Best scuba diving within 3 hr flight of UK?

[wax lyrical]

All input welcome. Somewhere I can learn scuba diving too. Thanks guys.

[83HP]

Lanzarote if you can stomach another hour on the plane.

https://www.safaridiving.com/en/

[andrew85]

Malta and Gozo? Beats your flight criteria on a good day

[vixen1700]

Corfu?

Beautiful crystal clear water there, never learnt scuba diving, but the snorkalling is always lovely there. Plenty of diving schools in Corfu.

[wyson]

I'd learn in the UK and then go and enjoy myself abroad with the relevant PADI qualification. Get the best bang for your buck.

Try to get the advanced open water diver, will open up more dive sites as you can go down to 32 meters.

Otherwise, depending on your dive schools set up, you'll end up doing a lot of drills in a swimming pool or a shallow secluded area of the sea and not see all that much for a week or two. Might as well get this out of the way in Blighty and go on holiday, ready to dive and see stuff.

Edited by wyson on Sunday 22 June 00:20

[Jasandjules]

Stupid question, is there any reason why you need to have a 3 hour flight?

WE did our pool and class work in the UK then flew out to the Maldives for the Open Water training. Within a couple of days that was done then onto diving twice a day for most days of the holiday...

[heisthegaffer]

We're planning on taking our son to Lake Garda to get him taught and us refreshed.

Beautiful place for a whole number of reasons and the lake itself is a delight.

[Deep]

andrew85 said:

Malta and Gozo? Beats your flight criteria on a good day

This

[Condi]

Egypt is 4 hours, and is not only some of the best scuba diving in the world if you like tropical reefs, but is also just about the cheapest place in the world to do it.

If you want to learn I'd go to Sharm El Sheik and do your PADI, and if you enjoy it your Advanced Open Water. Lovely and warm, very cheap, LOADS of diving infrastructure (schools, dive boats, liveaboards etc).

[the-norseman]

83HP said:

Lanzarote if you can stomach another hour on the plane.

https://www.safaridiving.com/en/

Might check this place out; I'm in Lanzarote in August.

[wax lyrical]

Thanks for all the advice and input guys.

Reason for the short flight stipulation is so a trip can be done in just 4/5 nights.

[RizzoTheRat]

wyson said:

I'd learn in the UK and then go and enjoy myself abroad

This! You could go abroad and do a week long diving course where you spend all your time practicing rescue drills and see very little of the local dive sites, or you could learn in a pool in the UK and then go and see some stuff on a diving holiday.

[belleair302]

Bandol in the south of France near Marseille. Cyprus and if feeling bold the west coast of Sweden. Malta has epic water.

[heisthegaffer]

Condi said:

Egypt is 4 hours, and is not only some of the best scuba diving in the world if you like tropical reefs, but is also just about the cheapest place in the world to do it.

If you want to learn I'd go to Sharm El Sheik and do your PADI, and if you enjoy it your Advanced Open Water. Lovely and warm, very cheap, LOADS of diving infrastructure (schools, dive boats, liveaboards etc).

I've done Naama bay quite a few times and it was incredible. A long time ago now but hopefully it's still just as good.

[PugwasHDJ80]

L'Estartit (isla medes) near girona in Northern spain was very good 10 yeas ago- has a marine wildlife protection zone, so there's lots to see, including some quite rare fishy things its also very easy to dive from with great vis and not many tides to deal with. It also has some very professional dive centres

https://youtu.be/MYZlBEr-zFI?si=LHct0X8RJ5nRRAjC

suggests the wildlife is still as interesting.

I've since dived egypt, barrier reef and koh tao - all amazing yet i still have some love for L'estartit and it would be a great place to learn to dive

[Condi]

belleair302 said:

Bandol in the south of France near Marseille. Cyprus and if feeling bold the west coast of Sweden. Malta has epic water.

I can't think of anything more likely to put someone off diving than learning to dive in a wetsuit off Sweeden!

No doubt its a great dive, but a bit cold until you have your drysuit, no? Or at least are used to cold water diving.

[Sport_Turismo_GTS]

Deep said:

andrew85 said:

Malta and Gozo? Beats your flight criteria on a good day

This

Do the classroom stuff in the UK then travel to Malta for the Open water dives.

[Lee_sec]

Malta is the best option within that

stretch time to red sea and wont be disappointed

Lanzarote is worth diving the underwater museum as an interesting dive and social story

L'estartit - the resort that time forgot - hotels still displaying 'lunn polly hotel of the year 1982' on the wall last time I was there - but diving was great

Rhodes - Lindos diving was pretty good - interesting cave and great wreck

[wax lyrical]

Thanks Guys - so many fantastic ideas.

I think I’ll learn in the UK, as suggested and then explore all these great options.

[the-norseman]

Lee_sec said:

Lanzarote is worth diving the underwater museum as an interesting dive and social story

100% doing that now I've seen it.