DIVING NEWS
Fun & games for divers in Brighton
Scuba divers are being invited to join in with “Europe’s largest free beach festival”, the 2019 fund-raising Paddle Round the Pier event on the Brighton & Hove seafront in Sussex over the weekend of 6-7 July.
Some 50,000 watersports enthusiasts are expected to attend the event, in which activities include diving, surfing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, kite- and windsurfing, live music and a kids’ stage.
The festival’s diving element is being hosted by local PADI 5* dive centre Oyster Diving. For its Dive Round the Pier event, it has arranged boat-diving around the old West Pier at 12.30 on the Sunday, open to qualified divers who have dived within the past 12 months.
The boat leaves from Shoreham Harbour, where the dive-centre is based, with kit-hire and air-fills available. The dive costs £40 and kit-hire £25, all proceeds going to charity.
14 June 2019
For would-be divers, Oyster’s instructors will be conducting half-hour try-dives for anyone aged 10 and above in a 20m outdoor demo pool. It recommends that space is reserved in advance for the six-person sessions at 11.30, 1.30 and 4.30 on both days, as well as 9.30 on Sunday morning. The sessions cost £20.
The dive-centre is also holding its annual charity fun event the Underwater Summer Games in aid of the Scuba Trust, which helps people with disabilities to experience the freedom of scuba diving.
The Mayor of Brighton & Hove is set to open the proceedings, in which divers compete in a variety of tournaments.
These include the fastest to set up their dive-kit; the fastest buddy-pair to swap kit under water; a 20m tired-diver tow; a 20m underwater sprint (with and without fins); a 40m surface sprint with fins; underwater discus; and underwater javelin.
The games are open to any qualified diver, though with places limited registration is required.
There is no registration fee.
