Conditions Report for Scuba Diving in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

The scuba diving gods are looking down on South Wales this weekend.

We’ve got low swell along the coast, light winds throughout and some good tidal sizes too. On top of that, we’re expecting some nice sunshine too!

Swell is going to be around the 2ft – 3ft size and the wind speed is low too. This means visibility should also be acceptable along the coast so get your kit together, make your plan and get out there. Water temperatures will still be low at this time of year, so good thermal protection will be required. Dry or semi dry suits, hoods, gloves, etc will all be required and you also need to think about your thermal protection for before and after any dive.

There is as always the option to head to one of the inland sites in or around South Wales, but unless you are training or have a particular type of activity you want to complete, why wouldn’t you take advantages of the conditions this weekend. The high tide this weekend is late afternoon to early evening so plan your dive accordingly, remembering the rule of twelfths.

Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

Last weekend we were in the pool at Hebron Hall, Cardiff with our latest batch of students, all of who were absolutely fantastic. This weekend our instructors are taking a break from courses but will no doubt be looking to take advantage of the favourable conditions and heading out for a dive along the South Wales coast.

Our PADI Open Water Diver Referral run on the first Saturday of every month, so if you’re thinking of getting started on your diving adventure, give us a call and we can talk you through the various options. With the weather starting to pick you, we’ll also be running the Open Water part of the PADI Open Water Diver course soon in Chepstow, so hopefully we’ll be signing off a number of students to begin their underwater experience!

Conditions Report for Scuba Diving in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

This weekend sees us expecting some fairly big swell, but more troublesome will be the strong winds, with gusts up to 30 knots in a North Westerly direction. This could make entry and exit difficult, particularly for shore dives and could also make visibility an issue. Add the massive tides we’re expecting over the weekend (over 10m at high tide) and a coastal dive is pretty much out of the question on the South Wales coast this weekend.

All is not lost though. You may be able to take advantage of the milder winter we’ve been having this year and head to one of the inland sites here in South Wales. If you do head out for a dive in an inland site, you will need very good thermal protection, such as Dry Suit, thick undersuit, hood, gloves, etc as water temperatures will be low, around 9 degrees.

Your last option is to book a short notice trip and head to warmer climates, much like we’re enjoying currently on our Dive Trip to South Africa for some water time with the sharks; Hammerheads, Bull Sharks and lots more!

Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

As we said above, we’re still enjoying our Dive Trip to South Africa with our instructors and some of our students, so there’s no training planned this week. We’ll be back soon with the PADI Open Water course starting back up on the first Saturday of February. We’ll also be looking to run the PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Rescue Diver courses early on in the year, so if you want to take the next step in your diving adventure, then get in touch.

Conditions Report for Scuba Diving in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

We could see acceptable conditions for Scuba Diving on the South Wales coast this weekend. Swell is set to be reasonably low, 2ft – 4ft of the South Wales coast, however we are predicting southerlies and westerlies which could cause problems. Whilst winds should be gentle on Saturday morning we are expecting stronger gusts Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, so it’s vital you are aware of the effect of the wind.

Conditions have been fairly settled the last week in South Wales, however we are on a spring tide over the weekend so there will still be a large volume of water movement which could affect visibility.

For the best conditions head to the more sheltered bays, such as Stackpole Quay and Oxwich Bay and always remember the rule of twelfths, ensuring you dive on the incoming tide. Be aware of the swell size and wind, particularly for shore dives and how it could affect your entry and exit.

If you want to be confident of getting a dive in, the best option is to head inland. The National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow will offer diving less affected by the environmental conditions, or outside of South Wales you’ve got Vobster Quay.

Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

Last week we were back in the pool on Hebron Hall, Cardiff, teaching our latest wave of PADI Open Water Diver students. This week we’ll be back to Chepstow and taking Sam, Robert and Alicia on their PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver will give them the chance to work on their buoyancy, learn more about navigation and dive up to 30m.

Sunday will also see us leading some guided dives with qualified divers who are getting back into diving or diving in the UK for the first time.

CAUTIONS – The sea temperatures are slowly starting to raise, but we’ll still need to take precautions with regards to thermal protection (wetsuits, drysuits, hoods, gloves). If you are planning to dive off the coast in South Wales, ensure you are aware of the changing conditions, making sure you know the conditions for both the beginning and the end of the dive.

Scuba Diving Conditions Report for Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

We should see low swell with acceptable wind strength across the weekend. However we’re set to see some huge tides over the next few days, 9 – 10m creating some very challenging conditions. Certain areas of South Wales could be an option with the depth of the tide allowing you to keep within the protection of the bays in Swansea but you’ll need time your dive to be within the 2 hours before high tide and will also need to be aware of the effect the tides will have on visibility before making any decision to dive.

In our opinion the best option is to head to one of the inland diving sites here in Wales to reduce the impact of the environment conditions.

Scuba Diving Training in Cardiff, Swansea & South Wales

This weekend sees us back at Hebron Hall in Cardiff taking our next group of PADI Open Water Diver students through their confined water dives and theory sessions. Upon successful completion of these they’ll be able to complete their open water dives, either with ourselves at The National Diving and Activity Centre in Chepstow or with any PADI Dive Centre throughout the world.

CAUTIONS – As always with UK diving at this time of year, you need to ensure you have the correct thermal protection, including Hoods, Gloves, Dry, or Semi-Dry, suit and base layers. Be sure to check local tidal times and conditions before making any dive.

The Scuba Diving season is well and truly here and we are making the most of it. We have been teaching people to Scuba Dive all across South Wales including Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Porthcawl and Bridgend and with such a warm clear month in June the conditions have been fantastic.

The visibility has been really good and the fish are out to play, we are seeing more Bass, pollock, wrasse, smooth hounds, bream and all kinds of fish in and around the amazing coastline of South Wales.

Our recently trained PADI Open Water Divers and PADI Advanced Open Water Divers have been putting their skills to the test and heading off on their amazing scuba diving adventure.

Our next PADI Open Water Scuba Diving course is on the 12th July 2014 and we are actually going to sunny torquay and the South Coast to get some quality diving in, we will show you all the pictures of the event on facebook.

Theres nothing better than heading off down the Coast for a good weekend of Scuba Diving, this weekend we are in Southampton for a PADI Open Water Diver Referral Course training event.

We will be teaching on both Saturday and Sunday to teach the students the art of Scuba Diving for an upcoming expedition they are attending,  the course will run through all the aspects of theory and practical skills for them to get the in depth knowledge they need before heading off on their tour.

We will post all the pictures on our Ocean Quest facebook site, next week we will be back in Swansea and Cardiff teaching our full PADI Programmes, to the people of South Wales.