DATE - 17th February 2018
ACTIVITIES - Scuba Diving, Sub Aqua, Scuba, Free Diving, Snorkelling
LOCAL AREA - South Wales, Cardiff, Porthcawl, Swansea, Bridgend, Southerndown, Ogmore by Sea, Llantwitt Major, Aberavon, Stackpole Quay, Llanethi,
SITE LOCATION - Sker Beach, Limeslade Bay, langland Bay, Oxwich Bay, Stackpole Quay
WEATHER - Dry conditions pretty much through out the week accept for Sunday when the rain comes in again, winds are blustery up to 30 mph generally in a Westerly and South Westerly direction, dropping by the end of the week. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2648385?day=2) (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/gcjqmsw80)
WATER TEMPERATURE - 7 Degrees
WIND - Wind is variable again predominantly South Westerly and gusting upto 30 mph in stages, will be dropping off on Friday (www.windguru.cz/5693)
SEA STATE AND SWELL -Strong winds again making variable rough conditions for the next few days but also brininging in good well conditions and with the dropping of the winds could get pretty epic surf into next week. (https://magicseaweed.com/Southerndown-Surf-Report/4321/)
SWELL - 2FT - 6FT
HIGH TIDE TODAY - HT6.59pm HEIGHT 9.1Meters.
VISABILITY 0 - 1 Meter
Scuba Diving Conditions Report South Wales, Cardiff, Porthcawl, Aberavon, Swansea, Llanelli, Stackpole Quay
As you may have gathered the winter season does not provide the best conditions for scuba diving in the South Wales region especially around Newport, Cardiff, Swansea and Tenby areas, the winds are high, gusty and variable, swells and surf are consistantly bigger, weather is colder and visibility hard to come by. This week is no exception the swell is high, the winds are big, the visibility is low and big tides.
However there is always the back up of the inland sites to dive in and also trips abroad especially winter destinations such as Egypt, South Africa, Caribbean. As always we are training people through the PADI system for there PADI Open Water Diver Course, the PADI Open Water Referral diver course and all other courses in the system. Ten students have just been trained up to the Referral system and preparing for their Open Water qualifying dives.
Conditions Report for Scuba Diving in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales
Wow! What a weekend we had in South Wales last weekend. Massive swell and gale force winds. This weekend see's things return to a more normal situation and could actually see acceptable conditions for diving on certain parts of the South Wales coast, particularly on Saturday.
We're expecting winds to be reasonably gentle and in an Easterly / Northerly direction, meaning we have fairly small swell and the wind shouldn't be causing too many visibility problems. The tidal movement, whilst still large compared to many places in the UK, is reasonably small for the South Wales coast which will also help with visibility and dive times.
So, Saturday you should have the option of most of the dive sites in the Gower, such as Limeslade Bay or Oxwich Bay. You will also have the option to head a little further west and dive some of the bays out there, such as Martins Haven and St Brides Bay. Sunday conditions could become more troublesome as wind and swell size may increase.
As always it's important to plan your dive around the tide, remembering the rule of twelfths and looking to dive on slack water or an incoming tide.
Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales
There's no training for us this weekend after last weeks PADI Open Water Diver and PADI Rescue Diver courses. We're very pleased to say that all of our students passed their courses last weekend. This gives the Open Water students the ability to dive anywhere in the world up to 18m and we're hoping to see them back soon for their PADI Advanced Open Water course, allowing them to improve their skills in buoyancy and also dive up to 30m anywhere in the world.
Our PADI Rescue Divers now have he knowledge to deal with various situations they could find themselves in, provide first responder first aid care and assist in diver rescues should the need ever arise. It's a tough course that will allow them to move onto working towards the first PADI professional course, PADI Divemaster should they wish to, so they should be proud of their achievements.
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).
Conditions Report for Scuba Diving in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales
We've got a big change in conditions from last weekend here in South Wales due this weekend. There's a large area of low pressure in the Atlantic that is moving across West and South Wales over the weekend, bringing with it strong Westerlies and Southerlies (20 - 30 knots) and huge swell, up to 15ft, along all of the coast, including Cardiff, Swansea and all the way down to Tenby.
We also see the return of the big tides this weekend, with high tide on Saturday being almost 10m. With all this water movement, visibility is going to become a real issue and entry into and exit from the water is also going to be a challenge.
With diving off the coast completely off all is not lost, even for those not lucky enough to be able to head abroad to calmer waters. We have some of the best inland dive sites in the UK here in South Wales and nearby, so there is always to opportunity to head to Chepstow and the National Diving Activity Centre or Vobster Quay in Somerset and get your dive in.
Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales
We back at Chepstow this weekend with a busy schedule of diving courses across both days. We've got Sam from Swansea and Dave from the Valleys hoping to complete their PADI Rescue Diver course, having already completed the pool sessions and Emergency First Responder part of the course.
We also have our latest batch of PADI Open Water Diver students who will be completing the open water dives for their qualification, allowing them to then dive up to 18m deep anywhere in the world. We also have a couple of guided dives to ease qualified divers back into scuba diving having not dived for a little while.
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.
Even though winter is now in full swing and the days are getting colder, here at ocean quest we are still running the PADI diving programme to all applicants. This is due to both the pool training sessions that we run as part of the PADI Open Water qualification, and the specialist equipment that we use when doing our open water dives to keep you (and us) warm. The pool session aims to teach you all the skills that is needed to dive in the open water, in a controlled pool environment. This enables you to be safe while learning the fundamental skills of diving. The theory test that follows the pool session aims to broaden your knowledge on the topic of diving. The theory covers many aspects of diving from details about the equipment, to biochemical effects that occur during diving. All this is aimed to give you a vast knowledge prior to the open water dives that occur over a weekend, which are assessed by dive masters. In these open water dives, the skills that were learned in the pool will be repeated in an open water environment in order to make sure these skills can be correctly transitioned from the warm pool environment, to the colder open water environment at different depths. The course is run in the South Wales area around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport and anyone from the age of 10 or above can learn these skills and get this amazing qualification.
Try the the scuba Cardiff experience rivals anything you'll find abroad.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say. There are certain things that you know
are going to be fantastic but for some reason you've always kept putting
them off. Some people have their own 'bucket list' – a mental rundown of
experiences they would like to try while there's still time, but getting round to
ticking the items off the list is often another story! Scuba diving often features
prominently on such lists. The possibility of exploring a whole new underwater
world; getting close up to sea creatures and moving freely over a completely
unfamiliar sub-aqua terrain. It's certainly enticing. So what's putting you off?
Scuba diving is easier, cheaper and more accessible than you think. If you've
always fancied having a go, there really is nothing to stopping you!
It's time to dispel three of the most frequently-encountered myths that stop too many people taking the plunge, and here they are:
“Scuba-diving is only for abroad”
Wrong. Here in the UK, we're blessed with countless locations for scuba
diving. After all wherever you are in the UK, you're never more than a couple
hours drive away from the sea and most of us are a lot closer than that! The
range of sites is amazing and we have thousands of miles of coastline dotted
with reefs and shore beds of all different varieties. These locations are home
to a spectacular array of marine life – from native crustaceans, impressive
anemones and spectacular shoals of fish right through to seals, sea-otters,
whales and even sharks. Also, if wrecks are what attract you, our rich
maritime history ensures you're spoilt for choice. South Wales is no exception
to this. Thanks to being on the doorstep of hundreds of miles of stunning
Heritage Coast, you can guarantee that the scuba Cardiff experience rivals
anything you'll find abroad.
“You have to be super-fit to scuba dive”
Wrong. Scuba diving is a universal sport and is enjoyed by children as young
as ten right through to people who've been diving for 60 or more years! In
fact, it's the ideal family activity and is a great way to keep fit. You can be
introduced gently to it as well to make sure that when you do take to the open
sea, you'll be doing so with full back-up. Firstly, an instructor will make sure
you fully understand the theoretical side of things before getting the basic
technique right in a pool setting. Very quickly, you'll find that scuba diving
becomes second nature and when you do venture into open water, you'll be
able to do so with complete confidence.
"Scuba diving is expensive."
Wrong. You don't have to shell out on hundreds of pounds worth of kit in
order to learn how to scuba dive. For one thing, it's possible to hire out
equipment at incredibly attractive rates. What you probably want to do first of
all is to try and get a feel for the sport and a scuba diving taster course
at Ocean Quest is the ideal way of doing that. Once you finally dive in, the
chances are that you'll be hooked.
Try scuba diving for £15 and if you go on to book a diving course the £15 is taken off course price.
Get 10% off total price of course when 2 people book at the same time.
What are you waiting for? Give scuba diving a go and find out for yourself.
Well we've had a great weekend of scuba diving with the guys from Cardiff and swansea, we have another great week coming up with the PADI Open Water Diver Course and the Advanced PADI Open water diver course.
we have been training hard for the Jubilee weekend and hopefully will make a big splash, Rose, dan, alex and Ray are all ready and prepared and cant wait to dive in.
We will keep you updated on their progress next week on completion of their course. Watch how they get with facebook as well and see the course unfold.
We are currently enjoying a fantastic weeks diving in Lanzarote, crystal clear waters and plenty to see! Now even more excited about the up and coming dive season at home in the UK. It's time to start preparing for the good dive times ahead with pool sessions for the PADI open water, advanced open water, rescue and Divemaster courses starting weekly in Cardiff , Swansea and across South Wales!
Jump in and enjoy learning in our fantastically warm, heated pools ready to take the plunge into the open water when winter losses its grip!
Winter is just around the corner but there is no better time to start diving! The water is at its warmest and to top it off we are heading to Sharm El Sheikh, the worlds premier dive spot in November and February. Why not take a course while your there and take advantage of our free equipment hire for PADI Open Water, Advanced and Rescue courses? To join us on one of these fun filled tours contact us today! Also don't forget we have PADI Open Water, Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster courses starting weekly across South Wales.
Well done to everyone who gained their refferal diver qualification yesterday! Don't forget we have PADI scuba diving courses starting weekly across South Wales. Get started now while the waters nice an warm!