The Watertight Guide to Scuba Diving in the UK

CONTENTS

1. WHY YOU SHOULD WANT TO GO SCUBA DIVING IN THE UK
2. DIVING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UK
3. YOUR FIRST SCUBA DIVING EXPERIENCE
4. RECOGNISED COURSES FOR SCUBA QUALIFICATIONS
5. FURTHER TRAINING
6. MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS - "FIT TO DIVE"
7. THE BEST DIVING LOCATIONS IN THE UK

WHY YOU SHOULD WANT TO GO SCUBA DIVING IN THE UK

A nation of islands, a limitless coastline, a network of rivers and canals, lakes and reservoirs, the UK’s intimate relationship with water makes it a perfect place for scuba. Anyone who calls themselves an adventurer should have an interest in exploring the world below the water’s surface, and diving is the best way to do it.

Dive schools and scuba clubs can be found in cities and towns throughout the four nations of the United Kingdom, serving a large community of divers of all kinds. And that community is always welcoming of new members, to learn to dive or to join trips to fascinating dive sites.

But what really sets this country apart from the rest is the wealth of shipwrecks in British waters. From the English Channel to the Orkney Islands and the Irish Sea to the North Sea, hundreds of ships of all shapes, sizes and classes are waiting to be discovered. You can learn more about wreck diving in the UK here. If that’s not your thing, read on to find out about the steps you need to take to achieve a diving qualification, so that you can jet off to the Maldives, Thailand or Mexico to enjoy scuba in warm waters.

DIVING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UK

 

Schools

If that’s enough to pique your interest, you’ll be wondering how to become a scuba diver. A word to the wise: you won’t get very far trying to do it off your own back. You need to learn the techniques and theory associated with diving from an expert, who’ll also help you navigate the equipment, certification and planning aspects of the sport. Luckily, there are schools all around the country that are ready and waiting for newcomers to join them on a voyage of subaquatic discovery. For a full list of scuba diving experience providers in the UK, click here.

Organisations

There are three organisations that oversee scuba diving instruction in the UK - PADI, SSI and BSAC.

• PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors is the biggest recreational diving organisation in the world and has a large presence in the UK. It provides scuba experiences to all groups, including the very young (from the age of 8 years old), the highly experienced and everyone in between.
• SSI, Scuba Schools International, is another international organisation. It’s not as well represented in the UK, but it's a highly regarded provider of scuba instruction.
• BSAC, the British Sub-Aqua Club, is the homegrown organisational body. Its courses have a reputation for being thorough and good value for money. Best of all, BSAC qualifications are internationally recognised.

YOUR FIRST SCUBA DIVING EXPERIENCE

Whether PADI, SSI or BSAC, taster scuba sessions are advertised as a Try Dive or Discover Scuba Diving. In most cases, you’ll be invited to an indoor swimming pool, where you’ll meet a certified dive instructor. During the one-hour session, you¡ll be introduced to the scuba equipment, briefed on the basic techniques and then guided through your first submersion. The conditions of the pool - comfortable temperature, plenty of light, absence of currents and obstacles - allow you to focus on the sensations of diving and to decide whether or not to take the next step.

The  aimed at teens and adults eyeing a future in diving. For children who are interested in scuba, there’s a much more fun route into the sport. Diving organisations run kids’ clubs, such as the PADI Bubblemaker club, in which children of 8 - 10 years old are introduced to scuba equipment and practices through fun and games. Once they turn 10, they can join the Seal Team and continue to develop their skills.

RECOGNISED COURSES FOR SCUBA QUALIFICATIONS

So, you’ve dipped your toe in and confirmed that scuba is for you. What next? You need to sign up for a course. The entry level options are the Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI) and Ocean Diver (BSAC) courses. They involve practical and theoretical training, the latter of which is almost always completed as an e-learning course nowadays. The practical part involves a number of dives in pools and open water at a variety of depths, led by trained instructors, in which you’ll learn about different aspects of diving. It’s possible to find intensive courses, but most will take place on a number of days, spread over the course of a few weeks or a month.

Once you’ve completed your course, you’ll receive a certificate that allows you to join dive trips and rent scuba equipment anywhere in the world. While there are limits on the kind of fiving you're qualified to do, including a maximum depth of 18 metres, this is where you become a member of the worldwide scuba community.

FURTHER TRAINING

You’ll soon discover that the end of your first course is very far from the end of your scuba diving progression. To get the most out of this sport, you should build experience, completing as many dives as possible, and start thinking about continuing your training. There are progression courses for general development offered by the three organisational bodies, such as the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, in which you'll dive to depths of up to 30 metres, learn new skills and get a taste of three specialties. 

Beyond that, a popular choice is to become a dive instructor - by taking a Dive Master course - and bringing more people into the world of scuba. Teaching isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of other ways to specialise. If you want to learn how to dive deeper, for longer, or at night, there’s a course for that. If you want to become a commercial diver or a rescuer, there’s a course for that. If you’re interested in underwater photography, spearfishing or rebreather technology, well, we don’t have to repeat ourselves endlessly. As with the general programmes, these courses often with certificates, ensuring your skills are recognised around the world.

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS - “FIT TO DIVE”

Scuba diving is an extreme sport and places the body under stresses and strains. As such, the health of the participant is a key factor in assessing risk. You will have to complete a self-declaration form when you sign up to a scuba course which consists of a number of yes/no questions and some open questions. Depending on your responses, you may be required to have a medical examination to determine if you meet the minimum criteria to dive, if you are Fit to Dive.

In basic terms:

• If you are extremely overweight or out-of-shape, or you have a coronary disease, epilepsy or a cold/the flu, you shouldn’t dive. It almost goes without saying that you must be under the influence of drugs or alcohol either.

• If you have a respiratory condition (such as asthma), heart disease or a chronic medical condition, you should consult a health professional before diving and continue to do so regularly. This is also the case if you take medication, excluding birth control and anti malarial medication.

• If you are taking a flight in the next 24 hours, you shouldn’t dive. Flying before scuba diving is safe, but you should leave a full day between coming out of a dive and getting on to a plane.

THE BEST LOCATIONS IN THE UK

The UK is blessed with fantastic places to go scuba diving. In some areas, there are outdoor bodies of water that are so diver-friendly that you can skip the swimming pool and have a taster session in open water. One such place is within easy reach of London. The Holborough Lakes in Snodland are artificial lakes with a surface area of 13 acres. They are a diver’s paradise, with a variety of interesting objects sunken below the surface at different depths for divers to explore. If you’d like to know more about scuba diving in the Holborough Lakes, click here.

For natural beauty, you can’t do better than Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. Famous for the rock formations of the Giant’s Causeway, the rugged coastline boasts spectacular scenery and thriving populations of marine wildlife. Seals slip off rocks into the water, seabirds circle above the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (of Guinness fame) and submerged sea caves provide hiding places for strange creatures of the deep. Find out more about diving on the coast around Coleraine by clicking here.

But, as we mentioned before, the headline sites for divers in the UK aren’t of natural origin. Shipwrecks are truly breathtaking to behold and thrilling to explore. Devon’s position between the Bristol Channel and the English Channel makes it one of the best places in the country to go wreck diving. Hundreds of years of maritime trade, warfare and, of course, disaster have left the seabed littered with wrecks of kinds, from the SS Perone, sunk by Torpedo in 1917, to the HMS Penylan, a Destroyer-class warship, which sunk to the inky depths (66 metres below the waves) in 1942. If you’d like to know more about wreck diving in Devon, click here.

Cornwall is also an excellent destination for diving. The standard Try Dives and Open Water Diver Courses are on offer, but there are some really exciting opportunities for experienced divers too. The waters are incredibly rich in marine wildlife, including ocean giants such as basking sharks, bluefin tuna and migratory whales. You can also take a guided spearfishing tour in the waters around Newquay. If that sounds good, click here.




Hopefully that’s given you an idea of the opportunities on offer in the UK for a budding scuba diver. Now it’s up to you to take the plunge and begin your subaquatic adventure! Look up our offers of diving in the UK, then come back and let us know how you get on in the comments.