Learning to dive in the UK!
Learning to dive in the UK!
I’ve wanted to learn to dive for ages and I thought instead of waiting to go to some far flung place, which will probably have to be after uni, which is ages away, I’d just do it this (next :s) summer!
I found this place http://www.divesouth.co.uk/index.htm which is in Poole (Dorset), but really don’t know what to look for…. anyone know any good places to go, what sort of prices?
Want to join the scuba society at my uni as well, but apparently the beginners course they have isn’t PADI, it’s the other one (showing my lack of knowledge here!) which is apparently not good…?
Help! :)
Hey.
Dont know about in your area but I am currently learning in Norfolk and I pay £22.00 an hour! I got my first lesson free- which seems standard and tried a couple of places to see who I liked before picking one. I think it may work out cheaper to do an intensive but you pay all in one go so depends if you have the time and money for that! Go by personal recomendations not who has the best website etc! GOOD LUCK :-D
You get the whole BSAC vs PADI snobbery. All you need is a cert to dive. I found BSAC to be really anal.
It might be worth casting your net a bit further and look at the costs for training in Estartit, Spain - tons of dive operators, cheap ryanair flight and loads of fish to see.
or Malta or Dahab or the canaries.
Hey.
Dont know about in your area but I am currently learning in Norfolk and I pay £22.00 an hour! I got my first lesson free- which seems standard and tried a couple of places to see who I liked before picking one. I think it may work out cheaper to do an intensive but you pay all in one go so depends if you have the time and money for that! Go by personal recomendations not who has the best website etc! GOOD LUCK :-D
thanks for replying - so how are you finding it? :) Know what you mean about personal recommendations. Think I’m looking at intensive courses (I’m impatient, haha). Also wish I had a friend to do the course with!
You get the whole BSAC vs PADI snobbery. All you need is a cert to dive. I found BSAC to be really anal.
It might be worth casting your net a bit further and look at the costs for training in Estartit, Spain - tons of dive operators, cheap ryanair flight and loads of fish to see.
I will have a look, would definitely be nice to be warm… although I feel a bit disloyal to my local coastline going away when I could go there… (not really though lol)
So what is the difference between BSAC and PADI? what’s the snobbery thing?
would be easy to learn with the uni society but the other drawback is that they go way north for their diving locations to some sort of natural pool or something :s and it looks cold and sort of weird!
I have done the PADI course but joined a BSAC club. I have often found that some people with BSAC quals look down on PADI quals, because PADI is considered to be more of a money making organisation and they are probably a bit less thorough than BSAC. But, at the end of the day, you can dive with either and, in my opinion, the more dives you do generally the better you become.Or less so in my case as I am very laid back.
The only reason I mention Estartit is that I did my rescue diver course there and the waters are really nice. You are not too far from Barcelona and Girona (Ryanair airport) plus tons of dive outlets which creates competition and keeps the prices down. I remember seeing a few octopi and my Mum saw a seahorse there. It is some sort of natural reserve.
Not sure if there is a youth hostel or what the accommodation costs are like because it is about 5 years ago.
I found my uni dive club was really cliquey, but I guess everyone has their own experiences. I also got bollocked for diving too deep in this quarry called Capernwray, which was entirely my fault.
It does not matter if you have PADI or BSAC.
I have done the PADI course but joined a BSAC club. I have often found that some people with BSAC quals look down on PADI quals, because PADI is considered to be more of a money making organisation and they are probably a bit less thorough than BSAC. But, at the end of the day, you can dive with either and, in my opinion, the more dives you do generally the better you become.Or less so in my case as I am very laid back.
The only reason I mention Estartit is that I did my rescue diver course there and the waters are really nice. You are not too far from Barcelona and Girona (Ryanair airport) plus tons of dive outlets which creates competition and keeps the prices down. I remember seeing a few octopi and my Mum saw a seahorse there. It is some sort of natural reserve.
Not sure if there is a youth hostel or what the accommodation costs are like because it is about 5 years ago.
I found my uni dive club was really cliquey, but I guess everyone has their own experiences. I also got bollocked for diving too deep in this quarry called Capernwray, which was entirely my fault.
It would make sense that my uni dive club go to a quarry as well then (I was wondering what it was). Wonder if it’s the same one.
You’re selling the going abroad idea well :) and thanks for clearing up the padi/bsac thing - I think I get it!
you can do you certs elsewhere then join the uni club or do it through the uni club.The uni club might be cheaper than doing it through a uk dive centre.
