Scuba training that's all about you

Professional facility with in-house pool and coffee bar
Safe, fun training focused on you, not us
Professional instructors who put students first
Visit the last truly unexplored wilderness on earth

Let’s Get You Started

If you think this is the tropics ...

... you'd be wrong

Discover what's waiting on your doorstep. This is Lyme Regis, one of many incredible UK dive sites where you can explore, learn, and belong to a community that finds adventure close to home.

Short on time? Jump to 2:40 in the video to see something incredible, a huge lobster moving across the seabed like a monster truck rearing up! It's the kind of wildlife encounter that shows just how amazing our local waters can be.

Let's get you started

Ready to discover what lies beneath? Whether you're curious about diving or ready to get certified, we have the perfect starting point for you.

Try before you commit: Start with one of our amazing scuba diving experiences; PADI Discover Scuba (ages 10+) or PADI Bubblemaker (8-9).

Choose from:

- A private session at our Yeovil dive centre (£129 for one, £199 for two)

- Join a group session (£67 per person) at one of our local pools

The net cost of your experience could be just £17!

If you book your PADI Open Water Diver or PADI Seal Team (ages 8-10) on the day of your Discover Scuba you'll receive £50 off.

PADI Discover Scuba (ages 10+)

PADI Bubblemaker (ages 8-9)

30+ more scuba diving courses to choose from

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About us

A professional, modern scuba diving centre

Dive Academy was founded in 2016 by Darren and Louise Hector. They had learned to dive with a dive centre in Sussex in 2008, shortly before travelling to Barbados to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. It was in Barbados that Darren completed his first non-training dives which set him on the path to become a PADI Course Director in 2022.

Today Dive Academy is more than just a scuba diving school. It's a complete diving destination, offering professional training, a well-stocked retail store with equipment from leading brands, a fully-equipped service centre for equipment maintenance and repair, and a thriving dive club with growing membership.

The facility features an on-site pool for private classes and a welcoming coffee bar. Larger group classes are conducted at local pools. It's the perfect recipe for safe, professional instruction focused on building your confidence and skills; or to put it another way, training that's all about you.

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Your path from Discover Scuba to PADI Instructor

Book a call with Darren, our PADI Course Director and Founder to plan your training path and receive a discount when you book a course package through to Master Scuba Diver or beyond

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need experience with scuba diving?

No prior experience with scuba diving is required to take part in our Discover Scuba or Bubblemaker sessions. Equally you do not need prior experience to enrol in PADI Open Water Diver or PADI Seal Team. For other courses you may need to have completed entry level certification first, however details of these requirements are included within individual course pages.

Do I need to be able to swim?

A scuba diving experience or course is not a way to tackle your fear of water, for your own safety and those of other participants and staff you do need to be comfortable in the water.

If you are completing the PADI Open Water Diver course you need to be able to swim 200 metres and tread water for ten minutes, this is completed during your pool training.

I have a medical condition, can I participate?

You do need to be in reasonable physical health and comfortable in the water. If you have a medical condition then please review the 'can I dive' page. If you require medical sign-off, please obtain this before booking.

Is this a good family experience?

Learning to dive is a great family experience. Discover Scuba is for participants aged 10 and over only. If you would like to include an 8 or 9 year old within your group, please book all participants in for a Bubblemaker session.

I want to learn to dive, where should I start?

Our Discover Scuba and Bubblemaker experiences are a great introduction to scuba diving and will help you to understand if you like scuba diving before committing to a full course. If you have already decided that you'd like to learn to dive, our PADI Open Water Diver course will allow you to become qualified to dive independently to 18 metres with another qualified diver.