PADI Open Water Course Bristol

Hidden Depths and Experience Days have been partnered for many years now, and we wanted to get to know the-Bristol-based scuba school more! Offering a range of courses, from Discover Scuba Diving and, Children’s Scuba Diving Lessons, all the way to a PADI Open Water Course, Hidden Depths welcomes anybody and everybody to give scuba diving a go. Read on to discover advice for a first-time diver, and an insight into the UK’s underwater wildlife!

Can you tell us a bit about the background of Hidden Depths Scuba School?

Hidden Depths Scuba School was formed in 2012 by PADI dive instructor Greg, with the aim of providing high quality scuba diving courses to Bristol and the surrounding area. Since the dive centre began, we’ve also added an active dive club, offering scuba dive trips around the UK and dive holidays abroad, and have increased the size of our teaching team. This allows us to offer more flexibility in our lessons, keep our instructor to student ratios small, and our training quality high.

What can you expect out of an introductory discover scuba diving experience?

Fun! Your first scuba dive is full of fun and excitement, as it’s not every day that you get to breathe underwater! With our knowledgeable and friendly team, you will be guided through a safety briefing and have time to get familiar with the scuba kit on the poolside, before we gear up in the water for your dive.

Once you’re comfortable with the sensation of breathing underwater, we progress deeper into the pool and introduce fun underwater games, as well as having plenty of time to swim and get used to moving smoothly through the water. We even introduce basic dive skills to show you what it’s like when learning to dive!

Do you have to be a confident swimmer in order to dive?

No, but a general comfort in and around the water is a must. There are no specific swim requirements when joining us for a Discover Scuba Dive, however if you decide to continue into a full certification course, there is a requirement to swim 200m and complete a 10-minute float as part of your course.

What advice would you give to a first-time diver?

Relax and enjoy it! Our experienced team will help guide you through your first scuba dive experience and will always be right by your side to provide guidance and tips on making the most of your experience.

How best is it to take the plunge from indoor pools to open water diving?

With our fantastic dive team, we make this transition smooth and as easy as possible. We always make sure you are fully comfortable in the swimming pool environment before moving into open water for the next step on your journey. Once there, you will see the amazing world beneath the waves, and enjoy exploring the endless number of dive sites we have around the UK coastline.

What types of wildlife can you expect to see on a UK open water dive?

The UK has a wide variety of wildlife, which often comes as a surprise to people I talk to. We have bright and colourful fish like the cuckoo wrasse, strange fish like the John Dory and many crustaceans like lobsters and crabs to spot on your dives. One of my favourite British sea creatures has to be a grey seal, which can be found all around the coast, but some of the best places to dive with these playful creatures is around Lundy Island and the Farne Islands, which both boast large seal colonies. If you’re really lucky you may even spot a basking shark, the largest fish to be found in the seas around Britain… but fear not - they only eat plankton!

Thank you for reading!

Thank you to Hidden Depths Scuba School for answering our questions, we can’t wait to come and give it all a go ourselves on our visit next month!