A real mixed bag of weather across South Wales this week. We've had calm sunny days, heavy rain and strong winds all making for some challenging Scuba Diving conditions this weekend.
Much of the South Coast of Wales will likely see some fairly large swell and Westerlies and Southerlies that could become quite strong, so the South Wales dive sites,including Limeslade Bay and Oxwich Bay, are almost certainly going to become inaccessible for diving. With all of the water movement these conditions will create, visibility is also going to become an issue too.
All is not lost however. We're blessed with some of the best inland dive sites in the UK here in South Wales and close by so if you want to be sure of getting your dives in the best bet is to to head to one of those.
If you just want to get out and into the water, why not try something new? Our sister company, Quest Adventures, can offer you surf board hire and surfing lessons (may as well take advantage of that swell) as well as Gorge Walking or Canyoning in the Brecon Beacons.
We're back at Hebron Hall in Cardiff this weekend with a nice mixture of PADI Open Water Diver students, PADI Refresher sessions, for qualified divers who haven't dived for a while to bring them back up to speed with their skills and a couple of Scuba Diving Taster Sessions.
The PADI Open Water Diver Open Water dives are being planned for the end of this month and once our students have successfully completed that part of the course they'll be qualified to scuba dive anywhere in the world up to 18m and begin their underwater adventures.
CAUTIONS – Water temperatures are still mild for the UK, although they'll be starting to fall from here. You'll still need to take all precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves) as even the warmest UK sea temperatures are around the 12°C mark. Swell is going to be a problem across South Wales this weekend
We've had some lovely weather across South Wales this week and this is good news for visibility. We are expecting conditions to become much tougher this weekend, particularly on the South Coast as swell and wind both pick up gradually across the weekend, Sunday afternoon will see 30+ knot gusts and 6ft - 9ft swell. If you can get down for Friday, you may find acceptable conditions across all of the dive sites, including Limeslade Bay or Oxwich Bay. The usual dive sites in West Wales will also be an option, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay, again particularly on Friday.
Whilst conditions may be acceptable early on Saturday morning, particularly further west, you may find the tides aren't going to play the game and with changeable conditions expected, you will be better heading to any of the inland dive sites in the South Wales area, such as Chepstow or Vobster Quay in Somerset.
We usually run our PADI Open Water Diver pool sessions on the first Saturday of each month, however there is a change of plan this month. A number of or instructors are out in L'Estartit, Spain on one of our infamous Dive Expeditions. This means our PADI Open Water Diver confined water sessions will be taking place next weekend, where we'll be starting the next batch of students on their underwater adventures.
CAUTIONS – It's summer and we've had some beautiful weather in South Wales sea temperatures will still only be around the 12 degree mark, so we'll need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves).
We could be in for some of the best conditions we've had for a while this weekend. Sunday in particular we are expecting swell to be low and gentle, offshore Easterlies. On top of this conditions have been fairly decent in the previous days and we're currently on neap tides, so the water movement has been less than in the previous few weeks. This should mean visibility is also improved compared to the last few weeks of the South Wales coast.
Although we're getting neap tides of the weekend and into early next weekend, you must remember that on the South Wales coast even our neap tides involve a large movement of water, the different between low and high tide is still 4m+ so proper dive planning is still as important as ever. Remember the rule of twelfths and look to dive at slack water or the incoming tide.
You have the option of most of the dive sites in the Gower, such as Limeslade Bay or Oxwich Bay. You could also head a little further west and dive some of the bays out there, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay.
Last weekend saw us back at Hebron Hall, in Cardiff, taking some PADI Refresher courses and the PADI Open Water Diver confined dives for our latest batch of students. Next week we'll be heading to Chepstow the our PADI Open Water Diver students can complete their open water dives and begin their scuba diving adventures. We'll also be running the open water section of the PADI Rescue Diver as well as some guided dives.
This weekend our instructors and divemasters will be making the most of their time off with some pleasure dives along the South Wales coast.
CAUTIONS – It's summer but the British sea temperatures will still only be around the 12 degree mark, so we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). Even though we seeing neap tides across this weekend, there is still a large volume of water moving so proper dive planning is still absolutely vital.
Somebody forgot to tell South Wales it's August! We've had more unsettled conditions here in South Wales this week, meaning the poor visibility affecting our diving certainly hasn't gotten any better.
Much the same as last week, we may find general conditions are acceptable for scuba diving this weekend, Saturday being the most likely as swell is due to be lower and wind strength much less. However, with recent conditions or top of the huge tidal movement we're going to see over the weekend visibility is only going to become more of an issue. This is likely to reduce the enjoyment of your dive but most importantly introduces a number of safety issues that must be considered before you make a decision to enter the water.
Sunday is likely to see conditions that make it far less likely that conditions will be safe enough, with a big increase in swell size and wind strength expected.
Those of you who are determined to coastal dive may find some of the sheltered sites in West Wales, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay, your best bet, but our recommendation is to head to one of the nearby inland dive sites, such as The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow or Vobster Quay in Sommerset.
Feels like a long time since we were last running a training session, even though it's only been 3 weeks or so but Saturday sees us back in Hebron Hall's swimming pool in Cardiff. We've a few PADI Refresher students and we're also going to be running the PADI Open Water Diver confined dives and theory, seeing the next round of students taking the first steps towards becoming a qualified scuba diver.
We'll be running the open water part of the PADI Open Water Diver course at The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) on the weekend of 20th & 21st August as well as some guided dives.
CAUTIONS – As is always the case, throughout the year, in South Wales we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). We're seeing a spring tide this weekend so the rule of twelfths is absolutely vital when planning your dive times.
We've had some pretty unsettled weather here in South Wales these last few days, and that has affected conditions for diving, particularly the visibility. Whilst we may see conditions this weekend that are acceptable for scuba diving, with the recent weather conditions and tidal movement, you'll likely find it difficult to see much and this will no doubt reduce the enjoyment of your dive, and more importantly, introduce safety hazards.
If you are adamant about a coastal dive, you may find some of the sheltered sites in West Wales, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay, your best bet, but our recommendation is to head to one of the nearby inland dive sites, such as The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow or Vobster Quay in Sommerset.
No training this weekend, however next weekend we're back at Hebron Hall in Cardiff taking our PADI Open Water Diver course and some refresher dives. We'll also be running the open water section of the PADI Open Water Diver course down at The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) sometime in August so our instructors will be making the most of this weekend off, either with some pleasure dives or some other outdoor activities.
CAUTIONS – As is always the case, throughout the year, in South Wales we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). We're seeing a spring tide this weekend so the rule of twelfths is absolutely vital when planning your dive times.
We could see some acceptable conditions for diving this weekend of the South Wales coast. Swell isn't going to be too big, possibly around the 4ft mark, and early Saturday the winds should be slight. We do however have a huge spring tide to contend with, almost 9.5m at high tide, so that could affect visibility and makes it absolutely crucial you apply the rule of twelfths to any dive.
The wind is due to pick up Saturday afternoon into Sunday with potentially quite strong Southerly and Westerly gusts on Sunday, although some of the sheltered sites in West Wales, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay, may be an option. Although the swell isn't due to increase, the increase in wind could make entry and exit trickier and may also have an impact of visibility.
Of course you can always head inland. South Wales is lucky enough to have The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow which will almost guarantee you a dive, and has plenty of features to keep you entertained on your dive. There is also the option of heading out of Wales to Vobster Quay in Sommerset.
If you do decide to go with an offshore dive, make sure you account for the rule of twelfths, diving on the incoming tide and ensure you've properly planned both you entry and exit points. This is particularly important with the tidal movement we will see this weekend.
Another break from diving courses this weekend, but we'll be back at the beginning of August with our next group of PADI Open Water Diver students at Hebron Hall in Cardiff. We'll also be looking to run the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course soon for our newly qualified PADI Open Water Divers and anybody else who is interested
CAUTIONS – As is always the case, throughout the year, in South Wales we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). We're seeing a spring tide this weekend so the rule of twelfths is absolutely vital when planning your dive times.
We're in for a tough weekend as far as Scuba Diving on the South Wales coast. The swell isn't too big, although Saturday could be up to 4ft - 5ft but we've got strong onshore winds, meaning increased water movement which could cause visibility issues.
Whilst the tide isn't as big as it can be on the South Wales coast, high tide will still be between 8m and 8.3m and low of 2.8m across the weekend, so there is still a large movement of water between low and high tide, which could also contribute to visibility issues. Sheltered, easterly facing bays may provide enough protection from the conditions for the more experienced divers. Oxwich Bay is Swansea may be an option.
Of course you always of the option of heading inland. In South Wales we're lucky enough to have The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow which will almost guarantee you a dive, and although an inland site there is plenty to see with sunken boats, planes, helicopters and much more!
If you do decide to go with an offshore dive, make sure you account for the rule of twelfths, diving on the incoming tide and ensure you've properly planned both you entry and exit points.
There are no diving courses for us this week after last weeks PADI Open Water Diver completion dives and PADI Rescue Diver open water section. We've also run the Emergency First Responder course required for the PADI Rescue Diver course which provides students with a level of first aid to deal with a number of situations as first on scene - and not just diving accidents.
We'll be back in Hebron Hall in Cardiff soon, starting another group of students on their Scuba Diving adventure.
CAUTIONS – As is always the case, throughout the year, in South Wales we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). Although the tidal movement is smaller than it can be here is South Wales, there will still be a large movement of water between high and low. Plan you dive, entry and exit points and times accordingly.
Conditions here in South Wales are going to be tough for Scuba Diving this weekend. We've got some big swell, particularly on Saturday, strong onshore winds, gusting up at 30mph and a big spring tide, with a low of 1.7m and a high of 9.2m! Conditions across the South Wales region have also been unsettled again this week, so adding all of those things together, your best bet really will be to head inland, somewhere like The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow which will allow you to get your dive in whilst reducing the impact of the environmental conditions.
You may find some of South Wales' sheltered, easterly facing bays such as Oxwich Bay in Swansea provide enough protection to get a dive in but ensure you remember the rule of twelfths, diving on the incoming tide (with a big tide like we have this weekend, you don't want to be swimming against it!) and be aware of how the swell and wind could affect your entry and exit points.
With the conditions we've had over the past few days, swell, wind and tidal movement, visibility is also likely to be an issue to.
We're back to Hebron Hall in Cardiff this weekend. We'll be running the PADI Open Water Diver course for those students just starting on their Scuba Diving journey, we have a couple of qualified divers taking a PADI Refresher course having not dived for a while and we're also running the PADI Rescue Diver course for some of our Advanced Divers too. We're going to be busy!
CAUTIONS – As is always the case, throughout the year, in South Wales we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). If you are planning to dive off the coast in South Wales, ensure you are aware of the changing conditions, making sure you know the conditions for both the beginning and the end of the dive and make sure you are aware of the tidal movement and times so you can dive the incoming tide if you insist on costal diving.
We could see acceptable conditions for Scuba Diving on the South Wales coast this weekend. Swell shouldn't be too high, 2ft - 4ft, however we could see some southerlies and westerlies at times which could cause problems. Wind strength on Saturday should be lower than Sunday, however swell will be larger on the Saturday than the Sunday.
We've also seen some fairly unsettled conditions in South Wales over the last few days, and we're still on a spring tide over the weekend meaning we'll have a large volume of water movement which could affect visibility.
Heading to the more sheltered bays, such as Stackpole Quay and Oxwich Bay should see the better conditions and always remember the rule of twelfths, ensuring you dive on the incoming tide. Be aware of the swell size and wind, particularly for shore dives and how it could affect your entry and exit.
Inland sites, such as The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow will offer you diving less affected by the environmental conditions meaning you can concentrate on just enjoying the dive.
We're having a break from the training this weekend but we'll be back in the pool soon with our next batch of PADI Open Water Diver students. We were also back in Chepstow last weekend with Sam, Robert and Alicia on their PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. It was an incredibly enjoyable weekend and now they are PADI Advanced Open Water Divers they'll be able to dive anywhere in the world up to a depth of 30m, such huge congratulations to them.
CAUTIONS – The sea temperatures are slowly starting to raise, but we'll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). If you are planning to dive off the coast in South Wales, ensure you are aware of the changing conditions, making sure you know the conditions for both the beginning and the end of the dive.