Our History
When the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) was just seven years old, four divers formed Scarborough Sub Aqua Club (SSAC) on 10th March 1960 and were branch number 83. Back then, much of the SCUBA diving equipment was improvised and home-made.
Just four years into its existence, the club bought its clubhouse on 25 St. Mary's Street. This was met with major fanfare because it was the first BSAC branch in the country to have it's own clubhouse, even beating the headquarters in London! Membership was booming due to interest generated by the legendary Jacques Cousteau and the club's public diving displays. SSAC's popularity also grew with the branch organising the national spearfishing championships which were shown on Granada TV.
The spearfishing practise all but finished in the 1970's due to concerns over environmental impact.
The branch continued making headlines by recovering important artefacts from local wrecks and preserving them in the clubhouse or on loan to museums to educate the public about maritime history.
A number of artefacts recovered by the club are on diplay around Scarborough, including the gun on the Lightouse Pier and the admiralty anchor outside The Anchor fish and chip shop.
Six decades on the club is still going strong, winning the BSAC Branch of the Year in 2010 (out of over 2,500 branches worldwide) and the Heinke Trophy in 2011. We are still in the clubhouse bought all those years ago, though there have been several extensions and renovations in that time.
We have several boats; Richard S, a hardboat which is moored in Scarborough Harbour; Fin S, our ever reliable RIB stored in Bridlington Boat Compound.
We regularly dive during the summer. If the weather is right, and you have the time, it's not unusual to do five dives a week, diving anything from shore-based rocky reefs to fifty metre deep wrecks. Deep, shallow, scenic, or historic. We cater for everyone.
We also have diving expeditions further afield. In recent years, locations have included Cornwall, the Sound of Mull, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, Ireland, Normandy, Norway, Poland, Malta, Croatia, Egypt and even the South Pacific. There's always more in the planning!
Lost U-boats Discovered Off Scarborough UB-75 & UB-41
Over the years Scarborough Sub Aqua Club's members (including Carl Racey and Andrew Jackson) have been involved in a variety of projects including the discovery of WW1 German submarines which were discovered beyond 60m.
16/10/19 - Announcement Regarding Andy Jackson
It is with much sadness, that Scarborough Sub-Aqua Club (SSAC) announce the death of Andy Jackson, long-time member of the club and renowned for discovering the identity of many North Yorkshire wrecks. Andy and the Northstar crew dived prolifically throughout a twenty year period. Our condolences go to Jacky (his partner), his family and his friends. Andy will be missed by us all.
Our tribute in the BSAC magazine can be found here.
Crew of the Northstar RIB (L-R) - Kevin Mitchell, Carl Racey, Andy Jackson (rear) Mickey Mullane (front).