It's OK to be scared!

The time around New Year often comes with wanting to try new things and begin some resolutions. Some people want to challenge themselves with new goals or overcoming a fear, others are doing Veganuary or Dry January or on this that or the other diet.

A young Instructor Rob possibly not getting over his fear of heights based on his facial expression (He swears he enjoyed it!)

We know loads of people try and get over a fear of heights by jumping off a building or out of a plane, and we often get people asking us whether this would work with Scuba Diving and whether it is good way of getting over being afraid of water.

© Image copyright of Margot Katerina Photography

From our experience taking people who are scared of water on a Discover Scuba Dive, we would say perhaps not or not enjoyably at least. Our recommendation to help you or a loved one get more comfortable in the water would be to join us on a snorkel safari. We do our snorkels in dry suits, which as well as keeping you warm are also very buoyant, which means you just float effortlessly on the surface so you don't have to worry about sinking. This also means if you wanted a break from having your face in the water for a few seconds, you can just dip a shoulder and roll on to your back, you'll just float like you're on a lilo (just minus the cocktail!) We do all of this around the WW1 and WW2 Blockships at the Churchill Barriers so you get to explore some historical sites whilst getting your first glimpse at some of the amazing creatures and pants which make up the underwater world.

© Image copyright of Margot Katerina Photography

If you've already taken this first step and have built up a level of comfort in the water, or have always loved it and wanted to see what was underneath the surface then the Discover Scuba Dive is what we'd recommend. Whether you want a 1 dive experience or 2, you get to see what it is like to be a diver without having to commit the 4 days required to do the full PADI Open Water (or equivalent) course. Our instructors take you one at a time into the water, going through some basic safety skills in water shallow enough to stand up in, before being guided around the Blockships exploring the wonderful underwater life we have.

If all this sounds too easy or you've done it all before, then there is nothing stopping you from booking in for your PADI Open Water course and getting your first scuba diving certification. You also get an added bonus certification of their Dry Suit course when doing it with us, enabling you to dive and stay warm anywhere in the world no matter how cold the water gets.

If you end up like Finn who is pictured above (second from the right) and get hooked, we also offer a 10% discount for returning customers. So if you aren't too sure how happy you'd be in the water and want to start gentle with a snorkeling experience but absolutely love it and want to come back for a Discover Scuba Dive or even the full course, you'd get a nice little discount on each further activity you do. This is to try and make sure people love the activity they do and don't end up spending money on things they don't end up enjoying!