The conditions should be a lot calmer this weekend that last. Swell is set to be low along the South Wales coast and although there is a strong wind it is set to be in a Northerly or Easterly direction (Offshore). The main issue you will likely find is the visibility as the conditions have been fairly unsettled over the last few days, but that doesn't mean diving is off. You just need to make sure you've properly planned your dive and take the correct equipment.
Water temperatures are still low as expected at this time of year so you will need to ensure you have the correct thermal protection, such as dry suit, good quality undersuit, hood, gloves. You also need to think about the thermal protection before and after the dives.
You may find better visibility and one of the inland dive sites in or near South Wales, such as Chepstow or Vobster Quay so they are always an option, but you will still need to properly plan your dives and thermal protection. In fact the water temperature in the inland sites may even be colder than the sea.
Last week saw us back in Hebron Hall, Cardiff running the PADI Open Water course and PADI Rescue Diver course. Both courses were a real success and we look forward to welcoming all of the students back when they complete the open water part of their course.
Our next PADI Open Water course is due to run on 4th March, so if you are thinking about starting you SCUBA diving adventures, get in touch and we can talk you through all of the options, prices and availability.
Get your passport, book a flight and get out of the UK! That's our best advice for getting a coastal dive this weekend. We've got huge winds over the next couple of days across South Wales, and once that calms down, the swell takes over, quite possibly reaching over 10ft at times. Even if you could get into and out of the water successfully with all that water movement, visibility is going to be affected and will likely impact the enjoyment of your dive.
If you can't fly off to an exotic destination at a moments notice, your best bet for a dive this weekend is to head to one of the inland sites in or near South Wales, such Chepstow or Vobster Quay. They'll be far less effected by all of the environmental conditions, so your main concern will be water temperature. Good quality thermal protection will be a must; dry suits, hoods, gloves, etc and you'll also need to think about how to stay and get warm whilst you are on the surface.
We're back in the swimming pool in Hebron Hall, Cardiff on Saturday with two PADI courses. We've got the PADI Open Water course running, which is the start of the students journey into Scuba Diving and we're also running the PADI Rescue Diver course for a number of students from Cardiff University.
The PADI Rescue Diver course teaches the students some basic first aid, rescue techniques (both self rescue and rescue of others) and a better understanding of the technical aspects of diving. After the 2 month break from courses whilst we were off diving with the Sharks in South Africa all of the instructors and Divemasters are excited to get back into it!
We're expecting strong winds along the South Wales coast and in the Bristol Channel this weekend, gusting to over 30 knots and in a Southerly and Westerly direction. This will have an effect on the visibility in the water and although the swell is moderate at around 3ft - 5ft the wind will create a lot of water movement.
Sea temperatures are still low at around 10° so if you do intend to head out for a coastal dive this weekend you'll need to ensure you have the correct thermal protection; dry suit, gloves, hood, warm undersuit, etc. You'll also need a detailed dive plan for your dive, including entry and exit from the water and proper thermal protection for before and after your dive too.
Our advice would be to head to one of the inland dive sites in or near South Wales, where the visibility is likely to be less affected by the wind. Water temperatures will still be low in these sites though, so proper equipment and planning is just as important.
Next week we'll be returning to Hebron Hall in Cardiff for the 1st part of our PADI Open Water course. This part of the course will teach the students the basic scuba diving skills they need in the pool as well as the theory required for any scuba diver. After they successfully complete this part of the course, they'll need to complete their 4 open water dives before they become qualified to dive up to 18m deep anywhere in the world.
We'll also planning some of our other courses for the next couple of months, such as the PADI Rescue Diver course, so wherever you are in your scuba diving journey, get in touch and we can discuss your next steps.
This biggest issue for diving in South Wales this weekend is, unsurprisingly, the temperature. Maximum temperatures across the weekend are set to be around 4° and sea temperature is likely to be under 10° too. So, if you are thinking of heading out for a dive, thermal protection is going to be absolutely vital as is a proper dive plan.
Swell is going to be a reasonable size along the South Wales coast, so is definitely something you'll need to factor in to your dive plan, entry and exit will need some real thought, however recent conditions have been settled and the tidal range is reasonably low (for the Bristol Channel) so you could have acceptable visibility along the coast this weekend. There will be some fairly strong winds this weekend, so if you are looking to dive on the coast, head for a sheltered bay and judge conditions all the time. Plan for the conditions before, during and after your dive.
As always, there is the option to head to one of South Wales' inland dive sites such as Chepstow or Vobster Quay (down the road in Sommerset). These sites give you much more certainty around environmental conditions, but at this time of the year temperature concerns cannot be escaped in the UK so inland diving will still require really good thermal protection.
We're back from our Dive Trip in South Africa and the only way to describe it - life changing!
The focus now returns to our training courses, with a PADI Open Water course running in Hebron Hall, Cardiff on 4th February. This is the first step for our students to become qualified divers, allowing them to dive up to 18m, anywhere in the world. It is also, we hope, just the beginning of their Scuba Diving journey.
If you've every thought about learning to Scuba Dive, make 2017 the year you do it. Get in touch now and we can talk you through the process and various training options available to you.
This weekend sees us expecting some fairly big swell, but more troublesome will be the strong winds, with gusts up to 30 knots in a North Westerly direction. This could make entry and exit difficult, particularly for shore dives and could also make visibility an issue. Add the massive tides we're expecting over the weekend (over 10m at high tide) and a coastal dive is pretty much out of the question on the South Wales coast this weekend.
All is not lost though. You may be able to take advantage of the milder winter we've been having this year and head to one of the inland sites here in South Wales. If you do head out for a dive in an inland site, you will need very good thermal protection, such as Dry Suit, thick undersuit, hood, gloves, etc as water temperatures will be low, around 9 degrees.
Your last option is to book a short notice trip and head to warmer climates, much like we're enjoying currently on our Dive Trip to South Africa for some water time with the sharks; Hammerheads, Bull Sharks and lots more!
As we said above, we're still enjoying our Dive Trip to South Africa with our instructors and some of our students, so there's no training planned this week. We'll be back soon with the PADI Open Water course starting back up on the first Saturday of February. We'll also be looking to run the PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Rescue Diver courses early on in the year, so if you want to take the next step in your diving adventure, then get in touch.
Scuba Diving in South Wales is off this weekend unless you are heading to an inland site. We're expecting huge swell (possibly reaching 10ft+), making any entry / exit very difficult and visibility will be effected too. Although wind strength will be reasonably gentle with the size of the swell and temperatures our advice is stay out of the sea.
Temperatures are higher here in South Wales than they have been over the last couple of weeks, so if you have the correct thermal protection you can always head to one of the inland sites in the area. Although temperatures are higher, they are still cold so, dry suits, hoods, gloves are all required as well as warm, layered clothes for before and after the dives.
Last weekend saw our Christmas Jumper charity dives in Cardiff, which was great fun! We introduced a number of young children to the delights of Scuba Diving and raised some money for Save the Children too. We though that was our last diving event of the year, but it looks like we've go one more day of introducing people to Scuba Diving as we look to run a private taster session for the residents of a lakeside estate.
After that, it's fully focused on our Dive Trip to South Africa. Our instructors and some previous students will be heading at to a number of locations all gearing up for the pinnacle; diving with sharks in their natural habitat.
Courses will be back up an running in February, so if you're thinking of starting or continuing you diving adventures, book your PADI Advanced Open Water, PADI Advanced Open Water or PADI Rescue Diver with us today
CAUTIONS – Temperature! Thermal protection is absolutely vital, proper dive planning is critical and properly maintained equipment key. With swell size, you need to really think about how you can enter and exit the water safely and weather you'll have the required visibility. Stay warm and stay safe!
Generally Scuba Diving conditions in South Wales are pretty good this weekend, except for the obvious elephant in the room; the freezing temperatures. The sea is looking calm, with virtually no swell expected, wind is reasonably strong but in an Easterly direction so you will be afforded some protection for the South Wales landscape and we have had a good few days of settled conditions, so you should even get acceptable visibility.
All that being said, it is cold, really, really cold. So, if you are going to venture out of a Scuba Diving trip you will need to ensure all of your equipment is in perfect condition, be extra cautious in any dive as the cold can affect your air consumption and nitrogen absorption and ensure you have access to back up equipment, which you should anyway diving with a buddy. Thermal protection is absolutely vital; hoods, gloves, dry suits and lots of layers underneath are all going to be required. You also need to think about your thermal protection for before and after the dive.
Whether you dive the South Wales coast or choose to dive an inland site, you are all going to be coming up against the same challenge, temperature, so plan properly and most of all, stay safe
We're all excited for our Christmas Jumper try dive this Saturday at Hebron Hall in Cardiff. We've got a number of children coming along to get their first experience of diving and it's completely appropriate we have so many children as all of the funds we raise will be donated to the Save the Children charity. You're welcome to come along and support us, between 08:00 and 12:00, or simply send in a donation if you wish.
This is our last diving event of the year. Our instructors and some of our students are heading out to South Africa on 4th January 2017 on one of our unbeatable diving trips. They'll be doing a number of dives in a few locations, with the pinnacle being diving with the ultimate; Sharks!
We'll be back in February with the PADI Advanced Open Water, PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Rescue Diver courses, so if you want to make 2017 the year you learn to dive or get back into diving, get in touch and book your course today
CAUTIONS – Temperature! Thermal protection is absolutely vital, proper dive planning is critical and properly maintained equipment key. Stay warm and stay safe!
We could see acceptable conditions for Scuba Diving on the South Wales coast this weekend, with virtually no swell and although strong, the wind will be in an offshore direction. Some of our more sheltered bays, such as Caswell Bay in Swansea could offer decent conditions. There has been some rain and strong winds over the last few days, so you'll need to take visibility into account before any dive.
The big factor this weekend, as you can imagine at this time of year is the temperature. Water temperatures are going to have dropped significantly and surface temperatures are flirting with freezing now hear in South Wales. This isn't going to stop a dive, but you do need to properly plan you thermal protection for all parts of the day - before you dive, whilst in the water and after your dive. Dry suits, gloves, hoods, lots of layers, etc. Warm drinks will also help to warm you up whilst out of the water.
As always in South Wales there is always the option to head to an inland site, such as Chepstow or Vobster Quay but you'll have the same temperature concerns as on the South Wales coast.
Last weekend we were up at Chepstow running the PADI Advanced Open Water course, our last open water course of the year. Congratulations to Megan, Bradley, Megan and Alicia (yes, two Megans) on passing their PADI Advanced Open Water qualification. We look forward to seeing you again to continue your Scuba Diving adventures, possibly on the PADI Rescue Diver course?
Next weekend (3rd December) we're running our annual Christmas Jumper try dive event. All proceeds will be donated to the Save the Children charity, and you can come down to Hebron Hall in Cardiff (in your Christmas Jumper of course) and try our Scuba Diving for a donation to the charity (minimum £15). The dives are open to both unqualified and qualified divers. You can also speak to our instructors if you want any further information on the PADI Open Water Diver course, or any other of our courses.
CAUTIONS – It's all about the temperature at this time of year. Water temperatures are low and surface temperatures are threatening to reach zero, so your thermal protection is absolutely vital. Dry suits, gloves, hoods, layers, wind proof jackets, etc are all vital for any dive, coastal or inland.
It's another weekend where you'll want to be packing your bags and looking for some flights or heading to an inland site if you want to get some diving in. The South Wales coast is seeing some huge swell over the next few days, and big winds too, possibly gusting at over 40mph! Although the swell is looking to calm down a little into the weekend, the previous days conditions will have made visibility a real issue. Sunday we're set to see the winds picking up again too, which will only add to visibility issues.
Luckily, in South Wales we're lucky enough to have a few inland diving sites within easy reach, so you can still get a dive in, despite the coastal conditions. Head over to Chepstow of Vobster key and you won't have to worry about swell, tides or wind too much. Your only concern is going to be the cold, so ensure you have decent thermal protection, dry suits or a 5mm semi dry + 5mm shorty, gloves & hoods. Think about how you will get and keep warm on any surface interval - warm drinks, wind proof jackets, lots of layers, etc.
This weekend we're running the PADI Advanced Open Water course up at Chepstow with 4 of our previous PADI Open Water Diver students. The course is run over 2 days and will see the students complete 5 dives, including Peak Performance Buoyancy, Deep Dive and a Wreck Dive. It will allow the students to become better divers, working on the key skill of buoyancy and getting a better understanding of the underwater world.
Once they have completed the course, they'll be qualified to dive up to 30m anywhere in the world.
CAUTIONS – Water & air temperatures significantly over the last week or two. Plan you thermal protection for the dive and during any surface interval so you'll be as comfortable as possible. Dry suits, 5mm semi-dry + 5mm shorty, gloves, hoods, lots of layers for when you're not diving, etc. Warm liquids will help you warm up quicker.