The learn to dive adventure is suitable for complete novices. You don't need any prior scuba diving or snorkelling experience, although it does help if you feel generally confident in the water.

Before you begin your adventure, you must meet these requirements:

• You must be at least 12 years of age (although this depends on the time of year - there's more info about this in the "is this adventure suitable for kids?" section)
• You must have reasonable swimming skills (you need to be able to swim for 200m and float for 10 minutes as part of your training)
• You must be in good physical health and complete this Medical Statement (Please take a look at this form. It's a self-declaration of your fitness to dive by answering a series of yes/no questions. Depending on your answers, you may need to take the form to your GP to get signed off as fit to dive before you can hit the water.)

During your learn to dive adventure, you will forge the basis of your future diving journey. You'll learn from the best, most experienced, and passionate instructors in the region and start your journey the right way. We are committed to developing divers with outstanding skills and who share our environmentally conscious attitude towards scuba diving.

Our credentials.

We are a PADI 5* Instructor Development Centre which means our team train everyone from beginner divers just like you, all the way up to instructor level.

Nic and Jim (the co-founders of The Fifth Point) have been teaching people to dive for over a decade. They have created a very special team of instructors and divemasters. They're amazing in the water, but most importantly they're going to make sure that you feel welcome and like you're part of the family.

Our commitment to protecting the ocean.

The ocean is a very special place. It's our playground, our office, our happy place. It's also the world's life support system. Without it, there would be no life on Earth.

As a scuba diver, you will witness first-hand the pressures that the ocean face. From the devastating impact of climate change on underwater habitats to the issues caused by marine debris.

As a scuba diver, you also have the skills to do something about it!

Your actions on land and underwater can directly protect the ocean. You'll learn how you can tweak your lifestyle and make better choices when it comes to single-use plastic or which seafood you eat. You'll get involved in underwater clean-ups to remove the trash that can kill marine life.

Diving with The Fifth Point is joining an army of like-minded eco-divers who do everything they can to protect what they love.

 

The basic framework of your adventure is the PADI Open Water Diver course, and how far you'd like to go is entirely up to you!

As a PADI Scuba Diver, you'll be qualified to dive to 12m when diving with a PADI Pro. This is perfect for exploring the amazing shore diving sites Northumberland has to offer.

If you take the next step on your adventure, you'll become a PADI Open Water Diver. You'll be qualified to dive to 18m with a buddy anywhere in the world. This qualification opens the door to more adventurous diving in the North East. You'll be able to take a boat diving trip to The Farne Islands to get up close and personal with the seals!

Your adventure consists of four main phases:

• Knowledge Development
• Confined Water Dives
• Water Skills Assessment
• Open Water Dives

Knowledge Development

You'll work through your Knowledge Development in your own time using awesome PADI elearning. We'll help you get this all set up when we see you.

Using the elearning in this way also makes it super easy to fit around everything that's going on in your life.

If you have any questions about the concepts you've learnt during your elearning, your instructor is always available to help. During your water sessions, they are going to help you apply your new knowledge to real life diving.

Confined Water Sessions

You'll complete Confined Water Sessions where you'll learn the basics of scuba diving and build your confidence. Most of these sessions take place in our onsite training tank at The Fifth Point but you'll also come to some big pool sessions at Astley High School too.

You will use the time in confined water to prepare for diving in the sea.

Water Skills Assessment

At some point during your adventure, you'll need to prove that you've got basic water skills. You'll swim freestyle non-stop for 200m (or with mask, fins and snorkel for 300m) and float in water too deep to stand for 10 minutes.

Open Water Sessions

Your learn to dive adventure will allow you to explore some amazing places along the Northumberland coast. We regularly visit cracking local dive sites including Collywell Bay, St Mary's Island and Beadnell. We also venture further up north for some stunning dives in Eyemouth. We try to dive in the ocean whenever possible. However, if the weather turns and sea diving is not an option, we'll head to some cool lakes and quarries inland instead.

The learn to dive adventure starts at £495.00. This includes your basic training, certification as a fully qualified diver and all your equipment rental.

Check out our info pack for more details and an explanation of the different options available.

If you've been looking into learning to dive, you may have noticed that our prices are slightly higher than other centres both at home and abroad.

There's a few reasons for this and we've summarised them below. If you'd like to read about it in more details, check out this article we wrote that explains things a bit more.

• We pay our instructors for their work.
• You'll enjoy 1:1 (or 2:1 if you're bringing a buddy!) training tank sessions with your instructor.
• We are committed to protecting the ocean and learning these skills takes more time. Your training includes more sessions compared to most other dive centres allowing you to qualify at a higher standard.
• Our team are incredibly experienced and you'll use top of the range scuba equipment.
• Our facilities are second to none.

We always suggest that you get in touch with all of the other dive centres too. You need to find the centre that has the right feel for you. You also need to find the instructors who you click with the most, you're going to be spending a lot of time with them after all! The only way you can do this is by sending emails, phoning up, or best of all calling in for a visit to meet the team.

We wrote a little blog post that will help you choose the perfect dive centre. You can read more here.

You will use top of the range, modern diving gear during your adventure. In fact, you'll be wearing exactly the same equipment as your Instructor! We'll make sure that you've got gear that fits you properly, is comfortable to wear and straight forward to use.

We supply everything you need including:

• xDeep Zeos backplate, harness and wing buoyancy device
• Apeks XL4 long hose regulator
• xDeep integrated weight system and weights
• Fourth Element Hydros 7mm semidry wetsuit or Aqualung Fusion/Avatar dry suit with Fourth Element Artic undersuit
• Fourth Element 3mm or 5mm hoods and gloves
• Fourth Element 5mm Pelagic boots
• Apeks RK3 fins
• Aqualung i300c diving computer
• A scuba diving air cylinder to best suit your size (choose from 7L, 10L and 12L tanks)
• A wide selection of masks to choose from

Rental of all your dive equipment is included in your adventure. Investing in your own dive gear definitely has its advantages, but it's a lot of dosh! It's always nice to have your own gear when it comes to more personal items. For example, you might want to invest in your own mask, snorkel, fins maybe even your own dive computer to track and log your adventures?

When you're ready, we can help you choose your own gear and give you all the advice you need. Our divers also get great discounts from our store at The Honest Diver Supply Co!

How fit do I need to be to scuba dive?

You need to be relatively fit to start this adventure.

When you're in the water, swimming around, scuba diving is actually really relaxing. You'll be going nice and slow so you can take everything in.

There can be times where exertion levels increase. For example, when you have to deal with mild currents or carry your gear - it is quite heavy! Your instructors and the rest of the team are on hand to reduce this load. If you need help carrying your gear or a little tow against the current, we're here to help.

Having said that, a general level of fitness is required so you keep yourself as safe as possible - just like in any sport.

Before you hit the water, you will need to complete a Medical Statement questionnaire. Take a look through the questions here. Depending on your answers, you might have to take this form to your GP and get signed off as fit to dive before you hit the water.

 

Do I need to be able to swim?

There are some water skills assessments as part of your basic training. You'll need to swim for 200m freestyle (or 300m with mask, fins, and snorkel) and float for 10 minutes. You're not allowed to stop, touch the bottom or hold onto the sides.

But you don't need to be an Olympic swimmer! There's no time limits for the swim, you can use any stroke you like - you're just demonstrating that you can take care of yourself in the water.

Getting kids into scuba diving is one of our favourite things to do!

The learn to dive adventure is suitable for 12 years+ although it will differ slightly compared to an adult adventure.

We like to sit down with parents and guardians to work out the perfect adventure based on their child's interests, learning styles, maturity, strength etc.

If you'd like to discuss this more, just give us a shout!

At the end of your learn to dive adventure, you will be a fully qualified PADI Diver. You might have even picked up some other qualifications on the way too!

There is so much more fun to have, here's just a few suggestions!

Join The Submerge Scuba Subscription

Our Diver Subscription is the perfect way to keep diving after your learn to dive adventure. It's aimed at divers who want to get out in the water regularly without it costing the earth.

There's different membership levels that include...

• FREE guided dives each month
• FREE equipment rental each month
• FREE training tank sessions every month
• FREE Astley High pool sessions every month
• 10% discount on retail at The Honest Diver Supply Co
• 10% discount on courses
• Priority booking on all dives, trips and environmental activities
• and much more...

Find out more...

Continue your education and adventures with the PADI Advanced Open Water Course

The next step on the ladder is the Advanced Course. We've got loads of different options as well as special course experience weekends including Grey Seal Encounters and Ocean Protection. The course includes at least 5 Open Water Dives and you'll also be qualified as a Dive Against Debris diver, helping us clean up the ocean one dive at a time.

Find out more...

Start the path to Master Scuba Diver

The Master Scuba Diver rating places you in an elite group of respected divers who have earned this rating through both significant experience and scuba training. Every diver should aim for Master Scuba Diver.

To qualify you need to:

• Be a PADI Open Water Diver
• Be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
• Be a PADI Rescue Diver
• Hold 5 PADI Specialty Diver certifications
• Log 50 dives