We aim our trips and organised dives to suit the timetables and budgets of the average university student here in Dunedin. As a result, we tend to spend a lot of our time on local shore dives, with the occasional organised trip further afield to Central Otago, Stewart Island, Fiordland, and the Marlborough Sounds to name but a few (check out the photo gallery pages).

Membership
The club has around 80 members each year, and offers three levels of membership for 2002:

Standard membership :
Cost - $30 per year

Tank borrowing membership :
Cost - $50 per year, plus $20 bond

Full borrowing membership :
Cost - $80 per year, plus $40 bond

Member's privileges
As a standard member of OUDC, you get to join in on local club trips, the annual games night at Moana Pool and trips further afield such as to Milford and Stewart Island. In addition you get five free tank fills from Dive Otago which can be redeemed at any stage until the end of December 2002. You are also eligible for discounts at Dive Otago on dive courses, dive trips and equipment.
As a tank borrowing member you get the privileges described above plus you can borrow up to two club tanks on a weekly basis over the duration of the 2002 university year.
As a full borrowing member, you get all those benefits already mentioned, plus the ability to borrow any of the other equipment the club owns: BCDs, reg sets, weight belts, tents, and other sundry items. Not a bad deal for the equivalent cost of hiring all that kit for a single day from a commercial operator!

The Gear Shed
The club gear shed is located around the back of the Clubs and Societies building on the corner of Albany Street and Ethel Benjamin Place, in shed number 1 (look for the big numbers painted on the doors!). The gear shed is open every Friday during the university term between 13:00 and 13:50 for gear issue. Club equipment is normally issued for a week at a time, and unless one of the Exec is notified to the contrary, the gear MUST be returned the next week or bond deductions will apply.

Bond deductions
Full and tank borrowing members pay a bond at the beginning of each year. Because scuba equipment is so expensive to buy and maintain, the club has very limited resources and must ensure that gear is returned promptly and in good condition so other members can use it. As a result we are very strict on late gear returns, and unless a member with gear informs us via email or telephone before 13:00 on a Friday, not returning equipment when it is due attracts a $5 bond deduction for every piece of equipment that is not returned. Considering most members will borrow a BCD, reg set and two tanks, that can result in a $20 bond deduction for not returning gear just once. Returning tanks to the gear shed empty also attracts a $5 deduction. When a member has no bond left, they can no longer borrow club equipment and the Exec must decide whether to allow the member to repay a new bond and continue to borrow club equipment for the remainder of the year. Club membership fees are usually non-refundable after the Easter break of any given year.

Club meetings
These have been held as required in the past, with notification via this website and email. These meetings are an opportunity for members to let the Exec know where they would like to dive, what they have thought of dives they have been on, and generally turn into a fun social time as well. Remember, the club is there for you, the members, so make sure you tell us what sort of diving you enjoy and how well we have done in the past (or not!).

Communication
We use this website and email as our primary means of contacting club members. All university students have access to email and the internet via the CSC resources on campus, and many have email at home. Trips, meetings and other items of interest are circulated to the club this way. The best way to contact members of the Exec is via email. We can't guarantee you can catch us on the phone, but if you email the club address, you will usually get a response that same day.