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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Underwater Club?

The Underwater Club is UNSW’s community run scuba diving club, made up of UNSW students, alumni & staff, and non-affiliated community members.

The Club was founded in 1967 and dives regularly around Sydney, the NSW East Coast and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Underwater Club is run by members, for members - we offer a range of underwater activities including shore diving and boat diving from our purpose-built 6.5 m rib dive boat, affectionately known as The Didj.

Other perks include the cheapest gear hire in Sydney, regular social events, weekends away and our flagship Reef Trip (tropical island summer paradise).

How do I join?

You can join the UNSW Underwater Club here.

  • UNSW Student - $30
  • UNSW Affiliated (staff / alumni) - $70
  • NON-UNSW Affiliated - $80

Who can dive with the club?

The only criteria to dive with the club are that you:

  • Hold an Open Water Certificate at a minimum (or equivalent)

  • Be a current paid member of the club 

  • Ideally, you will have dived within the past 12 months or completed a refresher course - available at your chosen local dive centre. 

The Club sounds awesome, how can I get involved?

  • Come along to a dive or social event!

  • Come to our Annual General Meeting (AGM)

  • Volunteer for a position on our Committee! (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Student Rep, Gear Officer, Dive Officer, Boat Officer, Social Officer

  • Volunteer to help run a Club trip!

  • Have experience driving boats? We are always keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering to skipper our dive boat the Didj!

  • Connect with other members in our Facebook group to find a dive buddy or have a question/want advice.

We’re just a group of people pitching in to have a good time and go exploring underwater - everyone needs to lend a hand.

Everyone is volunteering their time to make trips/events happen, so it’s always good to remember that you get out what you put in, and many hands make light work.

Can I learn to dive with the club?

We do not offer any scuba diving courses, however there are plenty of great dive centres in Sydney who do!

We recommend that you do a Google search to find one that's easy for you geographically and within your budget.

Important things to consider are:

  • Certifying agency (e.g. PADI, SSI)

  • Class size (instructor to student ratio)

  • Where the dives are conducted (boat/shore)

  • Course time frame (courses vary from ~2.5 to 4 days).

What are your upcoming trips?

Details of our upcoming events are available here.

Our indicative calendar for 2024 is also available on our home page.

Regular events include:

  • Weekend dive trips happen once a month and include a range of great locations on the NSW East Coast e.g. Sydney, Nelson Bay, Narooma, South West Rocks, Seal Rocks, Jervis Bay, Batemans Bay, Shellharbour.

  • Great Barrier Reef Liveaboard (Kalinda - 7 nights on a liveaboard, including up to 20 dives - weather dependant)

  • The infamous Reef Trip (three weeks camping on Lady Musgrave Island - ask a fellow diver at one of our events for info on what to expect!).  

How do I sign up for a trip?

To sign up for a trip you must be a paid 2024 member.

To enable all members a fair chance to sign up and come along on our trips, which can be (sc)uber competitive, we notify members of a trip via email/Facebook/Instagram/Whatsapp and open registrations approx. 1 week later.

The process is:

  • Specific details for diving trips (including registration details) will be emailed to members 3-4 weeks in advance. Events will also be published on our Facebook and website at the same time.

  • Registration will usually be 2-3 weeks before the event, depending on the event – it will be highlighted in the event info email. We suggest setting an alarm for this time and date as our trips are extremely popular (and spaces are limited) so you should aim to sign up ASAP. A trip waitlist will also open 10 minutes after registration opens in case there are cancellations, so if you miss out be sure to add your name to this.

  • For bigger trips such as our Great Barrier Reef Liveaboard and Reef Trip we will provide much more lead time allowing you to sign up well before and organise your life accordingly. Keep any eye on emails and our Facebook page for updates.

  • UWC cannot guarantee attendance prior to registration and does not take responsibility for any losses incurred due to failure to secure a ticket e.g. you have booked leave from work and miss out on a ticket.

What is your trip Cancellation Policy?

If you cancel your trip with more than a week's notice, for any reason, you are eligible for a full refund (excluding January trips and Liveaboards).

Refunds for cancellations made within 7 days of the departure date are subject to your space in the trip being filled.

Refunds for social events are given at the organiser's discretion.

Please contact the trip/event organiser if you would like to discuss a refund.

How much do dive trips cost?

We aim to keep costs as affordable as possible for members so that everyone can enjoy scuba diving with us!

We often keep costs down by separating accommodation/ food from boat dives and gear hire and tank fills, allowing you to just pay for what you need.

Details of trip costs will be included in specific trip emails and are dependent on local costs such as accommodation.

Using 2023 as a guide, you can expect to pay the following prices (approximately):

Local dives:

  • Shore dives - any shore dives we do are FREE!

  • Boat Dives ~ 30/dive (for fuel/maintenance)

  • Not included: transport to/from dive site, gear hire, tank fills

Weekends away:

  • 2 nights approx. $140 - 160

  • 3 nights approx. $170 - 190

  • 4 nights approx. $200 – 240

  • Included: shared accommodation, most meals, some drinks for social party night

  • Not included: scuba gear, tank fills, transportation to/from/during your trip, any permits required. 

GBR Liveaboard (ex. Townsville)

  • Price TBC ~ $1650

  • Included: accommodation, meals, ~20 dives, tanks, weights and air fills on board

  • Not included: transport to/from/within Townsville, gear hire, alcohol, required permits

Reef Trip (GBR ex. Gladstone)

  • Price TBC ~$2000

  • Included: 3 weeks camping permits, island transfers, unlimited diving/air fills, food, 3+ party nights, 1 night hostel accommodation in Gladstone, turtles

  • Not included: transport to/from/within Gladstone, gear hire, camping gear

How do I hire gear?

As a member of the Underwater Club, you gain access to our Club Gear Hire, accessed via our Portal which includes important information including contact details and conditions of hire.

The UWC Gear Shed is in Sam Cracknell Pavilion, and is opened by our hardworking volunteers, affectionately known as ‘gearos’ every Tuesday and Thursday night between 6 - 6.30pm.

You may hire any of the following for up to one week (7 days) at a time during 2024:

  • BCD - $10/week

  • Tanks - $10/week (Air only, no nitrox) [Tanks are supplied empty, limit 1 per person]

  • Set of regulators - $20/week

  • Set of weights - $5/week

  • Pair of fins - $5/week

  • Mask and snorkel - $5/week

  • Wetsuit - $10-15/week

Does the Club do air fills?

We are not able to fill tanks, however there are many dive shops around Sydney that do.

You can find a dive shop providing tank fills here.

I don’t know anyone in the Club, how do I find a dive buddy?

You will meet plenty of new dive buddies at any of our events and dive trips!

We’ll always make sure you're paired up with someone suitable.

If you’re looking for a dive buddy outside of a trip, you can also use our Facebook group to connect with other divers.

You can also join our members-only WhatsApp group to connect with other divers.

What safety equipment do I need to come on a club dive?

All divers will need to have their own dive computer, safety sausage and buddy!

All regulators hired through the Club come with a dive computer and all BCDs will have a safety sausage in the pocket.

If you are not hiring from the Club you’ll need to BYO.

If participating in a night dive, you will be required to carry two light sources (primary and backup).

Other than diving, what does the Club do?

Diving is our bread and butter; however we do have social events such as pub nights, pub crawls, annual dinners, barefoot bowls, BBQs, Committee meetings, ocean clean ups etc.

Keep an eye on our communications to see what else we get up to!

Do you have Merch?

Yes, we do! We have Tshirts and Hoodies.

Supply and sizes are limited and will be available at social events throughout the year!

You can check them out  here.

I don’t dive, can I still come on trips?

Technically yes, however spaces are extremely limited, and preference will be given to scuba divers.

In the event that there are places available, allocation will be at the organisers' discretion, and we cannot guarantee that there will be anything for you to do whilst everyone is out on the boat or underwater.

Can I free dive with the club?

Not really – all of our trips are scuba focused!

On certain trips where it is safe to do so, you may be able to free dive, provided you have appropriate certification, have organised your own freediving buddy, and follow all of the other safety measures (dive computer, safety sausage, surface marker, etc.)

We cannot guarantee free diving on any trip - if you are booked into a trip you must be prepared to scuba dive.

Risk of DCS may increase if you free dive after scuba diving and for safety reasons you must wait 24 hours before freediving after doing any type of scuba diving.

Do you have social media?

Of course!

Facebook page

Facebook Group

Instagram @unsw_underwater