Why should warm water divers consider the UK?

[Adrian Kelland]

First off, all thank you all for replying.

Wreckie, Adrian
How could a beautiful coral formation possibly compare to a dark battered piece of metal? It's a bit like comparing Anne Widdecombe to Kylie Minogue! Tut, tut good try though!!!

Ann Wiidecombe! You'll keep me awake with nightmares now! The battered bits of metal are often a haven for fish life etc, that the trawlers can't touch. Think of them as oases. And the UK has corals too.

The kits the same apart from the drysuit - have you not forgotten coldwater regs, undersuit, thermals, spools/reels, SMBs and DSMBS and ... torches ?add that into the equation and the trip to the GBR sounds enticing from a financial point of view - still doing the conger could be interesting !

Get good regs, they are tha same for warm and cold water. Why buy twice? As I said, there are warm places where a drysuit is an advantage. Many guides in the Red Sea will be using them at the moment. Reels and DSMBs have their place in warm water - the same purpose. Torch, you will still need one in clear water to see the correct colours. Light and colour change is a function of water depth, not clarity. Buy the right gear, and you can use it in all conditions.

Adrian

 

[dbulmer]

Adrian,
No disagreement on the kit issues - just thought I'd point out the extra bits needed for cold water. One thing it's bloody hard using spools! It looks easy but how wrong can you be! My attempts today at Stoney were pathetic - need some serious practice.
Best wishes to you and well, don't have nightmares! Just think Kylie!!!

 

[Adrian Kelland]

Just think Kylie!!!

 

[TimIng]

Why should warm water divers consider UK waters?

To show that you can. It requires a bit more from a diver than warm water stuff.

I'd happily show you around some great sites around Anglesey or St Abbs or even Dorset, Devon.

Remember, poor vis = great atmosphere = forces you to concentrate on what's in front of you. You can get more out of a dive if you look at the smaller things than worrying that you might miss something big when you're in blue water.

Not only that, but when the sun is shining and you're over a great site on the deck of boat and you're with a bunch of friends.....there is nothing like it. And you could have that every weekend if you so wish (ok maybe not the sun bit - although with a summer like we just had..) - a bit difficult to do at the GBR if you're in the UK!

Simply if you have a passion for diving and you live in the UK then UK diving it is (it can be bad but it can leave you speachless.)

 

[dbulmer]

TimIng,
I might just take you up on your offer one day but for the time being I am getting my skills practiced. I have had a couple of sessions in Stoney Cove but I need more practice. Biggest problem I have found is getting used to a hood - anyway practice makes perfect!
Ta

 

[Chilly]

Why should warm water divers consider UK diving?

What is there to see? Crap vis, wrecks at 40 metres and deeper?
What 'cute' fishes are there?

Why go to the expense of getting kit in cold water?

PS this is a deliberately provocative question and equally provocative replies are welcome!

As someone still racking up experiences I find the variety of wrecks (many in less than 40m!) keeps the interest up and a lot of them have well documented historical signif. The south coast lends itself to dry /semidry diving in Spring thru to Sept no bother.The vis is not always that bad esp when the cold cuts down the algae a bit.....and besides I get sunburn..............

 

[Stig]

@TimIng

I'd happily show you around some great sites around Anglesey or St Abbs or even Dorset, Devon.

can I take you up on that offer also especialy the Dorset & Devon bit. as I'm still cutting my teeth with it all.

@Adrian Kelland
If I think Kylie while I'm diving I'll get into trouble.

as for the rest of the arguments against Diving UK water I say Bahh!!! it's not that bad. I've done a few dive's over this winter in my 5mm semidry suit & not felt the cold & I've even found zero vis an enjoyable experience(in a funny kind of way & zero is not an exageration). So now I've enjoyed the worst of british diving I'm looking forward to experienceing the best. The vis isn't always bad I've already experience 10m+ vis in my very limited experience as a new diver. but my philosophy is if it's safe & I've got the time then Dive. sadly it's not often I've got the time.

In a summery though there's some great Diving to be done with amazing wrecks & fascinating marine life to be seen. the waters not as cold as everyone seems to think & theres plenty of gear to choose from to keep you comfortable. Also it's great experience/training for when you go to warmer places.

 

[Moray Mike]

My wife/buddy and I have decided, finally, to give the UK ago. We live in some great home diving waters overlooking the south Cornish coast - and yet we always fly somewhere warm to dive. It's nuts. So, this year we have promised ourselves we'll pluck up the courage and dive on our doorstep.

I've looked up the local dive club which is in Truro. The web site says they are a small but committed lot who dive out of Falmouth, so I'll be giving 'em a call soon. I'm almost relishing the thought of using that nice new Northern Divers dry suit.

It was probabaly the near paralysis caused by stripping off the wet suit in the face of a freeezing Red Sea gale this past December gave me the dose of 'flu that I picked up in Egypt a month ago. And I've still not managed to get rid of it!

 

[Adrian Kelland]

Should have taken the drysuit! Mike

 

[Moray Mike]

Should have taken the drysuit! Mike

Next time. Lesson learned, Adrian. But despite all this we are off at the end of Feb to St Kitts for a liveaboard week on MV Caribbean Explorer II.

An interesting cost comparison for those who feel they have done the Red Sea to death.

A week on this top-of-the-range liveaboard (the price includes all free booze!) comes out to $1,500. At today's exchange rate that's £815ish. Excel now does a direct flight to St Kitts, the return for which is £372. Add in £50 for a one-way inter-island return from St Maarten to St Kitts athe end of the week after the liveaboard drops you off there, and the whole thing totals £1,237 as opposed to the Southern Red Sea price of £835ish.

The added value of the Caribbean trip is that the price includes 5 dives a day (including a night dive) and the Red Sea gives just 3 including the night one.

I appreciate that it's not every one's idea of "a deal too good to be true" but the Caribbean once in a while makes a nice change. And having dived with Explorer Ventures (Mike Ball) in Oz the on-board quality leaves the Red Sea standing.