About the Course
You may remember your PADI Instructor saying, “If you travel to a new location or visit an unfamiliar dive environment, get a local orientation.” Its good advice and easy to do. Just ask us for a Discover Local Diving experience.
Scuba diving with an experienced local dive professional lets you relax and better enjoy the adventure. We know our local waters and can help you get the most out of your time on Arran.
For example, if all your diving has been in warm water on coral reefs and you travel to an area with cooler water and kelp forests (like Arran), Discover Local Diving is for you.
Or, if the majority of your experience is from dive boats, and you have the chance to do a shore dive with an entry through mild surf, sign up for a Discover Local Diving experience.
Have an experienced dive professional help you understand a local dive environment so you can better enjoy the dive adventure.
If you feel like you need a refresher before the dive, ask about doing a ReActivate dive.
Why take this course
Get comfortable as a certified diver in a new area or environment.
Explore your first UK shore dive after qualifying as a PADI Open Water Diver but want the support of a PADI Professional being on hand.
Hold the PADI Scuba Diver certification and want to explore UK coastal waters around Arran.
Make the most out of your time in the water
What you'll learn
Site conditions, hazards and points of interest
About local aquatic life you'll see and how to interact responsibly with local creatures.
Special procedures or techniques used locally
How to make your scuba dive fun and hassle free.
Course Prerequisites
You must be at least 15 years old. Due to our location and sites used we cannot currently enrol anyone under this age onto most of our courses. Please speak to us about alternative options for younger divers.
You must hold a PADI Scuba Diver certification (or higher) certification OR qualifying entry-level certification from another recognised agency (please speak to us before booking)
Equipment & Extra Cost
By this stage you should have your own dive gear. Only hire weights and cylinders are included in the course cost.
If you need to borrow other equipment we charge £15 per person/per course for complete kit hire.
We offer discount on TUSA, Waterproof, TovaTec and Beaver Sports gear and equipment. We can have this ready for you ahead of your course. Chat to us before hand to discover what we have in stock or to order in your preferred colour!
After the course...
Why not focus in on a Speciality that will add benefit to your future lives around the UK. We have 13 different specialities to choose from but you may really benefit from:
Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) Diver - we'll focus on your buoyancy, different types of surface signalling devices and correct deployment from depth including midwater. This is an absolute must for UK diving!
RNLI Sea Survival - focus your mind on preventing incidents from occurring but learning what to do if it went wrong. We'll look at survival skills and equipment for UK waters (some of the hardest you'll face in the world!) BUT we go one step further. As this course is delivered by a current member of the local RNLI Lifeboat Crew you'll also get to visit the station, climb aboard our Atlantic 85 B-Class and see how all the search and rescue equipment works hand in hand with what you learnt in the water. If your even luckier you may find yourselves being involved in a live training evening! We also donate a portion of this course to the RNLI itself. You wont find another PADI RNLI Sea Survival Course like this one!
Medical Requirements
Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Certain health conditions, medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a doctor before diving.
Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you won’t need a doctor’s approval to dive before enrolling in a scuba course. You can find this on the About page of our website under 'key info'. Only medical professionals can give clearance to dive. In the case of the UK this is a specialist area and you may need to speak to a HSE Approved Medical Examiners of Divers (AMEDs)
If you (or your doctor) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN) or a HSE AMED.