South East

Do you want to make your UK underwater adventures last all year but at the same time remain warm?  If your answer to this question is ’yes’ then a drysuit is probably for you.  In order to make drysuit diving comfortable, safe and fun, use of it requires special techniques which you will be taught during your Drysuit Speciality course.

The SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty is the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most from every dive. Buoyancy is an essential dive skill, but any diver will tell you it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy more quickly and enjoy more relaxed dive adventures. In this fascinating program, you will also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in every diving situation. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty certification. With better buoyancy skills, you will soon be able to hover with ease and take the underwater photographs you dream of!

The SSI Snorkel Diver program is the first step towards discovering the underwater world, by learning how to snorkel you will develop your confidence in the water, preparing you to go snorkeling and explore the mesmerizing landscapes and marine life of the ocean. You do not need to be a proficient swimmer to participate in the Snorkel Diver program and there is no minimum age to join in. You just need to be comfortable in the water, able to maintain your buoyancy and ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime! We will introduce you to the equipment and skills you need to plan and go snorkelling safely. Our courses are sea based but pool based options are available so please ask. Join us and earn your SSI Snorkel Diver recognition card today!

Our Try Scuba programme is the best way to try scuba diving and experience the magical underwater world for the first time. You will be in confined water and well looked after by your instructor, so you can enjoy those first unforgettable breaths underwater and experience the magic of scuba diving. At the end of this 90-minute session, you will have earned our Try Scuba recognition card, which we register with SSI and undoubtedly you will want to go diving again. To book on, for more information and to see what is included, visit our try scuba page. Endless scuba diving adventures are waiting for you and this course is where it all begins. Start today!

The SSI Advanced Open Water Diver consists of five ‘adventure’ dives which are undertaken with your Instructor. The navigation is the only necessary dive for SSI. The remaining four dives are dives of your choosing. Common choices are listed below but chat to your instructor about what choices you are interested in and what is beneficial to you. Deep – The lure of the deep. There’s something exciting and mysterious about exploring deeper dive sites while scuba diving. Sometimes it’s a wreck that attracts you below 18 metres/60 feet, and on wall dives it may be a giant fan or sponge. Undertaking this adventure dive (a dive to a depth in excess of 18 metres but no deeper than 30 metres) under the direct supervision of your Instructor will allow you to extend your adventures that bit further down into the underwater realm. Navigation – Time to enhance your underwater navigation abilities, using both natural and compass aided navigation. Take the next steps to being the diver who knows where they are going. Dry Suit – Doesn’t everyone want to be warmer and dive all year round? This dive introduces you to the correct use of a dry suit, helping you get ready for the fantastic UK dive season ahead. Peak Performance Buoyancy – Good buoyancy skills is the basis of everything a diver does in the water. Be the best and learn how to make diving an art form! You too can look graceful and totally controlled with this dive option. Night – It is just what it says on the page, a dive during the dark hours. It is an opportunity to view the underwater world in a completely different light. Sidemount – This introduction to Sidemount diving helps you to realise you diving isn’t all about walking and swimming with heavy cylinders on your back – there is flexibility and other options. Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) – Being able to deploy an SMB in the water confidently and safely is a core skill for any diver anywhere in the world - you need to be visible by other water users. Learn different methods, practice and make it look effortless! Wreck – Wrecks are not only fascinating windows to the past but also serve as homes to a large amount of life. This dive will give you an insight into how to orientate and dive a wreck safely. At Wraysbury there are a large number of wrecks to choose to dive including our 100+ year old lifeboat, the Elizabeth Austin and our 737 cockpit. Photography – An introduction to one of the most popular underwater activities and opportunity to take a photo of your instructor – smile please. If you cannot decide which specialty programs are the best choice for you, join the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program! With this program, you can try a variety of specialties before committing to full specialty programs. It is a great way to experience what advanced diver training is all about and how valuable it can be to your diving adventures. With this trial program in specialty diving, you will have total freedom to explore. You can complete the full specialty programs any time in the future and credit your Advanced Open Water Diver training towards them.

The Scuba Diver course will give you your first diving qualification that is yours for life! In just two days you will begin your underwater adventures and discover a whole new world. Using online learning, confined and open water dives, the SSI Scuba Diver program is a perfect foundation to become a confident and safe diver. You will learn all you need to scuba dive in open water up to 12 meters deep with an SSI Professional. In this program, you will complete almost half of the Open Water Diver course training and can upgrade your certification easily. You just need to complete the remaining academic and confined water sessions, plus two open water training dives.

One of our most popular courses! Also highly recommended! Drysuit diving opens up a world of opportunities, including diving remote Arctic destinations and exploring cold-water dive sites teeming with life, especially worthwhile if you want to dive in the UK and wish to join us on one of our exciting UK trips. Dry suit diving also keeps you warm on multi-dive days when you do not want to spend your time getting in and out of a cold wetsuit. Our SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty program is the best way to become a dry suit diver and teaches you all the knowledge and techniques you need to dive safely and comfortably in a dry suit. You will learn how to use specialized equipment, like dry suits and BCs, the benefits of dry suits and how to deal with dry suit emergencies – unique to this type of diving. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty certification. To complete the course you will need to complete online learning, one confined water pool session for dry suit orientation, and 2 Open Water Dry Suit dives completed on one of our Open Water weekends.

Be prepared for an emergency with our React Right Course! React Right is SSI’s emergency first response course. It provides you with in-depth first-aid training and knowledge to act as a first responder in any medical emergency including a diving emergency.  The SSI React Right Certification is a theory-based course - online and in-person with lots of practical applications in our well - stocked classroom.  Topics you will cover include:   - Legal considerations & the cycle of life – Response to an emergency – Protective equipment – Situation assessment & initial response – Monitoring vital signs – Bleeding control – Burn management – Temperature-related injuries – Chest pains & stroke – Head or spinal injuries – Slings, splints, and braces – Respiratory arrest & drowning – CPR – AEDs – Providing emergency oxygen - how to do it and the equipment you use. Anyone can do this course - it is not just for diving! Course Prerequisites: Age 12 + To book click on the class you wish to take part in and book. Once you book on we will be in contact to arrange your course and assign you to the course. If you have done this course before then you need to book onto our React Right - Recertification. Any questions please contact us

Become a Leader in Scuba Diving with the SSI Dive Guide Program Advance your diving credentials with Ipswich Scuba's SSI Dive Guide certification. Develop the technical knowledge and leadership capabilities required to safely conduct certified divers through varied underwater settings and challenging conditions with professional-grade competency. Transform yourself into a skilled dive leader with hands-on training that matters. Through conducting site evaluations, delivering compelling dive briefings, and guiding real dives, you'll build the confidence and expertise that sets professional guides apart. Ipswich Scuba's SSI Dive Guide program accelerates your journey to becoming the guide divers trust. SSI Dive Guide Overview The SSI Dive Guide certification equips you with essential leadership and safety skills for guiding divers underwater. Master group management, legal compliance, and stress mitigation through integrated online learning, classroom instruction, and practical water sessions. Develop proficiency in dive briefings, planning, and execution and complete a workshop on leading deep and night dives, alongside rescue protocols you learned in your Stress and Rescue Diver including unconscious diver recovery and missing diver search procedures. Ideal for experienced divers seeking professional-level expertise and instructor credentials. What's included in the program: All online materials, tuition and support from the team at Ipswich Scuba Most equipment hire including tank and air Swimming pool fees A cuppa on training days in the classroom. Not included: entry to inland dive sites and accommodation Not included: SSI Professional Base Package Dive Guide Pre-Requisites: Minimum Age: 15 Certification Prerequisites: Diver Stress and Rescue certification or agency equivalent, 40 logged Dives totaling 25 hours or more Certification or equivalent experience: Navigation, Night and Limited Visibility and Deep Diving. Prior to certification have 50 logged dives totalling 32 hours or more. Fees The full price of the Dive Guide is £750. If you wish to pay in instalments - no problem. We require a £300 deposit to secure your place and get you started. What's Next? Once 18 and above a Dive Guide can upgrade this certification and become an SSI Divemaster. Become an SSI Divemaster Be 18 years old Complete and sign the SSI Professional Agreement Upload proof of First Aid, CPR and Oxygen Provder Pay the Registration Fee; and Complete the SSI Science of Diving Digital Exam (if not already completed the speciality) Speciality program

Are you ready to dive a bit deeper and explore deeper wrecks, coral-encrusted walls, reefs and more? Many exciting dive sites lie in deeper waters and our Deep Diving Specialty will teach you how to get down there safely and with confidence. During our course you will learn how to plan and conduct dives from between 18 and 40 meters deep and earn your Deep Diving Specialty certification. As a deep diver, you’ll get to discover some of the world’s best dive sites and most sought-after marine life. Our deep diving qualification will teach you all you need to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a mixture of academic sessions and open water dives. Over our Stoney Cove weekend you’ll learn to plan and safely complete your deep diving adventures and use of computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most from your deep dives, whilst under the supervision of one of our instructions. MINIMUM AGE FOR PARTICIPATION 15 AVAILABLE AS JUNIOR PROGRAM YES AMOUNT OF ACADEMIC SESSIONS 5 (these may be combined) OPEN WATER DIVES 3 MAXIMUM TRAINING DEPTH 40M/130FT Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore beautiful deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for some advanced training, making it the next logical step to take in your dive education.

Choosing and buying your dive equipment is one of the biggest and most important investments you will make as a diver, but it is easy to get it a bit wrong. We want you to choose the right dive kit for your needs and know how to look after it properly. With the right knowledge, you can get the most from your investment and enjoy safe and comfortable dives for years to come. The SSI Equipment Techniques specialty is the best way to learn how to choose and store your dive kit. Working with an experienced and trained SSI Professional, you will learn in-depth information about the components of your Total Diving System and develop a thorough understanding of your diving equipment. You will also practice basic preventative dive equipment maintenance to ensure you get maximum performance and longevity from your Total Diving System. Start this dive equipment specialty today! Join us for a day at the shop where we can show you how to make the most of your equipment and earn the SSI Equipment Techniques Certification.

Are you a new diver? Are you a diver who finds it difficult to control your buoyancy in water? Then join Ipswich Scuba and complete your SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty, the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most from every dive. Buoyancy is an essential dive skill, but any diver will tell you it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy more quickly and enjoy more relaxed dive adventures. In this fascinating program, you will also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in every diving situation. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty certification. With better buoyancy; you will soon be able to hover with ease, reduce the chances of kicking up silt and sand or damaging corals, take the underwater photographs you dream of and also reduce your air consumption! benefits all round to make you a more confident diver. The course consists of some online theory and 2 pool sessions.

Do you want to see the underwater world differently? Do you dive in locations with limited visibility? Night diving requires different skills from diving during the day. The SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty is the best way to learn about night and limited visibility diving and practice the techniques you will need to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program, you will be provided with all the knowledge and skills you need to safely and comfortably dive at night or in limited visibility conditions. With a combination of online learning and 2 open water training dives completed over 1 of our training days, you will learn how to enter and exit the water, use specialized equipment, and how to communicate with your buddy easily at night or in limited visibility. Pre-Requisites: Minimum Age: 10 Minimum certification - Open Water Diver Recommendations - It is highly recommended you have your own dive torch for this program which you can purchase at our centre or through our online shop. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty certification and be ready to go night diving with confidence.

React Right is SSI’s emergency first response course and provides you with the training and knowledge you need to act as a first responder in a medical emergency. In this flexible dive program, you can choose which subjects you want to learn about, including primary assessment, first aid, CPR and primary stabilization techniques. You can also learn about oxygen administration in diving emergencies and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) basics. Using a combination of academic sessions and practical training scenarios, this program will give you the tools and confidence you need for emergency response. By the time you are certified, you will be able to act as an emergency first responder, provide first aid and CPR, administer oxygen and provide AED support in a medical emergency. Earn your SSI React Right specialty certification. Get started today!

Drysuit diving opens up a world of opportunities, including diving remote Arctic destinations and exploring cold-water dive sites teeming with life. Dry suit diving also keeps you warm on multi-dive days when you do not want to spend your time getting in and out of a cold wetsuit. The SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty program is the best way to become a dry suit diver and teaches you all the knowledge and techniques you need to dive safely and comfortably in a dry suit. You will learn how to use specialized equipment, like dry suits and BCs, the benefits of dry suits and how to deal with dry suit emergencies – which are unique to this type of diving. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty certification.