Scuba Diving Conditions for Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales and West Wales areas . Another week and more wind and swell on the South Wales coastline, there hasn't been a settled period for some time, so the visability is not good around Cardiff, Swansea areas. The best chance of a good dive as usual will be towards West Wales, may even be OK in Stackpole Quay this next few days especially early afternoon when the tides are coming in. St Brides, Martins Haven, Dale in Pembrokeshire again will be the best options for good diving. Visability should be alot better, the water temperature is up around the 15 degrees and the swell in this area is a minimal compared to the rest of the region.

This weekend we are teaching the PADI Open Water Referral Diver course to students from all over the region including Swansea, Bridgend, Nweport Brecon and all over South Wales. The course will be run over one day and teach the students all the basics of becoming a proficient Scuba Diver and be able to dive any where in the world up to 18 meters.

We shall be keeping an eye on all the studentsn to see there progress, the PADI Open Water Qualifying dates will then be held on 22nd and 23rd August to complete the full PADI Open Water Diver Qualification, so good luck to everyone on the course.

Scuba Diving Conditions in Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales and West Wales for the up coming week as usual is looking varied across the region. The exposed tidal areas of Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales are not looking good at all. We have big winds and bigger Swell conditions to cope with and this is affecting the Scuba Diving conditions badly. The visibility is minimal and the undertows, rip currents and inshore currents will be very unpredictable for the next few days. All divers with the basic qualifications such as PADI Open Water Diver, BSAC Ocean Diver should not be in the water in these areas unless under supervision by and experienced qualified diver. PADI Rescue Diver and BSAC Sports Diver would be better suited to the conditions in the area at the moment.

The best option for diving over the next few days would be West Wales in the protected areas of Martins Haven, St Brides Bay in Pembrokeshire. They are far better protected from the wind and the swell conditions and will offer by far the safest and clearest conditions for all qualified divers.

We are teaching the PADI Open water Diver Course at the moment in Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales areas, the course will allow a diver to certify to be able to dive up to 18 meters anywhere in the world, our advice is always for the newly qualified diver to be under supervision so they be protected whilst learning the basics of there new diving experience.

Scuba Diving Conditions Report for South Wales including, Cardiff, Swansea and West Wales. - The weather has been great over the last couple of weeks, but the swell and surf has also followed in these weeks especially in the areas around Cardiff, Swansea and South West and East Wales. We have also had varied wind conditions to make the the visibility in the water is extremely varied throughout the region.

West Wales is defiantly the better option including Dale, Martins Haven and St Brides Bay all in Pembrokeshire, conditions here are looking good and protected from the main issues of the swell and predominate South Westerly winds. Viability, weather and conditions are looking good and the best times to dive will be in the afternoons on the incoming tides.

Swansea could possibly get better Vis if the winds and swell die down, but that's not predicted at the moment. We are away on the weekend teaching the PADI Open Water Diver Course to 6 students from across the region. WE will be using an inland site where the conditions are perfect for controlled training for the PADI courses.

Firstly we apologise for the late review, we have been away in L'Estartit in Spain on a Scuba Diving Research project, the Diving was amazing on the Medes Island Natural Park and we are presently running a team of research divers from Cardiff University studying and researching the marine and terrestrial environment in the Natural Park. The conditions out in Spain have been amazing with great visability, wonderfull marine life and stunning scenery.

Conditions in the local area have been varied especially with the good weather but high winds and big swell. In the area the swell and tide have a huge effect on the conditions and this week will really show this. The weather is amazing getting up to to 35 degrees in some parts, but there is also a big swell out on the channel which will affect all coastal areas especially in Cardiff and Swansea.

The best diving areas will be the most protected from the wind and the swell, these areas as always will be along the pembrokeshire coast especially Martins Haven and St Brides Bay. The Algae ploombs should be clearing and the visability should become alot clearer with the bays being protected from the swells, the water temperature is also looking alot better around the 14 degree mark.

So head for west wales for your diving but head along the south coast area for a surf and a sun bath.

We are teaching the PADI Open Water Diver Course in Hebron Hall in Dinas Powys in Cardiff this week, with people from all over the area, Swansea, Merthyr, Bridgend, Newport, even Tewkesbury. The course will take the full day and give the students the qualification to be able to dive anywhere in the world up to 18 meters.

Conditions and Events Report for Scuba Diving in South and West Wales near Cardiff, Swansea, Lydstep and Pembrokshire - well summers hear and the conditions are terrible for diving in the South Wales region, high winds, bad weather, storms, heavy rain and Big sea swells and again hindering the coastal areas in the region for Scuba Diving. Sites near Cardiff and Swansea are definitely a no go with bad visibility and poor conditions.

If there was anywhere to dive this coming week it would be West Wales in protected areas such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay by Dale and haverfordwest. These sites would be better dived on the late afternoon incoming tides and when the bays are in full flood to protect from the adverse conditions.

Divers should to qualified to the PADI Advanced or PADI Rescue Diver level or the similar level in other licences for this weeks diving profile. We are running the PADI Open Water Diver Course at Hebron Hall in Dinas Powys on 6th June. The Open Water Dives will then be run in July for the full qualification.

Scuba Diving in the Cardiff, Swansea and South Wales Area Conditions Report 16.05.2015 - The wind and the swell have been high around the coastline for the last few weeks. After the great weather in April we are now paying the price coming into the main diving season in the UK. Over the years we have realised there is not a better or good seasons for the conditions in the area around the South Wales Coast.

We have big tides, big wind and big swell so judging the conditions is crucial to enjoy safe, relaxed diving, which is not usually the case in the area. The viability at the moment is down due to the swell, tide and wind and there is more unsettled conditions to come. I would say the best bet is to head to West Wales to the sheltered Bays such as Martins Haven and St brides. These are protected from Westerly and easterly winds so definitely the best options.

The conditions are definately for the basic PADI Open Water Diver Levels or possibly even the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, the Scuba Diver in these regions need to be experienced and up to a CMAS 2 Star such as PADI Rescue Diver or above.

Conditions Report: The sea temperature is hitting around 10 degrees this week which is an improvement but still very cold. The wind conditions vary across the week but are generally between 10-20 mph in South Wales. Check magicseaweed for a comprehensive conditions breakdown on the day. Full neoprene suits should be worn as a minimum including gloves and hoods. The swell is starting to pick up this week also with only Wednesday being 1-2 ft and reaching 8ft later in the week.

We are getting more and more students for the PADI Open Water qualification as it’s starting to get warmer and the perfect time to learn if you want to try something new during the summer. This short course allows someone to dive anywhere in the world although it is advised to always dive with a dive master. The course itself is split into a pool session, theory exam and an open water assessment.

There are also other qualifications to obtain following the Open water course. These include the Advanced Open Water qualification and the Rescue diver qualification. These qualifications expand on the Open Water course and cover areas more comprehensively. The advanced course teaches you how to better navigate and control buoyancy whereas the rescue course teaches individuals what to do should you find yourself in trouble. Both are very useful and worthwhile courses.

This weekend is a big training weekend for the Cardiff University Marine Biology and Scientific Diving Society. The group from the University will be completing their PADI Open Water Diver Course and other members completing their PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course. 

The grou;p are heading out to Spain in the Summer of 2015 for there placement at the Medes Islands Reserve in L'Estartit in Spain, they will be volunteering for the Reserve, monitoring Diver numbers, ability, protection, conservation and working on their marine studies programmes.

The placements will be held from July 2015 - September 2015 and will involve terrestrial and Marine based studies as part as an ongoing project with the Reserve.

We will let you know how all the students get on and have a running blog on there development throughout the year.

Scuba Diving near Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and across South and West Wales: The temperature has slightly increased in the sea this week going up by 1 degree to 9 degrees. This is till very cold however, so thick wetsuits e.g. 7mm(preferably dry suits), gloves and hoods are a necessity if diving in Wales this week. the wind is still very high reaching 45mph however the swell has reduced and after Friday will drop below 3ft.

This weekend we will be taking a group to an inland sight in order for them to complete they're PADI Open Water Qualification. The group have passed they're theory test and learnt he required skills to pass in the pool the previous weekend. The waters will be very cold so we will be equipping them with 7mm suits along with hoods and gloves.

We have some individuals on the Rescue course this week which teaches the skills required to help others and ones self when in trouble in a diving situation. This qualification gives a detailed understanding of what could go wrong and what to do in this situation which is an extremely useful  skill to have. We recommend this course to all divers as it will make you much safer while diving.