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.
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.