Dive Project Cornwall

We're working with Dive Project Cornwall on a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help young people learn to dive and connect with our ocean

The project

Dive Project Cornwall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for young people to learn the basics of scuba diving, while deepening their connection to our underwater world.

As well as gaining their PADI Open Water Diving accreditation, this unique project will see students take part in our conservation and education programmes to help inspire understanding, appreciation and respect for the ocean.

Students stay at a fully equipped campsite with ocean views, stargazing, campfires and great food. The team go back to basics, encouraging engagement with the world around them and the activities throughout the week.

“Many of these children will never have had the opportunity to experience the ocean up close. But they'll leave as PADI qualified divers, ready to spread the word as ocean influencers.”
Andy Forster, Director of Dive Project Cornwall

Dive Project Cornwall divers in pool Porthkerris Cornwall Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough

Classroom to coastline

In 2024, 100 lucky teenagers will spend six days in Cornwall to achieve their PADI Open Water Diver certification and take part in our education and conservation programmes, led by our learning team and showcasing the many strands of our work.

At each camp, we'll be leading two days of beach-based learning, introducing our beach cleaning and Seasearch citizen science projects.

This truly immersive experience will take students from classroom to coastline and beyond, from their first experiences in the onsite training pool to taking their first steps into the open seas.

Read on to find out more about the kinds of activities you could expect from our marine education days.

Dive Project Cornwall provides a brilliant journey of discovery for all who take part, all within the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area. This year, we're excited to introduce students to our citizen science programme, Seasearch, and showcase some of the fantastic marine wildlife found here in amongst the seagrass meadows and maerl beds.
Stephen Kelly, Learning Officer

Credit: Billy Barraclough
Credit: Billy Barraclough
Credit: Billy Barraclough
Credit: Billy Barraclough

Beach cleans

From plastic bag charges to banning microplastics in personal care products, our litter data collected on UK beaches has helped to make some of the biggest impacts on beach litter ever.

We're excited to be running a beach clean with each dive camp of students and sharing this important citizen science experience with each group.

We lead the clean and students collect and record the litter items they find in a 100m section of beach. The data collected will then be entered into our national Beachwatch database.

Dive Project Cornwall beach cleaning group Porthkerris Cornwall Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough

The results are in

The litter data collected on our beach cleans is used to support our campaigns and lobby governments for change. Every lolly stick, lost toy, or piece of plastic is recorded, and helps us track litter back to its source.

Check out our latest Beachwatch Report to read about what we found in 2023 and what we're doing to tackle the ocean pollution problem.

Seasearch

Seasearch is a project for recreational divers and snorkellers who want to do their bit for the marine environment by collecting information about habitats, plants and animals that they see in UK waters.

At each dive camp, we'll conduct a virtual Seasearch survey using real footage, with narration and guidance notes to help students experience how fieldwork can be conducted on the seabed.

We'll also focus in on the keystone seabed species of seagrass and maerl and how we're working to protect them.

Underwater seascape Cornwall Sam Mansfield

Credit: Sam Mansfield

Super seagrass

Seagrass meadows are one of the most important natural solutions to the climate crisis.

Through a number of collaborative projects, focused on the south coast of England, we're working to protect, restore and conserve seagrass habitats. Find out more about the EU LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project on our website.

Powerful plankton

Plankton is at the base of the marine food chain, and is vital to life in the ocean.

An exciting way to study plankton - and something that students might not have done before - is to examine these tiny organisms under a microscope.

First, we'll discuss the vital importance of plankton and look at different survey techniques. Then, students will have a go at plankton sampling using the throwing and pulling method. Finally, we'll move on to processing the samples collected and analysing them at the beach, before returning everything to the water.

Dive Project Cornwall plankton sample Porthkerris Cornwall Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough

Did you know?

Fish don't make Omega-3 themselves - it's made by plankton.

Forage fish, like herring and sardines, eat lots of plankton and the Omega-3 builds up in their bodies through a process called bioaccumulation.

Coastal ecology

Our coastal landscape is colourful and fascinating.

One of our activities will involve a coastal walk to Porthallow to talk about key habitats like beaches, cliffs, rockpools, rocky reefs and seagrass beds. We might even spot seabirds, cetaceans, coastal plants and unusual insects.

We'll explore topics like sustainable seafood and blue health and wellbeing, and discuss threats to the health of our ocean like sea level rise, tourism, overfishing, warming seas, and marine litter.

Dive Project Cornwall starfish Porthkerris Cornwall Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough

Ocean optimism

An incredible 77% of people who had visited the sea in the last 12 months said they felt happier.

We're on a mission to inspire young people to care for the sea, and we hope that by exploring the coastline they'll start developing a connection with our ocean above and below the water.

Get involved

If you're a secondary school or academy based here in the UK and would like to bring 20 of your students to a Dive Project Cornwall Dive Camp, the team would love to hear from you!

Contact form

Dive Project Cornwall, beach clean, Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough