The weather is looking quite good for this time of year this weekend and the swell has eased up, particularly over the weekend, meaning the diving conditions could be acceptable in the regions of Swansea and South Wales over the next few days. We are, however, due some strong gusts of wind, possibly up to gale force, so if you are planning to head for the sea keep an eye on this and dive in locations protected from the the prevailing winds. You also need to watch for poor visibility due to the sea movement and recent weather but the water course should be relatively safe and settled.
Areas of the Mumbles in Swansea, such as Oxwich Bay, and further west, such as Stackpole Quay will have some of the better conditions. Be aware of the large tidal movement however and always try to dive on the incoming tides.
If the poor visibility is a problem, once again there is the option of heading to one of the inland sites here in South Wales, such as the National Diving & Activity Centre in Chepstow or Vobster Quay where visibility could be better.
Last weekend saw us take our first students to Chepstow and once again this weekend we'll be taking the next 5 students to complete their open water qualifying dives for their PADI Open Water Diver qualification. They'll be completing their dives at the NDAC in Chepstow to ensure we have the best conditions available and upon successful completion will be qualified to dive anywhere in the world up to 18m.
CAUTION - Water temperatues will still be cold, about 10 degrees in both the sea and freshwater. Make sure you taken precautions, particularly with the correct thermal protection, such as gloves, hoods, boots, 10mm semi-dry, or full dry suit, under layers, base layers, etc