The Splash, September 2026
It has been another incredibly busy month for Wight Dive School, with new Open Water divers, more Advanced qualifications, excellent progress from our Home Education group, news from local dive clubs and plenty still to come before we finally reach the end of the season.
A Record-Breaking Open Water Weekend
A huge congratulations to our record-breaking group (well for us anyway) of seven Open Water candidates who successfully completed their certification dives at Andark.
The group included Tony, Stacey, Christine, Maisie, Louisa, David and Rhea, all of whom are now qualified Open Water divers and ready to start planning their next underwater adventures. Even better, the group have already started their own WhatsApp group (High five scuba dive!) and are apparently discussing future diving trips to Spain, Italy and Australia. I’m clearly in the wrong job!!!
One of the best things about running the school is seeing people not only qualify but also make new friends and start planning future diving together. That is exactly what we hope happens after a course finishes.
Home Education Group Going Strong
Our Home Education group continues to make excellent progress. Cassie, Luka, Andrew, Mally, Cooper, Hugo and Loui are all working steadily through their confined-water training and are hoping to complete their Referral dives by the end of this month.
They have been a fantastic group to work with, and it has been great to see their confidence developing from session to session.
We also have Peter, Mike and Zach getting very close to completing their pool dives, so hopefully we will have even more Referral Divers to celebrate very soon.
More Advanced Open Water Divers
Congratulations also go to Liam, Theo and Bea, who are now qualified Advanced Open Water Divers following trips to both Andark and Vobster.
Advanced Open Water is a great next step after completing the initial qualification, giving divers the chance to develop their skills, gain more experience and try some different types of diving. Well done to all three of them.
News from the Dive Clubs Around the Island
One of the things we always try to encourage at Wight Dive School is that gaining your qualification should be the start of your diving journey rather than the end of it. We are a training school rather than a dive club, so once you qualify there are several local organisations that can help you keep diving, meet new buddies and develop your experience.
Wight Dolphins – Shipwreck Centre Visit
Wight Dolphins are planning a visit to the Shipwreck Centre on Saturday 24 October at 6.00pm. I’ll be giving them a guided tour of the museum, after which they’ll have the opportunity to wander around the exhibits at their own pace. Once the museum visit is finished, they are heading across to The Dairyman’s Daughter for a meal and, I suspect, a few drinks!
If you are thinking about joining a local dive club and would like to meet some of the Wight Dolphins members in a relaxed, informal setting, please let me know. I’ll be very happy to pass your name across to Marney, who is organising the evening. It could be a really good way to meet some local divers without the pressure of simply turning up to a club event not knowing anyone.
Vectis Diving – West Coast of Scotland Expedition
There is also some exciting news from Andy at Vectis Diving.
Vectis Diving currently has two or three spaces remaining on an expedition to the clear waters of the west coast of Scotland, an area increasingly being promoted as a UK “coolcation” destination. The expedition would particularly suit experienced, drysuit-trained divers who are comfortable in UK conditions and have a spirit of adventure and exploration.
The group will be based aboard one of the UK’s premier expedition dive boats, with the package including: • Onboard accommodation • Food • Air fills • Two dives per day There is also a strong environmental focus to the expedition, with the team supporting a number of oyster and seagrass-related projects. Funding has also been secured to run a BSAC Underwater Surveyor Course during the expedition.
The course would normally cost around £160, but Andy is planning to offer it for just £50. The course was written by marine scientists and introduces divers to the same underwater surveying techniques used in professional marine research.
For more information https://vectisdiving.co.uk/mull-oyster-expedition-2026/
Diving the Protected Wreck Sites at the Needles
Back a little closer to home, Andy is also a licensee for the protected wreck sites at the Needles. Vectis Diving is looking for divers interested in joining some of its club dives to the site over the next couple of months, with the hope of getting onto the wreck before the end of the diving season. Apparently there were some exceptional diving conditions in October last year, so fingers crossed for the same again this autumn. If you are suitably qualified and experienced, this could be a great opportunity to dive somewhere a little more unusual.
Esprit Freedivers
There’s some more Island diving news from Claire at Esprit Freedivers, with a couple of interesting opportunities coming up this autumn.
On 7 November, from 1.30pm–5.30pm at Timbers Yoga Studio, Claire is running a special Yoga and Freediving Half-Day Session. You certainly don’t need to be an experienced freediver to take part. The session is aimed at anyone who would like the opportunity to step away from the everyday, slow things down a little and explore the connection between movement, breathing, relaxation and diving.
It sounds like a great way to discover some of the techniques freedivers use to remain calm and relaxed in the water — and perhaps pick up a few skills that could be useful to scuba divers too.
Esprit Freedivers are also planning their final Vobster trip of the year on 3 and 4 October, with freediving courses taking place over the weekend. If you would like more information about either event, please contact Claire through the Esprit Divers website. As ever, it’s great to see so many different ways of getting underwater — with or without a cylinder!
Free Advertising!
It’s often said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and I was delighted recently to be invited onto local radio to talk about the issue of sewage discharges around the Isle of Wight and what they can mean for those of us who spend time in, on and around the sea. It was a great opportunity to talk about something that matters to all of us who use our local waters — and, of course, it didn’t do Wight Dive School any harm to get a little bit of free advertising at the same time! If you are interested in what was said, you can read more here.
So What’s Wight Dive School Offering as We Head Towards the Close of the Season?
The summer may be drawing to a close, but we are certainly not finished yet. There are still opportunities to get underwater, complete those final pool dives and start thinking about where your diving might take you next.
1. One Final Chance for Some Open Water Diving
On 28 and 30 September we will be running an Advanced Open Water course, with diving at Andark and then Vobster.
If you have completed your Open Water qualification and fancy taking the next step, building your confidence and developing some new skills, please let me know. It will probably be one of our last opportunities for open water training this season, so if you have been thinking about doing your Advanced course, now is the time!
2. Specialist Taster Session – 22 November
Put Sunday 22 November, 10.00am–12.00 noon at UKSA in your diary.
We are trying something a little different: a Specialist Taster Session, costing £45 per person and open to anyone who has completed their confined-water dives and is therefore at least a Referral Diver.
The first part of the session will be a presentation looking at some of the many specialist courses and further training opportunities available through Wight Dive School, including: • Wreck diving • Peak Performance Buoyancy • Enriched air diving • Emergency O2 • Search and Recovery • Underwater Navigation • Rescue Diver • … And plenty more
Then, at 11.00am, we will head into the UKSA pool and have a go at some of the skills involved. The idea is to give you a chance to see what comes after your initial training, try something new and perhaps discover where you would like your diving to take you next.
Put the date in the diary for now and I’ll give you more details in the next edition of Splash.
3. One Final Pool Push
Our September UKSA pool session is now completely full, and we are hoping to get an impressive nine students through more of their confined-water training this month. That then leaves us with October for one final big pool push before we move on to our specialist session in November. So, if you still have pool dives to finish, October is likely to be your final opportunity of the season to get them completed with us.
Keep Diving!
It has been an exceptionally busy year for Wight Dive School, but the thing that has probably pleased us most is seeing so many people move from being complete beginners to qualified divers who are now thinking about clubs, trips,
Advanced courses and future adventures. That is exactly what we want to see. Wight Dive School may get you qualified, but the qualification is only the beginning. Whether your next dive is at Andark, Vobster, the Needles, Scotland, Spain, Italy or apparently even Australia, the important thing is simple: Keep diving!
See you underwater.
Ian, and the Wight Dive School team