Want to join a dive club? In this series, we take a look at grassroots diving and find out what’s happening on the club scene in the UK and around the world…

What is the name of your club?

Purple Turtle Diving

Where is your club based?

South London

Club affiliations (i.e. BSAC, PADI, SAA, etc.)

Agency agnostic, but we deliver courses through TDI, SDI, PADI and BSAC.

Where and when do you meet?

We meet on the 3^rd or 4^th Thursday of the month, usually at The Knowles of Norwood in West Norwood.  Details are on our Facebook page and on our website.

How do you respond to the challenge of recruiting new members?

We’re really fortunate that we are based in a busy, dive shop and work with a lot of clubs in the area, so people come diving with us (and socialising) from various other clubs.  Additionally, some of our instructors teach diving at two local schools, so we have access to lots of non-divers and can tell them all about the underwater world.

What facilities and resources does the club use/have?

We have a classroom we use at Amphibian Sports, a pool night most weeks on a Wednesday night (and occasional weekends) and we also hire equipment (both recreational and technical).  Amphibian Sports have a full gas blending station, servicing centre for most brands, as well as a shop.

What sort of diving do you do, and where?

We love all our diving! We’re big fans of UK diving. This year we’re focussing on various UK trips, from the beautiful reefs out of Southwest Cornwall, through to the spectacular wrecks of Scapa Flow in Orkney.

We also love our training (but not on our trips!) and we offer everything from kids’ sessions in the pool, entry level training (from three agencies depending on customer requirements) through to full open circuit trimix training from two experienced technical instructors.  We will also be offering SDI Instructor courses imminently.  We are hoping to start offering CCR training on the AP Inspiration by the beginning of 2020.  All of our instructors and staff are keen divers and do a fair amount of fun diving, which is why we no longer offer training on our trips!

Do you organise any club trips abroad, and if so, where?

We have done in the past (Philippines and Egypt) and will do in the future, however this year we’re focussing our energy on enjoying the UK diving (with the exception of a week to the Azores for one of the schools we support!).  Next year we’re looking at a trip to Egypt and perhaps another exotic destination.

Does your club have any special interests such as conservation, special projects, etc?

Two of our instructors (Toni and Colin) are heavily involved with the charity Ghost Fishing UK, where they help raise awareness, assist in surveys and lifting ghost fishing gear.  Colin is a GFUK Instructor.

Does your club have any claims to fame or any particularly interesting stories… or members?

We have a famous member – Scubadog Mika!  She’s often seen at various sites and loves getting out on boats.  One of our instructors assisted in teaching Sir Ranulph Fiennes to dive. Toni was bitten by a shark (another diver’s fault!).

What are the club’s plans for the future?

Continue to dive around the UK and abroad, helping divers progress and learn to dive safely.

Where can people find out more about your club?

Join us at one of our socials, visit our website and our Facebook page.

Finally… if you could sum up your club in just one sentence, what would it be?

From your first underwater breaths to your greatest depths…