Scuba Diving Courses and Certification in La Manga del Mar Menor

What it is and isn't This is where you earn your diving certifications: the Open Water Diver, which is the entry point and qualifies you down to 18 m, and after that whichever levels and specialties you want to string together. It isn't a one-off trial dive: it's several days with theory, confined-water practice and four open-water dives. If you want to try it out before committing, start with the discover dive, done in a single morning.

Where you dive Not in the lagoon: the Mar Menor is shallow with a muddy bottom, and scuba diving isn't practised there. The trips head to the Mediterranean side, by boat from the marina, to Isla Grosa and the El Farallón islet, two protected volcanic formations just off the coast. The usual sites -Isla Grosa between 6 and 18 m, El Farallón in that same range, El Anfiteatro between 13 and 18 m, La Laja rising from 18 m almost to the surface- almost all fit within the limits of an Open Water course, which is exactly what makes the area so comfortable for training. Beyond that, and reserved for advanced certifications, is the Carbonero wreck, the steamer S.S. Thordissa, a 120-metre vessel sunk during the First World War, which lies at 45 m with its bow deck at 35 m.

How the Open Water course is structured Three blocks: theory with a manual and videos, confined-water practice to master clearing your mask, recovering your regulator and controlling buoyancy, and four open-water dives usually spread over two days. Three to four days in total, depending on the centre and your pace. After that come the Advanced course, and the wreck or night diving specialties, which make particular sense in this area.

Requirements From age 10 for the junior version, with depth limits, and from 15 for the adult certification. You need to know how to swim and pass a simple swimming and floating test. Before starting, you fill out a medical questionnaire and, if you answer yes to anything -heart, asthma, epilepsy, recent surgery, pregnancy- you'll need a medical certificate.

When to do it Year-round, with the water ranging from about 16 °C in winter to 26 °C in late summer and a wetsuit to match. May to October is the most comfortable stretch for stringing together the open-water dives; outside the season there are fewer people and often better visibility.