Ah, camping. The great British pastime, and something which I think we will see skyrocket through 2021 as the demand for staycations grows.
The Scuba Diver team have embraced the whole camp-n-dive ethos – why spend a fortune on hotel rooms when you can pop up a tent, have a good craic with your fellow campers/divers, and use the money you saved to pay for boat charters (or more dive kit…).
It seems we aren't the only ones who thinking camping and diving go well together. Joe Embery is only a relatively new diver, passing his Open Water Diver course in July 2019 and steadily racking up the certs, getting to Rescue Diver despite the whole Covid situation, and he has totally got into camping and diving – so much so he has now set up a Facebook page, Scuba Campers UK.
“I have been camping in various forms all my life, starting out with a lightweight tent, building up to a huge six-man ‘Hilton' for me and Sally (my partner), and now we have a caravan. I would always rather camp than stay in a hotel or BnB. For me, camping and diving had always gone hand in hand – before starting diving, I had often sat on a campsite by a lake, or a beach, wondering what I was looking out at and what lay beneath the waves. So now I have started diving, I couldn't wait to travel around the UK camping for a few nights, going for a dive, and exploring this other world that most people will never see!” said Joe.
“A large proportion of the people I have met have always preferred dive trips to include hotels and nice comfy beds… but I know Sally and I can't be the only ones wanting to camp! I had already organised a trip for a few of our friends down to the amazing Porthkerris Divers, but I wanted to pick people's brains about other great places to camp, with easy access to dive sites or boats! My aim one day would be to try to visit all of these places and as many of the campsites as possible,” he continued.
“I started this group hoping to draw on knowledge from all the others who have been doing this for years, but also because I think in these post-Covid times – when travel is either going to be very expensive or impossible for a while – this is a perfect chance for people to really build an appreciation for UK diving. With such beautiful places both on land and sea, it certainly deserves to be up there on the list of places for people to be planning trips! I am also hoping that as the group grows, I can try to build up exclusive discount codes to use on campsites or with other providers of relevant services!” he explained.
Check out the Scuba Campers UK Facebook page – this is a place for people to discuss places to camp on dive trips, or recommend trips in the UK! Share pictures, ask for recommendations, and share links to campsites or boats.
