Learn to Dive
Free taster sessions for all ages and abilities!
Now based at our brand new facility at Rivermead Leisure Centre, Albatross offers everything you need to become immersed in the diving world! We cater to anyone who wants to try out a new sport in a low-pressure environment, as well as those aiming to compete at the highest level, all while helping our club members stay fit and healthy.
Our Learn-to-Dive (LTD) programme is open to people of all ages and abilities; our only requirement is that members must be able to swim confidently in deep water without flotation devices or goggles.
Anyone aged 17 and under will join one of our LTD I squads, with a 30-minute weekly lesson. These are offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings or during the day on Saturday and Sunday.
We offer adult sessions on Thursday evenings from 7:45 to 8:45 pm.
Certification and Achievements
Albatross Diving Club has developed its own system to celebrate the achievements of our divers. Our Grading System provides an opportunity for our divers to earn certificates of achievement once they have mastered a particular set of skills. These Grades offer a pathway for our divers to progress to more difficult skills, allowing them to gain confidence in their abilities and motivate them to improve. This system enables us to monitor the progress of our divers and determine when they are eligible to increase their sessions as part of our Squad Training.
We strongly believe diving can be enjoyed at all levels: both recreationally and competitively. The Grades provide divers with strong fundamentals, setting divers up to join our competitive squads and allowing them to perform more technical skills on our recreational pathway.
Fees
In accordance with the club’s governance, fees are set to ensure we are accessible to as many members as possible while ensuring that all divers can realise their potential within the sport of diving through effective and appropriate training provision.
Our LTD I 30-minute, weekly sessions cost £35 per calendar month, and our adult sessions cost £15 per session. We run sessions throughout the year, including school holidays, except for a 2-week break over the Christmas holiday period. There is also a £15 one-off joining fee (taken when the session offer is accepted) and an annual insurance charge of £16.50 (billed in March/April).
Fees are used in the following key areas:
- Facility hire – pool and dry training
- Capital investment and maintenance – boards/training equipment/video capture
- Coach attendance at competitions (when not covered by Swim England subsidy)
- Swim England membership for coaches and divers
- Insurance for Albatross Diving Club, members and coaches
- Essential Club Administration
- Coach Training & Development
All expenditure is recorded and audited annually in accordance with UK legal requirements