can get involved with. For the kids, there are many snorkel games, such as underwater leapfrog, underwater treasure hunts, underwater obstacle course, snorkel sharing and multiple mask clearing and much more. These games are not only great fun but also re-enforce your skills, as well as, this being a good way of keeping yourself fit.

• Theory Assessment (20 multi-choice questions)

Practical Training

• Underwater Navigation - at this level you will conduct more complex navigation patterns such as, navigating a square and a triangle. You will also learn how to navigate using pilotage – which means navigating by natural features and references.  

• Rope work - In the Ropes and Rope work lesson, we will run you through some simple knot tying. These knots would be used on tying off the float line or Shotline.

Qualifying Dives

The open water dives are your final qualifying dives for this course. Each dive will be of at least 20 minutes duration each. The dives can be made in a variety of different conditions, for example: boat dives, shore dives, dives in both fresh or salt - water sites.

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Information provided by BSAC Thailand