What is it?
Diving can refer to both the underwater practice of breathing through scuba equipment and diving into the water from a height.
What does it involve?
Scuba diving involves being submerged underwater for long periods of time and using scuba gear to breathe through. This allows a lot more freedom underwater than swimming without breathing assistance, and divers often wear fins and wetsuits to help with movement. Diving into water from above involves learning the right technique to correctly land in the water after jumping off a platform, and many people become skilled enough to perform tricks whilst doing so.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Any form of diving is great fun, and can be excellent exercise - swimming uses the majority of the body to move, and adding the element of diving into the practice gives it an extra edge.
What equipment do we need?
Types of diving vary in what equipment they need, so check with the provider beforehand! Scuba diving generally needs the most complex apparatus, but the venue should provide the majority of what you need - and all diving will need swimwear!
Who is it suitable for?
Older students will be better suited for scuba diving as its a lot more complex and the apparatus has to be used properly or it could get quite dangerous. However, children can start other types of diving at pretty much any age, as it begins by standing on the edge of a pool and progresses in difficulty as you learn.
Costs?
Diving costs will vary between establishments and providers, as each will provide something slightly different to the other. Make sure to thoroughly check out the venues around you to see whats on offer!
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Those who are not confident in water shouldn't try their hand at diving without first improving their swimming skills - always be conscious of the individual needs of everybody in your group when booking trips such as this.
How do we include?
Diving may not be the best activity to ensure full inclusion, especially when considering those with limited mobility. There are providers of specialist disabled scuba diving, but you'll have to check in your area to see if there is a set up nearby.
Doing it abroad?
Scuba diving could be particularly good when doing it in the sea - the water is often clearer, and more exotic wildlife live in foreign waters!
Main website:
http://www.ukdiving.co.uk has some great general info!
Grange Paddocks Pool and Gym is set in the town of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire and offers the local community a range of indoor and outdoor facilities.
Outside there are 13 sports pitches and a 1500m trim trail for runners. Indoors is serviced by a crèche, meeting room, two swimming pools, gym and group exercise studio.
Central Park Leisure Centre in Romford, Essex, provides local people with a wide range of facilities under one roof as well as an outdoor multi-use games area for Football, Tennis and Netball.
Inside you will find a group exercise studio, crèche, sports hall, health suite, gym and swimming pools.
Daventry Leisure Centre in Northamptonshire offers a huge selection of activities both in the leisure centre and in the sports park.
A previous winner of UK Active FLAME Leisure Centre of the Year, Fareham Leisure Centre offers facilities and service that are second to none.
This Hampshire leisure centre offers a gym, group exercise studios, swimming pools, sports hall, squash courts and Dance School as well as a crèche and award winning café.
Harrow Leisure Centre is a large facility that provides an extensive range of activities to the local community.
It offers a gym, two swimming pools, a large sports hall, multi-purpose halls, squash courts, dance studios, table tennis centre, crèche and café.
Set in the Hertfordshire town of Sawbridgeworth, Leventhorpe Pool and Gym offers the local community the opportunity to get active both in and out of the water.
At Fanshawe Pool and Gym in Ware, Hertfordshire, you will find a new and improved gym, multi activity room and a swimming pool.
This Hertfordshire gym offers the very latest in fitness equipment and is staffed by our fully qualified gym staff. In the pool you will find our award winning swim school as well as a range of water based activities.
One of the country’s leading sporting venues, Plymouth Life Centre provides both locals and tourists with a fantastic range of sport and activity to get involved with.
Above & Below offer an amazing range of courses and diving experiences from our premier 5 Star PADI IDC diving centres in Hull and Pontefract. We have exclusive access to our own impressive 32 acre open water site called Blue Lagoon designed specifically for divers which boasts excellent visibility.
Set in Poole, Dorset, Everyone Active Leisure Centre: Rossmore offers a range of different activities to the local community.
From swim to gym, climbing wall to soft play area, this is a leisure centre that caters for everyone.
Found on Deepdale Road in Loftus, Cleveland, Loftus Leisure Centre provides a great community activity centre. In the leisure centre you will find two swimming pools, a sauna and spa, a gym, squash court and group exercise studio whilst outside there is a recreational field.
Set in Basildon, Essex, Basildon Sporting Village has fast become one of the leading leisure and sports centres in the area.
This spectacular leisure centre offers two swimming pools, a regional gymnastics centre, an 8-court sports hall, 100 station gym, two group exercise studios, an indoor climbing wall, an athletics stadium and outdoor pitches.
After completing a £1.7 million refurbishment, the new Vale Farm Sports Centre in North Wembley provides a 107 station gym, a new dedicated group cycling studio and dance studio and new dry-side changing facilities.
Has a wave machine and water slide, a 'beach' area and various water features and a whirlpool, as well as the usual leisure pool
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Child friendly swimming facilities with diving and kids' fun pools. Diving area has 1 and 3m springboards and a 5m platform.
In addition to the main pool we also offer a 7 x 12.5m teaching pool, great for beginners. The main pool has a superb spectator gallery and many large championship galas are held here.
Leisure Lagoon features include Wave Machine; 50m Twister Flume; Geysers and Water Cannons; plus Falling Rapids Ride and Fast Drop Flume!
There is a 25m x 6 lane Competition Pool provided for serious swimmers too
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Offering a range of water based activities including our award winning swim school, Swim 4 Fitness, Swim 4 All and fitness classes such as Aqua Fit, there is always something going on in the water at Plympton Swimming Pool.
Why not spend a day at the bottom of the sea? Dive into the deep at Deep Sea World with our huge sharks, Stella our stingray, tropical fish and much much more! See the wonders of the deep with our fascinating Sand Tiger sharks, our conger eels and a myriad of marine life as you walk underwater through the UK’s longest underwater tunnel.
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Standard swimming and teaching facility also with separate diving pool equipped with 1 and 3m springboards and a 5m platform. There are more sporting opportunities besides.
We are an indoor centre which provides a wide range of activities specifically suited to families - we have two swimming pools (one with flume ride and features), a large sports hall for ball games and racquet sports, a soft play area called Jungle Junction and creche facilities.
Chafford Sports Complex in Rainham, Essex provides the local community with both indoor and outdoor facilities.
Oadby Swimming Pool in Oadby, Leicestershire offers local people a full range of aquatic activities throughout the week. From Swim 4 Everyone sessions to our award winning swimming lesson programme we are proud to offer a full range of water based action.
Offering teaching, flume and middle pools plus diving and standard lane swim facilities. Also home to a great indoor play zone and a sensory room.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A viral video shows a black girl being assaulted by a white woman in a corridor.
Police in Iceland are investigating after a British schoolgirl was slapped and chased by a tour guide in a hotel corridor.
The schoolgirl, 13, who attended Harris Girls’ Academy, was assaulted whilst on a school trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. The incident occurred at Hotel Örk, Hveragerdi on 13th October.