Dive in with North Notts Nautilus

Exploring shipwrecks on the seabed or swimming with the fish along a reef may seem like an impossible dream when you live in the Chad area.
OK to dive Charlie Bearow and Cherie Winnard.OK to dive Charlie Bearow and Cherie Winnard.
OK to dive Charlie Bearow and Cherie Winnard.

But North Notts Nautilus Scuba Diving Club can help you achieve this at your own pace and without spending your life-savings.

With Nautilus, unlike other diving courses such as that provided by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), learners take as much time as they need to complete their training.

The club, which meets every week in Mansfield and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, also offers a busy social calender too.

Dennis Tammadge, a volunteer instructor at the club, said: “You learn at your own pace so if you are a little slow there is no pressure from us as there is no time limit once you have paid for your membership.

“It is a really enthusiastic club and everybody gets on. We are not just about the diving and we have a licenced bar at the clubhouse where we all go for a drink after training.”

Members attend two training sessions per week - theory at the Beech Avenue Clubhouse followed by a drink at the licenced bar on Thursday evenings and practical pool sessions at the Rebecca Adlington Centre on Sundays.

As a novice diver you will be aiming to become an open water diver who can eventually descend to 20 metres. After this you can go on to train as a dive leader and dive solo.

At this point most are probably wondering how much all this is gong to cost.

Committed learners pay a £53 year’s membership fee to the Sub Aqua Association, which covers insurance and other costs.

After this, a fee of £20 covers everything at the club from instruction to equipment.

As well as learning about how pressure affects the body under water and basic skills such as mask -clearing in the pool, members do open water dives in dry suits to keep them warm in the icy British waters at places such as Leicester’s Stoney Cove.

The club also arranges diving holidays - from Anglesey and the Farne Islands to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Said Dennis: “You can see more in British waters than people think - coral and sorts of fish.

“But if people want to dive in blue water we do go abroad annually.”

Nautilus accepts divers from 12 years but the club is open to all ages.

Said Dennis: “We have all ages at the club - from our youngest aged 17 to our eldest who is 80.”

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