Diver Training

GUE Dates & Events

Please see below for a list of dates for our GUE dive, events and courses.

We also meet regularly to dive and train with each other on an informal basis every Thursday evening. For more information please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Date	Course / Event	Instructor	Cost	Comments
Every Thurs	Regular GUE Dive Practice	James & Brian	Free	Various club based dives for GUE divers to dive and practice with each other.
Feb 23-26	GUE Fundamentals	James Sanderson	£500	Based in Plymouth, training in sea and/or a local quarry.
Mar 2,3	DIR/GUE Rescue Skills Practice	guided practice	£100	Self guided practice with points from James, Rich Whalley and various senior GUE divers.
Apr 13,14 May 4,5	GUE Fundamentals	James Sanderson	£500	Based in Plymouth, training in sea and/or a local quarry.
May 14-16	Tech 2 Dives	wreck diving	£50 pd	Aiming to dive the Flying Enterprise, Afric and M1
May 18-20 May 25-27	GUE Tech 1	Graham Blackmore	£1200	Shallow diving over the first weekend building up to 51m gas diving over the second.
May/Jun 31,1,2	DPV Level 1	John Kendall	£350	Full underwater scooter training
Jun 5-9	GUE Rec 3	John Kendall	£900	Training to use recreational trimix and deco gas to 39m, with diving at the Eddystone.
Jun 14-17	GUE Fundamentals	Brian Allen	£500	Based in Plymouth, training in sea and/or a local quarry.
Jul 5-7	DPV Level 1	Graham Blackmore	£350	Full underwater scooter training
Aug 10,11	DIRexplorers Scooter Grand Prix	Open to all	£150	2013 DIRexplorers Underwater Scooter/DPV Championships.

GUE Tech 1

The hardest Trimix course on the planet - £1200 inclusive of all costs

GUE Tech Courses

Duration: 6 days

Tec 1 has set the industry benchmark for normoxic trimix training. It is simply the most complete and thorough training course available for divers that wish to explore the amazing dive sites that lie outside of the realm of recreational diving. By using GUE’s team based approach to dive planning, decompression and conservative gas choices, safety and enjoyment are maximised.

Technical diver level 1 is the right course for you if you if you have technical pass at Fundamentals want to achieve a deeper understanding of:

The use of a twinset and in the potential failure problems associated with them: By building on the skills learned in Fundamentals you will learn to identify and resolve various failure modes of manifolds and regulators increasing your safety.
The use of Nitrox for accelerated and general decompression strategies: Get more bottom time as your dives can be safely extended beyond recreational no stop limits using either 50% or 100% oxygen for decompression efficiency and safety.
The use of normoxic Helium gas mixes to minimize narcosis to maximum depth of 51m: GUE standard gasses reduce the narcosis problems associated with increased gas density and open up a world of new dive locations giving the maximum safety and enjoyment.
The applications of single decompression stage diving, with respect to decompression procedures: Start to build a solid foundation of experience with a single stage bottle and planning a maximum of 30 minutes of adjusted decompression laying the foundations for Technical diver level 2.

What will you learn on this course?
Tec 1 is uniquely designed around the needs of the diver to further cultivate the three essential foundations of sound technical diving practice, capacity, awareness and efficiency.

Tec 1 teaches the diver the highest standard of safety, dive planning, teamwork and problem resolution when a mandatory decompression obligation is anticipated or in place. As with all other GUE training this is achieved through developing individual capacity and high quality team skills.

We do this over 6 days with at least ten hours of academics and nine dives, six of which will be critical-skill dives and three will be experience dives utilizing Trimix. Initial dives will be conducted in shallow water to test diver ability and to fill in any deficits in skill levels. The last three dives are to be Trimix dives at depth for experience. There is also a swim test of 375m in under 14 minutes and breath hold swim of 18m.

In summary the course can be broken in to four essential components.

Academic topics: We will develop your working knowledge of nitrox, normoxic and hyperoxic Trimix and decompression mixtures, including history, physics, physiology, tables, and operational considerations. Plus gas planning, dive planning and in depth understanding of equipment and failures.

Land Drills: Before entering the water you will have had the opportunity to rehearse critical skills such as reel and guideline use, dive team order and protocols, touch contact, manifold operation and failures. Plus the use of safety spools, reels and basic navigation skills and pre-dive drills.

Training dives: In addition to further refining the skills learned in Fundamentals you will also learn many new skills in shallow water including:

Procedures for gas failures, including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and regulator switching as appropriate.
The use of touch contact for limited and simulated zero-visibility situations.
Reel and guideline use.
Gas-sharing scenarios, to include a prolonged gas-sharing event.
The effective deployment of a reserve light
Reasonable proficiency with a single decompression cylinder.
Proficiency with effective decompression techniques, including depth and time management.
A comfortable demeanour while sharing gas without a mask.
Dive-rescue techniques, including effective management of unconscious diver. Including differences between the management of unconscious and toxing diver.

Experience dives: Before the end of your course you will also conduct three full trimix decompression dives to maximum of 51m with your instructor to allow you to gain essential experience with a watchful eye!

PADI Recreational Courses

These are our favourite and most popular courses. We are currently rolling out E-learning options for all of these. If you chose this option you can save time, by completing the theory portion of each one in the comfort of your own home, then you can skip class and save time by only attending the centre for the diving portion of your course. Currently we are offering E-Learning on Open Water, Advanced Open Water and the Rescue Diver course, with more being rolled out next month.

For more information on each please click the links

OPEN WATER DIVER

ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER

RESCUE DIVER

MASTER SCUBA DIVER

EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDER

Choose Aquanauts for your course because:

We are the only National Geographic, Instructor Development, 5 Star PADI Dive Centre, and the only official GUE facility in Devon or Cornwall, making us the highest rated dive centre in the area.
On qualifying you will receive £350 worth of vouchers*
Join our dive club after you pass and receive free equipment hire when you dive with us and free air whenever you want - making diving an affordable hobby.
Our club dive boats are just £15.
Free guiding on Monday evening open water boats so that you can gain confidence quickly.
Friendly, very active dive club that dives all year, in Plymouth, around the UK, and abroad. We also have marine conservation, nautical archaeological, and shipwreck diving groups that you can join, and a large membership base that welcomes new members and will buddy up with new people.
Our courses are completely flexible, weekends, evenings or weekdays, we will fit around you.
Receive a full crew pack, theory manual, and all PADI DVDs.
We have our own private, heated, training pool facilities - so we don't have to rush you through your training.
Final qualifying dives are completed from a very large, comfortable hardboat (the most modern in Plymouth), with a rear diver lift to make getting in and out while wearing equipment very easy. We also supply tea, coffee or hot chocolate throughout your day.
Our safety equipment is first class, we are the only boat that carries multiple GPS and VHF radios, Radar, Night Search Lights, Night Navigation Equipment, Full Diver Emergency Facilities, First Aid Kits, Oxygen and an Automated External Defibrillator.
We are open and staffed 7 days per week, year round.
Our shop and online shop is one of the cheapest for equipment in the country and we operate a UK price guarantee - we cannot be beaten on price and if you see something for sale anywhere in the UK cheaper, we'll match it and you still get our excellent local service and free help putting it all together.

* applies to your first course

Discover Local Diving

Discover Local Diving is an escorted dive program aimed at introducing divers to the local area.

This program is aimed at anyone who feels they would like a supervised underwater tour.

This program is suitable for anyone but particulary the following:

1. Those who have trained abroad and would like to be introduced to UK diving.

2. Anyone who is recently qualified and would be like to improve thier experince and skill while under the guidance of a PADI professional.

3. Divers unfamiliar with Plymouths dive sites who would like a guided tour of our local sites.

4. Those returning to diving after a short period of in activity (along longer than 12 months please refer to our Scuba Review section).

Discover Local Diving is a supervised underwater tour designed to orient divers to unfamiliar aquatic conditions and environments. It may also be used to reintroduce divers to the open water environment after a period of diving inactivity. Divers may choose to discover new aspects of a dive site close to home or get an orientation to the local area while on a diving holiday. The guidance provided by PADI Members allows participants to comfortably explore different underwater environments, find items of interest and avoid potential hazards. Divers who have been inactive find that the Scuba Review program combined with Discover Local is just what they need to get back in the water.

Nat Geo Diver

If you're considering learning to dive and have an interest in the world in which we live, the National Geographic Diver program is the perfect way to integrate the PADI Open Water Diver course - the world's leading dive certification - with the wisdom and experience of National Geographic. Designed to integrate with the Open Water Diver Course, the National Geographic Diver program contains the same materials you'll get as part of the Open Water course along with the National Geographic Almanac and course DVD.

This is a 5 day course.

Day 1-4 Same as Open Water

Day 5 Buoyancy, Environment and additional Navigation training.

Issueable only through a National Geographic Dive Centre, ( we are the only one in Devon) the National Geographic Diver certification is aimed at developing a higher standard of diver through a combination of skills and knowledge training and assessment. By completing it, you demonstrate not only a knowledge of the environmental issues facing our planet and your place in "the grand scheme of things" but also that you've got the skills and awareness to act responsibly as a diver.