Scuba Diving conditions report for Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales - The weathers certainly not great for diving in South Wales at the moment. The wind is high Westerlies and South Westerlies which will affect all the beaches along the Southern region. The swell has also been big over the past few days so to sum up the diving on the South Coast of Wales is not viable. The option as always is to head inland to chepstow, frome or even up to North Wales at Vivien and Dorothea inland diving sites. These sites will definitely have better water quality and visabilaty.
Scuba Diving training in Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales - Next week we are taking our newly qualified PADI Open Water Referral Scuba divers to complete there four open water qualifying dives. They will be diving on the Saturday and the Sunday in order to obtain there full Open Water Diver qualification, we will also have our next group attending on 23/24th April to complete the same course.
Caution - Water temperatures are still cold 9 - 10 degrees generally both sea and fresh water, all precautions must be taken to ensure the right thermal protection including gloves, hoods, boots, 10mm semi dry suit, under layers, base layers etc.
Scuba Diving conditions report for Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales 25.03.2016 Well its the Easter weekend and the weather has been fantastic. Hardly and wind or rain over the past few days so everything looks perfect for diving accross the region. However this is not the case for the next few days, high winds, big swells and driving rain in the order of the day for the Easter period. The sea state is stormy with winds getting up to gale force over the weekend, so this is definitely not the time to get in the water diving on the South coast of Wales. Best to get your board out and go for a surf, at least you get in the water. also visibility will be none existent.
The other option is to head inland to one of the UK inland diving facilities in Chepstow, Somerset, Bristol, the Midlands, East Midlands etc. These sites will be far better for the conditions and safety, being protected from most environmental issues apart from the cold and the rain.
We will be running the usual scuba diving PADI Open Water Diver Course at Hebron Hall in Cardiff South Wales next weekend in the swimming pool where its clear and warm. The students will to practising there diving skills so they can adapt their training to the Open Water. We will as always be training our rescue divers and trainee divemasters.
Scuba Diving conditions report for Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales 11.03.2016 - The weather has definately settled over the past few days and looks clear for the next few days after. The wind has dropped and the swell has eased with settled conditions along the coastline. There could be a possibility of diving conditions being acceptable in regions of Swansea and South Wales over the next few days. The visibility may be poor due to the recent weather and sea movement but the water course should be safe and settled.
Areas of the mumbles in Swansea should suit best such as Oxwich bay which will see the better conditions though the next few days, areas such as stackpole quay further west should also have good settled conditions. The tide however is huge at the moment which should always be taken into consideration. We have had the biggest tides of the year over the past few days especially in areas around Cardiff and Swansea, up to 12 meters. This means the use of the rule of twelths is essential to predict the best dive times in the area, Generally the morning would be better with the tidal patterns and tidal streams.
We are running the PADI Open Water Diver course at the moment in Cardiff and Swansea to our new novice divers, the course will initially be held in the swimming pool in Cardiff and Swansea and then into the Open water for the full certification. The course will allow the students to dive worldwide up to 18 meters, we do however advise the divers as they are new to the experience be guided whilst developing there experience.
Scuba Diving Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales, conditions report 26.02.2016 - The wind has dropped and the swell is down but unfortunately the visibility is poor around the South Wales coast including areas around Cardiff, Swansea, Burry Port and round to Tenby. The water temperature is high for the time of year at 8 - 10 degrees in places.
The best day for calm conditions will be Sunday with the swell and wind calming, the tides are high and must be used to there fullest extent. The high tide is 8am - 8.30pm therefore the best time to dive would be 7am onwards and possibly up to 10.30am on the dropping tides, after this time the rule of twelfths will come into play and the tide will run significantly faster after 10.30am.
The best areas will be Stakepole Quay in Tenby then towards the pembrokeshire coastline, with areas far more protected in these regions. Area close to Cardiff and Swansea will be Dive able but with limited visibility.
The inland areas have still got good visibility and water temperatures for the time of year, due to these facts we will be offering our PADI Open Water course training dives in the inland sites as well as the PADI Advanced Open Water Course and the PADI Rescue course.
Next week will see the start of our next PADI Open Water Diver course in Cardiff, for students from all over the South Wales region.
Scuba Diving Conditions report for Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales area - In all my days I don't think I can remember a winter like this one. We have had summer temperatures, floods, gales force winds, huge swells, freezing temperatures, warmer waters and this was only this week.
The conditions really are crazy at the moment and one thing is for sure, were not dining in the local area at the moment, the conditions are terrible. The swell this week on the coast has been huge, up to 15 foot waves with gale force winds hammering the South Wales coastline.
I would say the best option would be to fly off to Egypt to get some quality diving or even complete the PADI Open Water Diver course but that's not an option now, not with the troubles in the middle East at the moment. The only thing to do is to dive inland at one of the recognised diving facilities such as Chepstow or Vobster Quay. At least you can get a dive in here and the may even have good visibility.
Were heading off inland to teach the PADI Rescue Diver course on the weekend with Jess, James and Hector from Cardiff University and Dave from Swansea. The course has already been held in the swimming pool at Hebron Hall in Cardiff and at Cardiff University for the 1st Aid, were now completing the Open Water section of the course for the students to obtain there qualification.
Scuba Diving Conditions and Activities Report for Cardiff, Swansea, South and West Wales - No No No No no!! There is definitely no way anyone can dive on the South Wales coastline including Swansea, Cardiff, South and up to West Wales for the next few days. The wind is howling, the rain is driving, the weather is cold, bad visibility and the Swell is huge, so conditions are particularly treacherous around the region for the next few days.
The coast would definitely be unsafe to dive on nearly all of the coastlines across the region, again you need to be looking inland and the dedicated Diver training and Scuba Diving open water pools. The water temperature is still quite high but the visibility will be down due to the rain fall.
We are still continuing with the PADI Open Water training course's including the PADI Open Water course, the Advanced Open Water Diver and the PADI Rescue Diver course including 1st Aid. The courses will be run for students across South Wales and into the UK starting as confined water swimming pool training. Inland and in the swimming pool are definitely the best conditions with the Sea state being so severe.
PADI Open Water Diver course will be held in Hebron Hall in Dinas Powys South Wales close to Cardiff, the course will firstly offer theory and education on the practice of Scuba Diving and practical swimming pool training with full Scuba equipment. We will also be running the PADI rescue diver course for students from Cardiff University training for their work placements in the Medess Islands Spain in summer 2016
Scuba Diving Conditions and Activities Report for Cardiff, Swansea, South and West Wales - Firstly we hope you all had a fantastic New Year and your rearing to go and get in the water in 2016. Unfortunately the conditions on the coast of South Wales are not suitable for diving at the moment. We still are experiencing high winds and large swells which incurs bad diving conditions for the whole region. The water temperature is still higher than average but as mentioned the conditions are not great for Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales region in general.
West Wales areas as always will be far more protected including Martins Haven, St Brides Bay protected on the North facing beaches. The conditions are still not great in this area but defiantly better than in South East Wales. The air temperature is also down considerably so the right protective layering will be essential such as hoods, gloves, dry suit, thermals and also warm clothing and hot drinks. In these conditions you must make sure you are protected adequately for the temperatures.
This week we are away teaching a School in Southampton the PADI Open Water Diver Referral course, they will be completing the course firstly in a classroom at the school and then onto a local swimming pool. The students are preparing for an expedition they will be attending in the summer and completing the referral course so they can complete the four PADI Open Water qualifying dives on their expedition. Hopefully we'll be back in the Open Water as soon as the conditions clear.
Scuba Diving Conditions and Activities Report for Cardiff, Swansea, South and West Wales - Well its been more of the same really, high winds, big swells, terrential rains, mild weather it really has been a strange one this year in total. The coast has been affected the worse with the shore lines being battered by high seas and storms making the diving very volatile. There has hardly been a break in the conditions, therefore the visibility has been bad as well as the state of the seas. South Wales has really been affected around the Cardiff and Swansea areas, with little to no diving available at this time of year
As always West Wales has been more protected from these conditions but still has been affected areas such as St Brides Bay, Abercastle, Martins Haven have all been the best options as they are North facing and far more protected than the exposed coastlines of South wales. I would say the best option over the next few days is to go for a run and work off that Christmas Excess ready for the new diving season, or stay in the pub and talk about tales of diving on the high seas of the UK.
We are back in the water instructing the PADI Open Water Diver course for students in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and accross South Wales on the 6th February at Hebron Hall Christian Centre in Dinas Powys close to Cardiff City Centre. The next Open Water dates should be in March 2016, we will be releasing dates early into next year. We will also be realeasing dates for the PADI Advanced and Rescue Course's. So we hope you all have a fantastic New Year and look forward to diving with you all in 2016.
Scuba Diving Conditions and Activities Report for Cardiff, Swansea, South and West Wales - I'm very sorry but there is not alot I can say, the diving is definitely a no go in the South Wales area. The swell is huge and so is the weather, high winds , big swell, stormy weather has all affected the conditions for the Scuba Diving across the coast of South Wales. Even West Wales areas have been affected with the adverse conditions. The only real espace would be in land at the sites in Chepstow, Vobster and Bristol. Conditions here will be quite good, the temperatures have been high therefore the water temperature has kept at a very high level for this time of year.
We will be heading inland to train out latest students on the PADI Open Water Diver Courses this weekend for the last time in 2015. Cathering, Jamie and Robert from Cardiff will be heading into the water to complete the Open Water Diver Course to allow them to dive on the expedition they ate attending to South Africa in 2016.
In the new year we are starting our new PADI Open Water Diver Courses and PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Courses in 2016, the water is colder in January and February so the courses will be limited to fewer numbers to make sure that comfort and safety is key in the colder months.
Hopefully the weather will bring better conditions into 2016, but for now have a fantastic Christmas and above all keep diving and keep happy.