Scuba Diving Qualification !?
Hi, I am a student in Durham and am interested in getting scuba diving lessons and a qualification (if one of those exists). I have no experience so am wanting to start from the beginning...Just wondering if anyone can tell me where is best (I live in Norfolk in holidays and Durham in term time) to learn, how much it will all roughly end up costing me.
I assume you're either at boarding school or at Uni, since your location varies between holidays and term time. If you're at Uni, it might be worth finding out if there is actually a student SCUBA club (likely a BSAC branch) run via your SU. If so, you could do your training with them--one night a week for a couple of months, and go out on club weekends for the qualifying dives. This would probably be the cheapest way you could get yourself trained up.
If that's not possible, then the first thing you need to do is decide where you'd rather do your course. Personally, I'd recommend you do it during the holidays, so you don't have to worry about coursework commitments at the same time. A basic entry-level course takes about 25-30 hours tuition, so you can do it in 4-5 full days, over 2 weekends, or 1-2 evenings a week for a month plus 2 days for the (usually) 4 qualifying dives. Course scheduling is down to the dive shop--some are more flexible than others.
Sorry I can't give you any specific recommedations where to do it, but I can give you a few pointers. Google 'dive shop Norfolk UK' to get a list of possible venues in your area, or you could also buy a dive magazine from a newsagent and check out the dive centre listings at the back. 'DIVER' (www.divernet.com) is my favourite, and not affiliated to any particular training agency, unlike 'DiVE' and 'Sport Diver', which are published in cooperation with BSAC and PADI, respectively (WHSmith carry all three titles, or used to).
There are multiple dive training agencies active in Britain: BSAC and PADI are the two most widespread, but you may also find shops affiliated to SSI, or TDI/SDI. Some shops will have multiple affiliations (e.g. BSAC/PADI, or BSAC/SSI), but all agencies offer internationally-recognised entry-level diver qualifications (BSAC's is called Ocean Diver, most of the others are called 'Open Water Diver' or similar). The course syllabuses are all broadly similar in terms of diveskills and theory taught, since all divers require the same basic abilities and dive knowledge (we're all using similar gear, and diving in the same ocean, after all!).
As regards the 'training quality' or 'safety record' of any one agency, there's unfortunately still a lot of nonsense spouted (usually by the competitor agencies, or those they've trained), which you would do well to ignore--in the UK at least, all diver training now falls under H&S legislation, so the same minimum training standards regarding e.g., instructor:student ratios, apply to all dive shops regardless of agency affiliation (and all UK dive instructors are required to hold professional liability and dive accident insurance).
The primary factor affecting the teaching quality and safety of ANY dive course is the teacher him/herself, not his/her badge. Find an instructor you get on well with, who seems genuinely passionate about diving, and who is more interested in you as a person than a course fee--that's the best guarantee you'll have of a good course, no matter where you do it, or which agency's badge you do it under.
An entry-level dive course run by a corporate dive school in the UK should cost you around 300 quid, including course manual (which you should be allowed to keep afterwards) and equipment rental. Certification fees are not always included in the course price, since a student might choose not to complete the course--these may be an additional 30-40 quid. You may be able to find cheaper 'course' prices, but be careful that these don't have hidden costs which might drive the price up above an 'all-in' price, e.g. you're expected to buy--from the same shop where you'll do the course, naturally--all your own snorkelling gear (even a cheap set of mask + snorkel + boots + fins + gloves can easily add up to 120-150 quid), or cover boat charter fees for your qualifying dives.
So the best thing to do is shop around and ask questions. Don't just take the spiel at face value. Write emails, visit the possible contenders and see how they do things, find out exactly what their course will cost you, ask to speak to the instructor who would be teaching you (into whose hands you will be entrusting your life, after all). Any business that wants repeat custom (and dive centres need it more than most, since their customer base is small to start with) will take the time to deal with you as an individual--and for something like dive training, that's really important.
All the best.
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