History

Crawley Branch was formed in 1956 and became the 148th branch of the BS-AC.

The BS-AC

The British Sub-Aqua Club was founded in 1953 some 3 years after the first compressed air aqualung was marketed. Since then it has grown and now has some 50,000 members in 1,400 branches throughout the world. The BS-AC is the largest single diving club in the world, and is recognised in the UK as the governing body for the sport and was a founder member of the CMAS, the World Underwater Federation.

From its earliest days, the BS-AC has consisted of virtually autonomous Branches, absolutely essential in those early days of geographical spread without the high speed communications and computerised administration of today's world. The Branch system has meant a great number of people have participated in the organisation, running, and development of the BS-AC.

The diversity of experience this has brought to the Club has undoubtedly been one of its greatest strengths. Indeed it is the secret of British "amateurism", a most inappropriate term, which really describes how to persuade the largest number of "professionals" to freely provide their services to the many. Taken as a whole, this is a potentially unbeatable system which is totally unfair competition to any commercially run rival.