Description

A lot of people have similar preconceived ideas that diving in the Britain is dark, dangerous, cold and there is nothing worth seeing anyway. Quite the contrary, in Pembrokeshire, West Wales there is a unique environment - this is the only coastal marine reserve in the UK.

There is an abundance of varied and fascinating sea creatures, many small coves and reefs to explore, hundreds of shipwrecks – we have been told more than 500 and many still undiscovered - that in turn become home to more species.

As for combating the temperature, it's actually not as cold as one might think most of the time. Divers use thicker suits than in the tropics or dry suit systems in any case.

The visibility varies and depends on the location, prevailing winds and plankton blooms. Some of the best visibility to be had is offshore when the wind is low.

Furthermore the conditions are challenging and therefore require a higher standard of training than in more temperate climes. One of the most rewarding shore diving locations for novice divers is the "Blue Lagoon" at Aberieddy. This is an old quarry, connected to the sea, but is actually confined water and not affected by the tide too much except on spring tides. The location is beautiful, the water a deep blue, great cliffs.

As we always say, diving is the sport you want to keep in shape for! The visibility is generally about 5 meters, not brilliant but adequate. "Dead Man's Fingers" (a soft coral) and anemones, Spider crabs, blennies, edible crabs and some gorgeous golden brown swaying kelp can be seen. Old structures of the quarry appear - kind of spooky in the half-light. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to circumnavigate the lagoon and this is plenty for a first timer to get an idea of what it's like to scuba dive.

Great Barrier Reef versus West Wales, well there is a special attraction to diving in British waters; you have to want to discover things, taking your time. It's subtle, less obvious, even more mysterious. In crystal clear waters, full of brightly coloured fish, that kind of diving has its own lure, but it is easy to become quite blase after a couple of days, even complacent. It's what you get used to. For example In Barrel Rocks you might see some sharks, such as the Mako, Thresher and even Basking.

WDR.