Every single UK based diver, skipper and dive boat owner/deckhand and dog I’ve spoken to, says the same thing. UK diving is dying off. Having just come from a days diving a sports diver level wreck on the south coast that was only dived by what you would probably class as ‘technical’ divers, I’m finding it hard to disagree for reasons below;

Problem 1.

The weather. Honestly does this need elaborating on? The weather in the UK has cost me so many dives, lots of hours at home or going to the local quarry rather than diving a tasty wreck because the wind/rain is too much. Even when I’ve made it out - I’ve seen people puking, sunburned and soaked to the skin. Basically good days diving on calm seas in mild temperatures is a UK rarity.

Problem 2.

BSAC. I’m saying it - after the weather, the issue in the UK with diving is divers… or especially the national governing body. Firstly and most fundamentally they do naff all to support divers. Over covid they failed to lobby for divers to continue (despite the fact we’re in self contained breathing apparatus) and since then, they do sweet shag all to support branches. There are a lot of hard working volunteers and instructors, and I would know, I used to be one. When things go wrong though they don’t offer any support or guidance and let branches sort it out themselves. In the case of my former club, this involved kicking out anyone who was concerned the diving site had been condemned by a chartered surveyor and allowing a convicted (bad conviction - very bad) to the club and to sit on the committee. That’s the brief version…the full version would fill a book. As a person who thinks safety is a good thing and that individuals who have seriously dodgy backgrounds probably shouldn’t be allowed around kids, I was pushed out, stabbed in the back and ostracised. BSAC…didn’t want to know.

Leaving club politics aside, there comes the ‘crabs in a bucket’ mentality and the ‘oh we don’t do that dear’ attitude. Now hardly unique to diving and pretty common in British life, but this means that the people actually diving tend to be the ones happy doing their own thing and making their own bookings. Not waiting for the branch elders to do it for them. The same is true of training, most branches seem to want you to turn up somewhere for 12 weeks in a row without missing a session, to be given variable quality training by instructors who qualified 40 years ago and haven’t really kept up with advances and to whom nitrox is still voodoo gas. This doesn’t take into account the fact people have busy lives and want to dive the same way they can abroad with nice rich mixes when needed.

For most people it’s quicker and easier to pay PADI £600 and qualify somewhere warm, then cross over to a club. The other side of this is people who DO turn up for the 12 weeks, tend to qualify whether they actually understand the material or not (mind you, this is true of PADI too). Leading to some divers who really don’t get that they might be breathing 100l a minute at 30m and just how quickly their pony tank will run out. Again I’m speaking from direct experience here. BSAC branches continued belief that a 15L and a 3L pony tank are just what you need in the dark on a British wreck is worrying.