We have a lot of love for scuba diving in the UK, but when you mention it to the warm water divers they react like you’ve told them to jump in a septic tank. Many divers have the misconception that UK waters are dark, cold, and empty but if it’s those things that are stopping you then you’re diving in the wrong places quite frankly. There is a magnitude of things to see down there in our waters with some stunning visibility to explore.
More often than not, British divers will learn their craft in UK waters before going on to the more tropical seas. We know British water can’t compete with the turquoise tranquillity of the Caribbean, but there are still some great reasons why you should dive in them.
Here are five reasons why you should give scuba diving in the UK a go.
Local Dive Shops
Going abroad may seem like a distant memory, but it will soon be an option again. But remember, most of the money you do spend when travelling overseas goes to the fat cat who owns the airline.
What we’re trying to say is that it’s great to support local British dive centres and dive shops. Paying for dive trips and buying diving gear from local shops directly supports the British diving industry and the people who work within it.
Without any of that, dive shops would struggle to survive and end up sinking from our shorelines. In turn, this would leave you with fewer places to get diving equipment and air fills. It would also mean less places where you can learn how to dive.
Making diving a bigger industry in the UK can also have a positive effect on the environment. One of the largest sectors of local diving is ghost gear recovery. Statistics are showing that divers who continue to dive tend to keep doing it to help recover ghost gear. Joining a dive team to help clean up our waters is a great way to give back and make an ecological difference.
We Have Better Boats
A lot of diving boats in the UK are equipped with an electric platform that you stand on as it lifts you out of the water and level with the deck; allowing you to walk out of the water directly onto your dive boat. This style of boat exit seems to be much more of a thing in the UK. When you’re wearing twins, in particular, it’s a very civilised way to get in and out of the water from a relatively small boat.
Plenty of our dive boats are converted fishing vessels. They’re relatively tiny but have everything you could ever need. Most importantly, they’ve got that cool lift thing built-in.
At the end of your dive, you swim to the back of the boat and stand on a metal mesh platform, grab hold of the rails and look up. The boat skipper will then push a button that lifts the platform. No hassle of taking kit off or struggling to pull yourself up. You just get lifted up and think about the great dive you just experienced. Plus, after your dive, some diving schools will give you a tea, coffee, or a Cornish pasty (depending on your dive location).
