6 Reasons To Learn To Dive With Aquanauts In 2024

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to try something new, scuba diving could be just the hobby for you. After all, scuba diving is the ultimate way to explore quite literally a whole new world underwater, all while developing an incredible new skill, meeting new people, and experiencing new places. However, it’s important to remember that scuba diving equipment is specialist, the technique is unique, and there are a number of important safety considerations to get to grips with. To learn to dive, you’ll therefore need to get yourself properly trained up and enrol on the PADI Open Water Course. This 4-day course provides all of the training needed to dive anywhere in the world, with a buddy, up to a maximum depth of 18 metres. 

Countless dive centres offer this training worldwide, but with so many places you could go to learn to dive, it’s important that you pick a course provider you can trust. The right instructors and locations make all of the difference when it comes to building your confidence and giving you arealdiving experience so do choose wisely. If you’re looking to learn to dive in the South West, Plymouth-based dive centre Aquanauts should be your first port of call. Here’s why:

Local 25 metre pools

Before you dive in open water, you will be required to complete professional training in a pool. This confined skills training is an essential part of learning to dive, not only ensuring that you are safe to take on the seas but also helping you to master essential skills before going out in the open. With Aquanauts, this part of the course takes place in large local heated indoor pools in the Plymouth area. The spacious setting, with a shallow and deep end, ensures that you have the opportunity to get to grips with achieving neutral buoyancy and can focus fully on developing your new skills to give you the best start to your diving journey. 

Local expertise

With the pool session under your belt, you’ll move on to open water diving. The PADI Open Water course includes at least four sea dives or five if you opt for the Protector or Defender course specification. The Protector course will give you an additional drysuit qualification and the Defender course will allow you to dive with Enriched Air Nitrox, as well as qualify you to dive in a drysuit. 

The local experience of our team of diving instructors will provide you with an immediate opportunity to dive straight into some of the best sites in the local area! Aquanauts has been teaching and diving in and around Plymouth since 2004, so it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about local dive sites. From the get-go, we’ll take you to the most suitable sites in the area for learning to dive, chosen to not only introduce you to some incredible surroundings but also to access the conditions and scenarios necessary to enhance your training.

Full kit hire included

One of the biggest barriers to trying scuba diving can be the cost. Of course, getting PADI certified is undoubtedly one of the best investments you could ever make, but there is no hiding from the fact that you will have course fees as well as equipment costs to bear in mind. To make taking up diving as easy as it should be, full kit hire is included when you learn to dive with us. This means that you don’t have to fret about getting the right equipment until you’re a little further along on your diving journey, though our expert team are always happy to provide advice when it comes to the right scuba gear for your intended use and skill level.

We do recommend that you get a mask and snorkel before taking on the course. This keeps things more hygienic, and it’s wise to have a mask that is your own to ensure it fits properly and will not leak while you’re training.

Different specialities available

One of the best things about having scuba diving as a hobby is that you’ve never seen or done it all and any experienced diver will tell you that there is always more that you can learn. Experiencing different dive sites and conditions is a big part of developing as a diver, and you can also work towards different dive specialities such as drysuit diving and enriched air diving. These specialities can be added straight onto your Aquanauts PADI Open Water course, with the required additional review and sea dive added onto days two and three. We also run the PADI Advanced Open Water course, something to consider taking on once you’ve completed your initial training and want to enhance your diving skills further.

Courses run all year round

Unlike some dive centres, we don’t hang up our diving boots in the winter months! We offer drysuit options for courses, or give you an extra wetsuit layer when it’s a bit more chilly, allowing you to enjoy some of the benefits of winter diving. In the winter, the algae and water plants subside, often leading to improved visibility. It’s also a good opportunity to beat the crowds and have a smaller group whilst you learn to dive, potentially increasing your chances of spotting amazing wildlife during your course. It’s often said that if you learn to dive in the UK in Winter, you can dive anywhere!

PADI eLearning included

Practical diving experience and skills make up just half of the experience. To learn to dive, you will also need to complete relevant theory modules through the PADI eLearning portal. Don’t worry though, Aquanauts includes the required PADI eLearning components in the initial course cost, so there’s nothing extra to pay to tick off the final but essential piece of the puzzle. Even better, the online learning aspect means that you can complete your theory at your own pace in the comfort of your own home - though our instructors are always happy to help and guide you if needed!

Aquanauts will be running PADI Open Water courses throughout 2024, so book yours today! If you have any questions about course content, requirements, or learning to dive more generally, please get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to help you.