Northern England

[wolfboy]

Hey ive just compleated my open water and want to get out and active in diving the only problem is i only know one dive site near me and i have only one dive buddy.
can someone show me where some good dive sites near manchester are and where id beable to find buddies?


p.s. i cant drive which makes it harder.

 

[dbulmer]

Your best bet is to join a club - there are BSAC, SAA and PADI clubs.
My advice to you would be join a BSAC or SAA club and see if you can get some DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy or blob as we normally call it) training. This will cost you less in the club system although you can pay PADI for an equivalent course.

From your profile you have a 5mm wetsuit and a PADI drysuit specialty- IMHO 5mm wetsuit is inadequate for UK conditions and you should start saving up for a drysuit if you intend to dive in the UK (or at least a 7mm wetsuit).

As for sites, without DSMB training you should try a dive in inland sites such as Stoney Cove in Leicestershire or perhaps Capernway in Cumbria to practice some skills. UK sea diving is difficult and this early in your diving it would be a good idea to take it easy and build up some diving experience in the inland sites before venturing into the sea.

A better internet site for UK diving is yorkshire-divers.com - introduce yourself there and you'll get further advice and maybe someone will offer to dive with you somewhere locally.

The club system should provide you with a range of buddies and opportunities to try different bits of kit and might help with transport.

You can PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[foxe]

Hey, just noticed you were looking for dive buddies and interested in diving around Manchester -- I live in Manchester too! I haven't been diving in England yet (did my OW and AOW this year, both overseas) so can't recommend any dive sites myself, but am always keen to get in the water and of course to make new friends!

Have you had any luck finding dive sites, buddies, clubs etc since your post above? I notice you've done some more training since then... I'm planning to do the Rescue Diver course soon. I've signed up with a club here in Manchester and am also going to do the Dry Suit course so I can actually dive in England!

Anyway hope to hear from you and maybe we can dive together sometime!

 

[markc123]

I'm in the Liverpool / Manchester area as well. Just got back into diving in Malta and looking for local clubs. So far I have found a drysuit course in Liverpool which looks promising. I can dive down to 12 deg with a full + shorty wetsuit on anyway, but I'd rather be warmer!

 

[foxe]

I really like my local club (Orca Divers in Chorlton), if you're near to Manchester then it might be worth giving them a call! I'd be interested to dive around Liverpool as well, though... fancy meeting up for a dive sometime? I've got my dry-suit certification now, so if you get yours or you're willing to brave it once the weather gets a little warmer then we'd be good to go! What are the dive sites around Liverpool like in terms of transport? I don't drive, which makes getting to Capernwray on my own a bit difficult...

 

[Helo32]

I'm new to diving (still a student on the open water course) and with a dive group in Clitheroe called Reefers and Wreckers- they go to Capenwray most weekends or Eccleston Delph (i hear the visibility in Eccleston is a lot lower than Capenwray) and they buddy up in vehicles to go diving en masse which might make it easier for a non-driver to get there- why not check out their website and give them a call? Clitheroe's a train ride away from Manchester (The club itself is a five star PADI and can train people up to and including Staff Instructor)