The Splash, July 2026

Hi everyone, and welcome to the July edition of The Splash.

Last month I reported that it had been an incredibly busy few weeks, and I am delighted to say that absolutely nothing has changed this month. There has been a huge amount going on, both in the pool and in open water.

In the pool

Huge congratulations go to Rhea and David, who have now completed their Referral Diver sessions, along with Tony and Stacey, who took advantage of our bespoke evening sessions at the Wight Hotel. We are now looking forward to open water diving with David, Christine, Louisa, Tony and Stacey at Andark, while Rhea completes her course in Spain.

Joseph and Eva also performed superbly on their Discover Scuba Diving courses, while Clara, Wilf and Maisie are now three-quarters of the way through their confined-water training and making excellent progress towards completing their PADI Open Water courses.

I am also really looking forward to welcoming our home-educated divers back into the pool. Many of them completed their introductory scuba-diving sessions with us a couple of months ago and are now taking the next step by beginning the full PADI Open Water Diver course.

Into open water

From the pool, it was over to Vobster Quay, where I was delighted to guide Amelia and Edward through their Advanced Open Water training. In doing so, they became the first PADI Advanced Open Water Divers in the history of Wight Dive School, a fantastic milestone for them and for us. Huge congratulations to you both.

There was then an unexpected bonus when Amelia let us know that she had joined Project Seagrass, which we mentioned in a previous newsletter, and managed to win the award for the top seagrass picker of the day. Brilliant news and very well deserved. If you fancy a go at this yourself, you can find out more at projectseagrass.org

Congratulations also go to Liam, who has now completed his Open Water dives after doing his pool training what feels like about 25 years ago, although in reality it was closer to two. Well done, Liam. Hopefully we will also see him joining us for an Advanced Open Water course later in the summer.

So, what's next?

We have another visit to Andark Lake planned for anyone wishing to complete their Open Water qualification with us, and we are also putting together another Advanced Open Water course involving dives at both Andark and Vobster Quay. Please have a look at the diary dates towards the end of the newsletter and let me know as soon as possible if you would like to join us.

Celebrating our Island Biosphere

One of the real highlights of last month was the Biosphere programme, which was a tremendous success and a wonderful reminder of just how extraordinary the natural environment around the Isle of Wight really is.

A very special thank you must go to Claire and everyone at Esprit Divers for putting together such an inspiring programme. The Snorkel Safari was a fantastic opportunity to explore some of the marine life that is quite literally on our doorstep, and to appreciate just how much there is to discover beneath the surface around the Island.

We were also treated to a fascinating talk from Theo Vickers, whose enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for the Island's wildlife were infectious. It was one of those evenings that leaves you looking at familiar places in a completely different way, and with a much greater appreciation of the remarkable diversity of life that surrounds us. For more of his stunning photographs, visit theovickersmarinewildlife.co.uk

For those of us who spend a lot of time underwater, it is very easy to become focused on the diving itself: buoyancy, visibility, wrecks, depth and all the other things that occupy our attention. Events like these remind us that we are also incredibly privileged to be visitors to a rich and fragile underwater environment.

Shipwreck Centre visit, take two?

Last month, you may remember that we tried to organise a visit to the Shipwreck Centre at Arreton. Unfortunately, the date I chose happened to clash with England's semi-final against Argentina, so the less said about both my organisational skills and England's ability to close out a game after going 1-0 up, the better.

If anyone would be interested in resurrecting the trip, just drop me an email and we will find a date that does not coincide with the biggest sporting event in the country for at least the next four years.

Even if you do not fancy joining us for a specialist evening visit, I would still strongly recommend popping up to the Shipwreck Centre. It has a huge range of fascinating exhibits, many of which will be of particular interest to scuba divers around the Island. Visit the Maritime Archaeology Trust museum website for details.

Boats before they sink

And talking of local museums, if you are looking for something to do this week, why not pop down to Cowes for the bicentenary celebrations? There is some really exciting racing taking place, although I have to admit that I am generally far more interested in boats after they have sunk than before.

While you are in Cowes, do take the opportunity to become part of a little bit of history in the making by visiting the Classic Boat Museum. The museum is currently working with the local artist Jo Kori on an art project called the Boatyard Tapestry, which aims to recreate 30 boats from the collection in chronological order as part of one large textile piece. The project is, quite unashamedly, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and its visit to London this year. If you have any interest in tapestry, sewing, art, boats or local history, it could make a really enjoyable summer holiday visit, and you may even get the chance to contribute to the finished piece.

For more information, have a look at the Classic Boat Museum website at classicboatmuseum.com

Dates for the diary

Our next pool session at UKSA is on Sunday 23 August. We have a few people joining us for their introductory Discover Scuba Diving sessions, a couple beginning their Open Water training, and three divers who will hopefully be completing their confined-water dives. Good luck to everyone involved.

Open Water training

On Thursday 27 August we will be heading over to Andark Lake for an Open Water training day, and we will be returning again on Thursday 3 September. If you have already completed your Referral Diver training in the pool and would like to finish your Open Water qualification with us, please let me know. You will need to be available for both dates, as we require two separate training days to complete all four Open Water dives.

Advanced Open Water

We are also planning another PADI Advanced Open Water course, spread over two days on 29 and 30 August. The first day will be at Andark, followed by a second day at Vobster Quay.

At Andark, we are currently planning to complete:

• Underwater Navigation;
• Peak Performance Buoyancy;
• rescue-related skills.

At Vobster, we will complete:

• Deep Adventure Dive;
• Wreck Adventure Dive.

If you are already a qualified Open Water Diver and would like to take the next step and complete your Advanced Open Water qualification, please get in touch.

And finally

That is all for this month, but there are two other things to keep an eye out for over the next few weeks. Firstly, the Wight Dive School website is about to undergo an update, so watch out for some new photographs, refreshed information and a few other additions. Secondly, we are getting ready to launch our own range of Wight Dive School merchandise. More details will follow soon, but expect T-shirts, caps and a few other bits and pieces.

Thanks again to everyone who has dived with us, supported us and helped make another busy month such an enjoyable one.

Happy diving,

Ian