29 November The idea for The Great Scuba Drive first came about when we both decided to complete our HSE Scuba qualification. The only course that we could find that matched our availability was at Puffin Dive Centre in Oban. Since we’d be travelling all the way from Cornwall, we decided not to rush the journey. Instead, we’d take a month to dive our way north, exploring as many sites as possible and shining a light on UK diving and especially in winter. Our course starts on

28 November Today we dived at Conger Alley on Loch Long, a sea loch that’s also home to the Faslane Naval Base. It’s a well-known shore dive site, popular with both locals and visiting divers. The weather was classic Scotland with torrential rain for most of the day, but this location, sheltered by the surrounding hills, was a great choice for such a wet day. We kitted up on the roadside and walked a short distance to the entry point. As soon as we descended, the storm seemed

27 November Today we dived at Drishaig Reef on Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch in Scotland. Our dive site was near the top end of the loch, close to where the saltwater meets the freshwater river. As we drove there, the steep hills rising sharply on either side reminded us of fjords, dramatic, green, and with a huge sense of grandeur. We entered the water through a patch thick with bladderwrack, the familiar brown seaweed that thrives along rocky shorelines. Because of the re

26 November Earlier in The Great Scuba Drive, we were contacted by Jason from Wreckspeditions , who encouraged us to dive some of the lochs and coastal sites around Dunoon on Scotland’s west coast. From the beginning, this journey has been about more than just the diving, it’s also about meeting the people who live and breathe the ocean. Jason was a perfect example of that kind of person: passionate, knowledgeable, and generous with his time. Yesterday had been cold and brigh

25 November Today we dived in Loch Fyne, Scotland’s second-largest sea loch. It’s a long, narrow stretch of water framed by dramatic scenery, rolling hills, steep mountains, and dense green forests. Sometimes it’s called the “silver ribbon”, and standing on its shore this afternoon, it was easy to see why. Rugged, peaceful, and unmistakably Scottish. We were blessed with a perfect winter’s day. Ice still lined the roadside as we drove, and the sky was a clear, brilliant blue.

24 November Today we traversed Scotland from the east coast to the west, where we’ll spend the next few days exploring the lochs and sea dives in this region. It was a glorious winter’s day, crisp, chilly, and bathed in blue skies, perfect driving weather. We made a stop at Loch Lomond, where Rico sampled his first Scottish breakfast, complete with square sausage and tattie scones. Suitably fuelled, we made a quick detour to the Sea Life Loch Lomond Aquarium to stretch our l

23 November Today The Great Scuba Drive crossed the border once again, this time into Scotland and the beautiful coastal town of Eyemouth. This historic fishing town with its natural harbour is well known to divers as it has some of the most diverse marine life in the UK due in part to it being the point where the Gulf Stream and the Arctic Tidal Stream terminate. Sophie was especially excited to visit, as her great-great-grandparents came from here. We had always planned to

22 November On our social media, a few people have questioned our sanity in choosing to spend a month diving from Cornwall to Scotland in November and, to be fair, it’s a good question! So we thought we’d take a moment to explain how this adventure came about. We’re both part of the dive team at Porthkerris Divers in Cornwall. Rico is a specialty instructor, and Sophie is a Dive Master. When the dive season ended in late October, we wanted to complete our HSE Scuba certificat

21 November Today was a drive day on The Great Scuba Drive. Over the past three weeks, we’ve dived our way through England and Wales, and last night we crossed the border into Scotland, only to find ourselves hopping back over again this morning onto the east coast of England. For the next few days, we’ll be diving on the Northumberland Coast National Landscape. If the weather behaves, we’re hoping this part of the trip will include a visit to the Farne Islands, a location we

20 November Capernwray Diving Centre in Carnforth is a former limestone quarry that’s now a popular diving and open-water swimming site. Before and during The Great Scuba Drive, we’d heard countless glowing reviews about Capernwray. It’s well known among northern divers as a favourite spot for both recreational diving and training, so we were really looking forward to finally seeing it for ourselves. We woke to a bitterly cold morning to find our drysuits completely frozen in

19 November Today we planned to dive Wastwater, located in Wasdale on the western edge of the Lake District National Park. Several local divers had recommended it to us, not only for its beauty but also because it’s England’s deepest lake, reaching 79 metres. For safety reasons, we weren’t going anywhere near those depths, but we were excited to explore the upper layers of the lake. We’d seen snow in the forecast yesterday, and on the drive to Wastwater we watched the hills a

18 November Today was a typical UK winter’s day, wet, grey, and miserable. We’d heard great things about Morecambe Area Divers (we love the MAD acronym!) so we decided to pay them a visit. Stepping through the door of their unit felt like walking into another world. The space was warm and welcoming, decorated with painted wooden signs, beach chairs, and photos from countless overseas trips, many to Egypt. In the UK, they mainly teach and run courses at Capernwray, which we’l

17 November This morning we woke to ice on the caravan windows, a clear sign that winter had truly arrived. Today was a very different kind of day for us. We had been invited to the Apeks factory in Blackburn for a tour and to meet the team behind some of the dive equipment we’ve been using throughout our journey. We’ve been extremely lucky to have The Great Scuba Drive sponsored by Head Watersports, Mares , SSI , Aqualung , and Apeks (all part of the Head Group), so it was

16 November Leaving Wales, and Storm Claudia, behind us, we headed north into Lancashire for our next dive. Today’s destination was the Delph Watersports Centre in Chorley, a well-known inland dive site that occupies the old Eccleston Delph stone quarry. Here we met up with Luke and Dylan, two divers around our age who share our passion for the sport. It was great to spend time with them, swapping stories and experiences before getting into the water. The Delph has an interes

15 November Storm Claudia certainly lived up to the forecast and brought with it some serious weather. A yellow wind warning had been issued for Wales, predicting easterly gusts between 50 and 70 mph. In Anglesey, we felt every bit of it. During the day the wind howled across the island, but by night it was almost impossible to stay upright when walking. We were convinced that we would wake up to find ourselves in the Land of Oz. By this morning, the worst of the storm had pa

14 November This morning Storm Claudia was making her presence felt. The wind was howling, the rain was bouncing off the ground, and it felt much colder than the thermometer suggested. At first, it looked unlikely that we’d be able to dive safely at all. After speaking with some local divers, we decided to head to Traeth Borth Wen, one of the most sheltered beaches on Anglesey. The horseshoe-shaped cove creates a naturally protected area, and today it was our best chance of g

13 November Yesterday was tough. Calling off the planned dive at the Menai Straits in Anglesey wasn’t an easy decision, especially after hearing so many good things about the site from Clare and Leanne at Vivian Quarry earlier in the week. So today, we came back determined to try again. This time everything went to plan. The traffic was light, the sun was out, and we made good time. Parking was a little tricky, and it took a short walk to reach our entry point. With the tide

12 November Today didn’t go quite as planned. From early morning, things just seemed to fall behind schedule. A few small delays quickly added up, and by the time we hit the road, we were already running late. Traffic didn’t help either. Our plan was to dive at Menai Bridge in Anglesey. It’s a shore dive we’d been looking forward to, known for its interesting underwater scenery and marine life. But by the time we arrived, the tide had already turned. The Menai Strait is famou

For David Roberts, diving isn’t just a career, it’s a lifelong passion that began in childhood and evolved into a vocation that’s taken him across the world. Now an instructor at Porthkerris in Cornwall, David has spent more than four decades exploring the underwater world and sharing it with others. “My father first got me into diving,” David recalls. “He’d learned some basics in the army, and we used to spend time together diving to the bottom of the pool, putting on weight

11 November Overnight the wind had picked up, which immediately caused us some concern. We had arranged to meet up with our friend Mia, who was introducing us to Chloe from the Bangor University Sub Aqua Club. Chloe is an experienced diver with excellent local knowledge, and we are grateful that she had agreed to dive with us today and to share her diving story with us. After a quick chat about the conditions, it was decided that our planned afternoon shore dive would be move