Diving in the UK sounds about as incongruous as surfing in Switzerland. But mock not. The British Isles may not have 25 degree water lapping at its shores or be ringed by kaleidoscopic coral, but it offers more than a few attractions.

Britannia once ruled the waves and its seas are littered with wrecks. Barring most of Germany’s WWI fleet at Scapa Flow, and the Lusitania laying off the Irish coast, Britain boasts a number of wrecks. And, despite popular belief, there is more than the occassional cod in British waters. Turtles, sharks, and a variety of fish life are to be found. But the stars of British marine life are the seals on the Farne Islands off the North coast of Scotland. Playing with seal pups ranks with a tropical dive and surpasses swimming with dolphins for many seasoned divers.

If that doesn’t override your natural instinct to keep water sports and Britain apart, learning to dive, or brushing up on some skills in Britain has its advantages. It makes a change from a wet weekend in the pub, and avoids wasting time in class when you hit tropical waters.

Not convinced? Nor was I, but the idea of diving with seals persuaded me that spending two week-ends submerged in water could be fun — or at least an experience.

There are several training centres in London, divided into PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) schools. The advantage with PADI courses is that many schools are supported by the Government under the NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) programme and their prices have been cut. Most schools offer the full range of courses from the beginners to instructor level. They organise cut-price trips in the UK and to more attractive diving spots such as the Red Sea and the Caribbean — often including speciality dives such as shark-feeding or stingray watching in the Cayman Islands.

We opted for the London Scuba School and after reading the handbook sent to us with an alarmingly long medical questionnaire we turned up for class. PADI courses are divided between theory and practice, the theory decreasing as you advance. The classroom modules are supplemented by a handbook, lectures by an instructor and a series of videos illustrating the main points.

By 1pm we put theory into practice in the pool, and faced the most difficult part of the training — squeezing an uncooperative body into a wet suit, which is reason alone to dive with a buddy. The pool gives you a feel for breathing, swimming underwater and any hazards you could encounter like losing your mask, mouth piece, air supply, or buddy.

Everyone had their pet problem. I developed a desire to breathe through my nose every time I removed my mask. By the second day we passed the multiple choice exam, knew how to put our kit together, and managed to hover.

It was time for Stage Two. Stoney Cove, a gravel pit near Leicester that has acquired a quasi-mythical reputation as Britain’s leading training centre. The cove is fed with spring water that ensures chilly temperatures most of year and drops to freezing in winter and early spring. Despite this it attracts more than 2000 divers a weekend. With a depth of 35 metres and a variety of manmade additions such as a helicopter, a jeep and an airplane cockpit, Stoney is a worthy excursion, even for the advanced.

It was the ideal spot for our first proper scuba experience, although the warm waters of the Caribbean would have done. For the Open Water Dive certificate you have to do four dives over a weekend and repeat the skills learnt in the pool, this time in eight metres of water. With an instructor and a dive master there it’s easy to enjoy the eerie silence and weightlessness of the underwater environment. After each session you have a swim which includes visiting the cockpit and meeting the cove’s inhabitants including schools of perch, crayfish, freshwater crabs, and divers. After passing you are a qualified diver. The traditional pub session follows, where you fill in your log book and are encouraged to do the advanced course. By now most people are more interested in warmer water than planning another Stoney Cove excursion, which highlights the advantage of training there. As our instructor said; “Once you’ve dived at Stoney things only get better.” Considering we thought Stoney was good, that’s quite an incentive.