Blue Hippo Diving

Tell me more The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program introduces you to scuba diving in a highly supervised and relaxed manner. It dispels common misconceptions about scuba by letting you try it for yourself. Under the guidance of a PADI Professional you will learn basic safety concepts, put on equipment and swim around underwater in a closely supervised enironment. The Discover Scuba Diving takes place in the swimming pool and lets you experience the weightless exhilaration of breathing underwater. Only a diver knows the feeling!!!

How long will it take? The experience is held at a local swimming pool and begins with a 30 minute briefing to cover what we'll be doing in the water. We then spend just under an hour in the pool but, don't worry, you only have to go into the deep-end if you want to!

How much does it cost? The cost of £25 includes equipment hire, pool use and a certificate to prove that you experienced scuba diving! As we're sure you'll love scuba diving we'll even credit your £25 against the Open Water Diver course if you sign up for it on the night of your experience! We can't say fairer than that.

Where can I go from here? As soon as you Discover Scuba Diving, you're well on your way to an internationally recognised certification. You can practice some Open Water Diver course skills as part of your Discover Scuba Diving experience and, at your instructor's discretion, these can be credited towards the Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver certifications. Additionally you can enrol in the AWARE Coral Reef Conservation or Project AWARE Specialties.

Tell me more The PADI Scuba Diver course is a subcourse within the Open Water Diver course. It teaches you the foundational knowledge and skills you need to dive under the supervision of a PADI certified Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor. The Scuba Diver course is ideal if you have time constraints or you're only interested in diving in groups and tours under professional supervision. Upon qualification you will be certified to dive to a maximum of 12 metres.

How long will it take? The course involves approximately 10 hours of Knowledge Development where you will learn the principles and basic information required to have fun diving safely. It's divided into 3 segments that you'll complete primarily in your own time, using the Open Water Diver manual and DVDs, and a short quiz confirms you've picked up the information you need from that section. You will have 3 Confined Water Dives, in a local swimming pool, during which you will apply dive principles and learn and practise dive procedures and skills. The 2 Open Water Dives, in the Clyde Estuary or Scottish sea lochs, complete your Scuba Diver training by applying and further developing your knowledge and dive skills under your instructor's supervision and guidance.

How much does it cost? The cost of £275 includes the Open Water Diver Crewpack, equipment hire, pool use, open water dives and PADI Scuba Diver certification card.

Where can I go from here? Before continuing with further education in the form of the Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water Diver courses, you will need to upgrade from Scuba Diver to Open Water Diver. This will involve another 2 Knowledge Development segments, a further 2 Confined Water Dives and 2 additional Open Water Dives at an additional cost of £125. Additionally you can enrol in the AWARE Coral Reef Conservation or Project AWARE Specialties.

Tell me more The PADI Open Water Diver is the entry-level course which teaches you the foundational knowledge and skills you need to dive with a buddy, independent of supervision. The Open Water Diver course is ideal if you want to grab your kit, hook up with your buddy, and head off for a day's diving without requiring the supervision of a PADI professional. This really opens up the world of diving and gives you much more freedom than the Scuba Diver course! Upon qualification you will be certified to dive to a maximum of 18 metres.

Click here to watch a video about the Open Water Diver course.

How long will it take? The course involves approximately 15 hours of Knowledge Development where you will learn the principles and basic information required to have fun diving safely. It's divided into 5 segments that you'll complete primarily in your own time, using the Open Water Diver manual and DVDs, and a short quiz (a Final Exam replaces quiz 5) confirms you've picked up the information you need from that section. You will have 5 Confined Water Dives, in a local swimming pool, during which you will apply dive principles and learn and practise dive procedures and skills. The 4 Open Water Dives, in the Clyde Estuary or Scottish sea lochs, complete your Open Water Diver training by applying and further developing your knowledge and dive skills under your instructor's supervision and guidance.

If you want to do the open water dives abroad we can offer the Open Water Diver referral. You do the same theory and pool work as the Open Water Diver course then you take your referral form to any PADI dive centre in the world and do your Open Water dives with them. Obviously you will need to arrange this with your chosen dive centre and you will need to agree a price with them.

How much does it cost? The cost of £325 includes the Open Water Diver Crewpack, equipment hire, pool use, open water dives and PADI Open Water Diver certification card. The Open Water Diver referral costs £200 and includes the same as the Open Water Diver course but you get a referral card/form instead of PADI certification.

Where can I go from here? Your further education would continue with the Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water Diver courses. Additionally you can enrol in any of our Specialty Courses with the exception of Deep Diver, Search and Recovery Diver and Wreck Diver.

Tell me more The PADI Scuba Review course is aimed at divers who haven't dived for a while or feel their scuba skills/knowledge are getting a bit rusty. This program is just the refresher you need and it reacquaints you with diving so that you're back to feeling comfortable in the underwater world in no time at all. The Tune-Up is most popular with divers who want to brush-up on their diving ability and get prepared for their next scuba vacation or diving holiday. The minimum prerequisite certification for the Scuba Review course is Scuba Diver.

How long will it take? The course involves a couple of hours of Knowledge Development where you will quickly and effectively review scuba diving fundamentals. You'll complete this primarily in your own time using the PADI Scuba Tune-up Guidebook and you'll begin by answering a few questions related to dive safety, problem management and dive planning. Correct answers will allow you to complete the book quickly, whereas incorrect answers will require you to read a brief explanation to help you understand the concept. A short Knowledge Assessment confirms you've picked up the information you need. You will then have a 1.5 hours Confined Water session with your PADI Divemaster or Instructor who will help you tune up important diving skills such as buoyancy and breath control, equipment assembly and breathing from an alternate air source. You can also elect to take an optional supervised open water dive to rediscover the beauty of the aquatic realm.

How much does it cost? The cost of £50 includes the Scuba Tune-up Guidebook, equipment hire, pool use and a Scuba Review decal for your certification card. Please contact us if you require the optional open water dive.

Where can I go from here? Your further education depends on your current certification level. Please refer to the relevant course description.