Dive Training Blogs
Jump into… Discovering new dive sites
My favourite time of the year is when we head out and find new dive sites for the season.
One of the things that I love about diving is the unknown, and let’s be honest, how many of us go out and pick a spot to dive and just go for it (with a thorough dive plan of course), just to see what is there. Well, that’s exactly what the team and I do each year, every year. Leading us to change our dive site list for the year, usually keeping the ones that you love… and finding new ones to share with you all.
Over the years I had been very lucky to get to explore areas of the coastline such as Porth Ysgaden, and Rhoscolyn, as well as further afield sites such as Puffin Island and the Kimya – all stunning sites around the area. I have to admit though, the one site that I have loved exploring from the very start, and one that only ever gets better and better, never failing to introduce new marine life… the Menai Strait.
The amount of marine life in the Menai is unbelievable, from tompot blennys, to dogfish to octopus, this site has everything and can cater for any level of diver too… another reason for my love of the site. It has something for the adrenaline junkie loving drifts, to the cautious new open water diver wanting to stay shallow and see the marine life. An absolute must for any diver.
Last year was our first year at Pwllheli, and we ventured quite a lot around the stunning Tudwals Islands. This year… well, I would love to tell you, but it is of course top secret… we don’t want you all knowing about the sites before they are released!
We will be heading further out across the mainland and around the Pwllheli area, as well as also having a few new bays on our list, for those of you not too keen on the boat diving just yet. So how do we decide on our sites? Obviously the guides liking them is a top consideration! But also the marine life, topography, and most importantly, the skill level required. Each year we are always very picky over what sites we choose. We want sites that all divers are capable of diving with our guides. That is, after all, the way that we choose to operate. Small groups, personal centres, to ensure that we can meet your needs and either get you to fall in love with UK diving, or as an experienced diver, to see why Wales should have been on your list all along.
Our new sites will be revealed on social media over the next few months, but whilst you are waiting, you can get ready for the season and contact us with regards to your bespoke dive trip!
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) has recently launched their new Professional Development Excellence Award in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), celebrating PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centers (IDC) that are championing creating more PADI Professionals, at all levels, during the previous calendar year.
“While becoming a PADI Five Star IDC Center is a prized accreditation amongst members, this exclusive rating comes with the responsibility of training the next generation of divers to become PADI Instructors,” explains Dave Murray, Managing Director for PADI EMEA.
“PADI’s commitment to a continuing education philosophy encourages divers to realise their dreams of a career as a PADI Pro, teaching others to do what they love – to scuba dive. This new recognition award distinguishes productive PADI Five Star IDC stores for the time and effort they dedicate to marketing and conducting the professional training needed to grow the scuba diving industry.”
PADI’s EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award recognises members for reaching specific milestones based on the number of PADI Pro certifications they issue annually. It also provides an extra layer of credentials in their “Pro Development Status” to potential Divemaster and IDC candidates, along with any other prospective Pro-level customers and prospective employees.
The first awards were distributed earlier this year, with 12 PADI Five Star IDC Centers receiving the Platinum Award. This means that they have issued a minimum of 100 PADI Professional certifications from Divemaster to IDC Staff Instructor, which include 30 Core Professional certifications and 70 Continuing Education Instructor level certifications.
The 2025 PADI EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award is already underway and renewed PADI EMEA Five Star IDC Dive Centers and Resorts are automatically eligible. Stores that reach the recognition levels during 2024 will receive their award in the first quarter of 2025.
For more information about the award and to see the full list of award recipients visit here.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members, and more than 30 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM www.padi.com
RAID’s Performance Diver program is part of the training agency’s unique ‘tune-up’ options for divers at all levels, from basic to technical. Its appeal to newer divers who did not get all they wanted from their open water course (perhaps with a non-RAID dive centre) has always been strong. But it’s a winning option for someone who has been inactive for a while as well.
The skills taught in this course have been designed by some of the most respected dive professionals in the industry. They have condensed years of in-water experience into a great program that’s fuelled by great ideas and solid knowledge. Something useful in all sorts of conditions and all sorts of gear configurations. In short, a range of skills you will use on every dive: buoyancy, trim, situational awareness, gear selection and management, contingency planning… having fun and staying safe.
You can find out more about RAID’s Performance Diver program here.
And with the agency’s renewed focus in 2024 on breath-hold programs, July is a good time to read about the benefits of RAID’s range of Freediving courses.
Freediving is such an exhilarating and beautiful sport that allows you to connect with the underwater world in a unique way.
The thrill of diving deep down, holding your breath, and exploring the depths with just a single breath is truly an unforgettable experience.
It requires focus, control, and a deep respect for the ocean. The sense of freedom and tranquility you can find while freediving is unlike any other.
Have you ever tried freediving or are you interested in learning more about it? You do not have to be a scuba diver to start… not at all!
And if you are already a diver, RAID can help you discover a whole new way to look at a familiar world.
You can find out more about RAID’s Freediving courses here.
To find out more about RAID and the agency’s diver training programs, visit diveraid.com.
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