We could see some OK conditions for Scuba Diving on the South Wales coast this weekend. Swell is set to be reasonable, between 2ft - 4ft and winds are reasonably gentle. Saturday afternoon into Sunday could see the best conditions, with the winds being offshore or very gentle onshore winds.
Low tide is 13:04 on Saturday and 13:40 on Sunday and will be a fairly big tide, as is usual on the South Wales coast. This means you're going to want to use the rule of twelfths to plan any dive and look to dive the incoming tide, which ties in nicely with the wind on Saturday.
The winds and swell being low will help with the visibility, although the large tidal movement will inevitably have some effect on this. Water temperatures are also starting to drop across the UK so you will need to plan your equipment correctly - hoods, gloves, Semi-dry or Dry suits will all be required for any coastal dive and you also need to think about your thermal protection for after you exit the water.
You also have the option to head to one of the nearby inland diving sites, such as Chepstow or Somerset and whilst the water at those sites may hold a little more heat we are coming to the time of year when your thermal protection is going to need to start increasing.
We're down in Cardiff this weekend running the first part of the PADI Open Water Diver in the swimming pool at Hebron Hall. This part of the course will see the students complete their confined water dives and there exam, having completed a period of self study.
Upon successfully completing this part of the course they'll go on to their open water dives and if they complete those successfully they'll be able to start their Scuba Diving adventure, diving anywhere in the world up to 18m.
We've also got a number of students from Cardiff University coming along to complete some try dives. Whether they're looking to use diving towards the degree projects or simply interested in joining the dive society these try dives will give them a good idea of what it's like to breath underwater and we're sure they'll become hooked, just like us!
CAUTIONS – Water temperatures are starting to drop now as the air temperature starts to decrease. You'll need to think about your thermal protection both whilst in the water and after exiting. Hoods, Gloves, Semi-dry or Dry suits. Windproof jackets and lots of layers for when you've finished your dive too.