Equip Female Divers and Break Financial Barriers

Aim

To provide trainee female divers with well-fitting, modern equipment and to establish a gear loan programme for the benefit of all trainees.

Who are we?

Sovereign Divers:  started out in 1972 when we became the 513th Branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC). BSAC clubs offer the most affordable way to begin diving.

• Volunteer-led – Run by members, for members.
• Great value – Affordable diving with access to club equipment and training.
• Qualified instructors - Dedicated volunteers who invest in their own training courses to facilitate the training of others.
• All levels welcome – Beginners and experienced divers alike.
• Active and social – Regular training, trips, socials and events.
  
  

Why are we crowdfunding?

We know that only 27% of BSAC members are female, so we asked our female members what barriers they faced when they wanted to start scuba diving with our Club.

The first thing they mentioned was the fit of the buoyancy jackets we provide for training. We currently only have jackets that are designed for the male body shape and they are not always the most comfortable fit for females. With the funds raised, we plan to purchase 5 new jackets called Wings. These are unisex and can easily be adjusted for both males and females. They have the added bonus of being able to accommodate a wider range of body shapes and sizes.

They also mentioned the upfront costs of the essential gear it is necessary to buy as they move to open water training. As a Club we would like to hold a stock of gear that can be loaned to trainees for their open water training and for their first few months of diving. They can then buy their own gear gradually in stages, spreading out the cost, making it a much more affordable option for all.

Four of our female members on a recent Club holiday to Malta.

Match Funding from Sport England 

We are delighted to announce that the Sport England Movement Fund is supporting our campaign and has offered us a conditional award of £2,455. 

In order to collect the award we need to raise a matching amount. So please do support us:  EVERY POUND COUNTS.

How we will spend the money raised

This is a list of the equipment we wish to purchase. Prices are a guide, we hope that we will be able to take advantage of special offers and bulk purchasing when we actually come to buy the equipment.

We do not need to apply for funds for instructors, facility hire or air fills. Our instructors are the most amazing volunteers who give their time for free. Facility hire and air fills are included in our Try Dive and/or Training fees.

• Unisex Buoyancy Control Wing  5 x £319.99
• Breathing regs & Octopus          5 x £245.08
• Contents & Pressure guages      5 x £120.99
• Assorted dive masks                   6 x £28.17
• Underwater compass                  2 x £54.99
• Selection of gloves (S/M/L)         6 x £24.00
• Selection of hoods (S/M/L)         6 x £47.00
• Selection of fins (S/M/L)              6 x £105.00
• Surface Marker Buoy & reel        2 x £72.99

Total estimated spend of £4,911.28 has been rounded up to £4,920 for the Crowd funder. 

Community impact

• We carry out Try Dives with different community groups e.g. Scouts, RNLI crew, local residents.
• We took part in Eastbourne's 999 event where we acted as a boating casualty for the RNLI display at sea and had our own information display stand for the weekend.
• We have strong ties with our local Veteran's Dive Club that is run by one of our members.
• We help the local fishing and pleasure boat communities with recovery of lost items and removing ropes caught around their propellers.
• We have members training to be part of Ghost Fishing UK which aims to remove abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear from our seas.
• We organise and carry out litter picking along our local beach.
• All our members also have membership of Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club who we support by using their bar for holding our Club nights, Committee meetings and other social events. We also keep a check on their racing buoys at sea.

Our stand at Eastbourne 999 weekend.

Our Club RIB acting as a boating casualty for the RNLI display.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success! Every single £1 helps us towards our target.

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

This project successfully funded on 30th November 2025