The magnificant waters around Northern Ireland boast spectacular landscapes that are teeming with marine life and dotted with amazing ship wrecks. The 400 wrecks inclde the HMS Drake, a torpedoed cruiser off Rathlin Island, the Alastor, a large motor yacht which sank in 1946 in Strangford Lough and even a World War II German submarine lying off the coast of Portstewart. Wildlife lovers will find luxurious growths of dead men's fingers and big sponges. Seals are a common sight as well as conger eels, dog fish, cuttlefish, lobsters, gunnels and gobies. Diving gives a feeling of weightlessness and freedom and the chance to explore this unique habitat first hand.

There are a number of dive centres in Northern Ireland who can introduce you to the sport - most of the centres off a "try dive" experience before you would commit to doing a full course.
There are broadly two "schools" of diving in Northern Ireland: BSAC and PADI. PADI tends to be the more popular qualification and most divers will always check that the diving centre they go to is PADI qualified.
All PADI dive centres will include equipment hire and insurance as part of the instruction cost. Alternatively, there is also a good network of diving clubs to help you meet other divers and learn new skills. However you may be required to supply your own gear.

You need to be able to swim 200m and to be able to swim or float for a further 10 minutes. You must be physically fit and be a minimum age of eight years to learn to dive in a pool, or 10 years for open water diving. After an hour's training, you can take your first dive, either in sheltered sea conditions or in a swimming pool.

The 'Discover Scuba Diving' course is a standard, worldwide course with PADI accreditation. It costs approximately £35 for around 1 hour's instruction/try dive, and contributes to the full PADI course. If you continue to study for the remainder of the PADI qualifications, most centres will deduct the cost of your introductory dive from a training course.