Extreme Sports

My name is Alex and I run a busy dive shop and school in Clapham, South London called Diving Leisure London.

When I’m chatting to people about diving I get asked all sorts of questions  about the sport itself and also about UK diving.

I’ve decided to write a blog article to try to answer some of those questions.

Where do you dive?

I dive all over the world, The Red Sea, Malta, the Maldives, South Africa. I also dive regularly in the Uk in places like Plymouth, Falmouth, Portland, Scapa Flow as well as inland lakes and anywhere deep enough. You can learn to scuba dive anywhere there is water deep enough. Even as close as Heathrow… Scuba instruction in the UK is usually of a very high standard.

Why scuba dive in the UK?

Apart from exploring wrecks, collecting scallops for dinner and the many other underwater activities, UK diving also offers the opportunity to extend your social group and to have great weekends away where you can enjoy parts of our nation that you don’t usually see.

What do you see?

Lots and lots and lots. Wrecks, including battleships, cargo vessels and submarines. Lots of marine life including, large crabs, dogfish, dolphins, seals etc, and some great underwater topography.

Isn’t UK diving cold?

Yes water temperature in the UK is a bit cooler than other parts of the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dive in it. It’s like presuming that you can’t go out in the winter. As you would above water , when it’s colder, you wrap up warmer. Drysuits are designed for keeping you warm whilst you scuba dive in cold water and give you the opportunity to dive year round. Scuba diving certification for using a drysuit is only two dives or one additional dive if you do your open water or advanced open water course in a drysuit.  Read more...

Many women wonder if it is safe to go scuba diving when they are pregnant. The short answer is that women should not go scuba diving when pregnant. There are some serious concerns about scuba diving, pregnant women and harm to the baby. It is important that if you are pregnant, you learn why it is dangerous and why you should avoid doing it while pregnant.

Any doctor that you speak to will tell you that scuba diving when pregnant is not advised. The main reason for this recommendation is that scuba diving can cut off the blood supply to the baby. Blood going to the baby may contain harmful nitrogen bubbles, too. These are not the only reasons for scuba diving pregnant women to be worried.

Another major concern about scuba diving while pregnant is the possibility of decompression illness. This can strike anyone and the way to treat it is with high levels of oxygen and medications. The treatment for decompression illness can harm the baby and may cause a miscarriage.

Scuba diving pregnant women have been studied. These women often have babies that suffer birth defects, including heart problems. In some cases miscarriage occurs. The possible risks simply make it unreasonable to scuba dive while pregnant.

While pregnant women should not scuba dive, there has been evidence that it is perfectly safe to dive during the first two to four weeks of pregnancy. During this time many women do not even know they are pregnant yet, so if you happened to go scuba diving during the very early stages of pregnancy then you can rest easy knowing that your baby is probably not in any harm.  Read more...

If you are a serious scuba diver then chances are you are always on the look out for new places to go scuba diving. Minnesota may not be the first place you think of when you decide to scuba dive, but you may be surprised to find out that there are some great scuba diving opportunities in the state. Lake Superior, plentiful gemstones and crystal clear lakes all offer some great scuba diving opportunities.

Lake Superior is a wonderful place for scuba diving. Minnesota locals and visitors enjoy looking for gemstones on dives in Lake Superior. Minnesota is known for stunning rocks and gemstones that are called agates. Agates are the state’s official gemstone.

You can hunt for gemstones while strolling the beach, but if you love scuba diving then you should try hunting for gems on a dive. In order to dive in Lake Superior you will have to take a class in Copper Harbor. The class will teach about diving in the lake and how to identify the agates. You will get an air tank to use on your dive.

When scuba diving, Minnesota waters can be colder than what you may be used to. The water may also be a bit more cloudy than you normally expect. It is advised to dive with a buddy and to stick to the sand bars where the agates are usually found.

Besides Lake Superior, you can also try your have scuba diving in Brainerd Lakes County. Here you will find a scenic area where mine pits have been converted into crystal lakes. These lakes are a favorite scuba diving spot. Minnesota locals and visitors to the area can have a wonderful time diving in these man made lakes.  Read more...

Millions of Americans schedule a Mexico vacation. If you are interested in scheduling a vacation in Mexico, or you already have, you may be wondering what you can do while on vacation. In Mexico, there are an unlimited number of activities that you may find exciting. One of those activities may include scuba diving.

When it comes to scuba diving in Mexico, there are many travelers who are misinformed. Many believe that you have to be an experienced diver to enjoy underwater diving. This is simply not true. Before going scuba diving in the ocean, it is advised that you have basic knowledge of diving and strong swimming skills. However, you do not have to be an experienced diver. When vacationing in Mexico, there are many individuals who go scuba diving for the first time.

Scuba diving is a pretty self-explained activity. Scuba divers are featured in many movies and can be found in many amusement parks. While the general idea of scuba diving is the same in Mexico, what you will see underwater is not. There are a number of underwater animals and plants that can only be seen in or around the Mexico area. This in itself is one of the many reasons why you should schedule a scuba diving adventure.

In Mexico, scuba divers are often able to swim with the dolphins and sea turtles. To many, this alone is worth the cost of scuba diving. Aside from swimming with sea animals, you can also spend your scuba diving trip examining the life and environment underwater. Just a few of the many sea animals that you may see in Mexico include lobsters, eels, sting rays, and a large number of different kinds of fishes. The fishes found in underwater Mexico often include puffer fishes, spotted fishes, and parrot fishes.  Read more...

Scuba Diving Accessories

Scuba Diving is a fantastic and breathtakingly beautiful underwater diving sport that implies the utilization of a Scuba set to enable divers to respire under water. Scuba Diving is a fascinating adventure water sport that is usually done in states that have oceans and sea coasts. There are plenty of differing sorts of scuba diving and depending on the requirement, need and interests of the people the precise type of scuba diving appliances are selected to go underwater. In several tourist islands many holiday makers like to go scuba diving for fun and recreation and they’re nevertheless awe struck with the beauty and panorama of the underwater seabed.

Scuba diving is done for both professional and personal reasons and some professional scuba diving sports include clean water diving, sea and salt water diving, deep diving, ice diving, wreck diving, cavern diving, drift diving, stream and lake diving, open water diving, rescue diving, kayak diving and high altitude diving.

Rescue scuba diving is mostly ventured by emergency personnel to serve in rescue operations. It is certainly a dangerous adventure diving and requires high quality kit and well trained professionals to indulge in such diving activities. There are several activities that scuba divers can partake of while scuba diving. One of the favorite entertainments of scuba diving sports is photography and videography.
It is critical for scuba divers to obtain authorization from recognized scuba diving institutes. There are different stages of verification that are given to scuba divers.

Some certifications that are given to trained and experienced scuba divers are open water scuba diver, sophisticated scuba diver, master scuba diver, and gold master scuba diver, rescue scuba diver and advanced scuba rescue diver.  Read more...