Learning scuba doesn’t have to be intimidating. You’ll practise essential skills in the pool before taking them into open water, helping you feel confident and ready for your first certified dives. With guidance from experienced instructors, you’ll get hands-on experience and have fun along the way.
Pool sessions begin with a briefing and hands-on practice, letting you get familiar with your equipment and key skills like breathing and mask clearing. Instructors will provide guidance tailored to your confidence and experience level.
After the pool, you’ll take part in two open water dives. These can be held at Capernwray quarry (max depth 22m), Ellerton inland lake (max depth 7m), or Beadnell Bay shore dives (max depth 7m). You’ll practise navigation, communication, and buoyancy while instructors give personalised feedback.
Open water practice helps you apply the skills learned in the pool in real conditions. By the end, you’ll feel more confident underwater, with the experience and knowledge needed for your next step in scuba.
The heated 25m indoor pool at Seaton Valley High School offers a controlled, calm environment for practising new skills. Exclusive use ensures everyone receives full attention from the instructors.
Open water dives use local sites suitable for beginner divers. Locations like Capernwray, Ellerton, and Beadnell Bay provide easy access, changing facilities, and safe conditions, making it easy to focus on practising techniques and enjoying the experience.
You must be at least 15 years old with some prior experience or an introductory session. This ensures you’re ready to practise both in the pool and open water safely.
Instructors will adapt exercises to suit your current ability, helping you regain confidence and refine your skills in a safe, supportive environment.
Experienced instructors guide every step of the session, offering tips and personalised feedback to help you quickly regain confidence. Sessions are paced to suit your ability, so you get the most out of each dive.
Combining pool and open water dives ensures you practise essential skills in a controlled environment before applying them in real-life conditions. You’ll leave confident, competent, and ready for future courses or open water adventures.
You can join if you’re 15+ and have done some prior diving or an introductory session. The session is designed to build confidence and give a taste of certified scuba diving.
Each exercise is tailored to your skill level, ensuring you practise safely while gaining the experience needed for future courses.
The session includes two confined water dives in the pool and two open water dives at local sites.
This structure gives you practice in both controlled and real environments, helping you feel confident underwater.
Mask clearing, regulator use, buoyancy control, and underwater navigation are all covered.
You’ll also gain experience handling practical problems safely under the guidance of instructors, building confidence for future dives.
Dives can take place at Capernwray quarry (22m max), Ellerton inland lake (7m max), or Beadnell Bay shore dives (7m max).
Instructors ensure conditions are safe and appropriate for your skill level, and sites provide facilities like changing rooms, showers, and easy water access.
All necessary scuba gear is provided, including mask, fins, buoyancy device, and regulator. Instructors fit and check all equipment.
You just need swimwear, allowing you to focus on practising skills rather than worrying about kit.
Instructor-to-diver ratios are low to provide full supervision. Exercises are structured to challenge you safely while building confidence.
Instructors continually monitor technique and comfort, adjusting exercises as needed to ensure a safe experience.
After completing this session, you can progress to a full Open Water 20 course or additional specialty dives.
Instructors can advise which skills and sites to practise next, helping you plan your scuba journey with confidence and safety.
About the centre
Whitley Bay
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