We are pleased to announce that we are now a PADI 5 Star Instructor Develpment Centre and will offering a full programme of Instructor training courses.
 The Silver Dolphin Centre is based in Penzance in beautiful Mounts Bay, as a 5 star IDC Centre we run a full programme of PADI dive courses, from Discover Scuba to Instructor training.We are the longest established PADI dive centre in Penzance and pride ourselves on being family friendly. We also run marine conservation projects and training courses and can put together your ideal diving and conservation holiday, so come diving in Cornwall. Please scroll down the page for latest information or for full details use the sidebar to find the course you want.
 Come diving in Cornwall this summer with a friendly, professional dive team at the Silver Dolphin Centre. This week we have students taking part in PADI Open Water course, PADI Advanced Open Water course, PADI Divemaster and Discover Scuba Diving. Start your Dive Training Today.
We have now formed a new organisation for all our not for profit work as the SDMEC. We have applied for full charitable status for the SDMEC and await results. If you are interested in this work, please click on the SDMEC side bar for more information.
 Hi I'm Dave, owner and Head Instructor of the Silver Dolphin Dive Centre and the person responsible for setting up the not for profit Silver Dolphin Marine Education Centre. I am here to make sure you get the diving you want. Call me, if I am on the beach, use my mobile number and I will see you get the best dive training you can have, when you come diving in Cornwall.
Here at the Silver Dolphin Centre we are interested in looking after the marine environment, much of the marine life conservation work we have done, for the past five years, has been carried out on a 'not for profit' basis. The work we do with the local childrens' groups has been carried out on a 'not for profit' basis. As this side of the Centre's work has grown we have now applied for full charity status, which will enable us to do more work in these fields. Please contact the Centre if you would like more information on this.
We have PADI Open Water courses running throughout the year. Our PADI open water course takes place over 5 days, so by the time you leave us you are fully trained to dive anywhere in the world. There are no hidden costs in our courses and no short cuts taken in your training. The course fee includes all PADI training materials, use of all kit and final certification. We can run your course over five consecutive days or split the days over weekends, this may save you taking a weeks holiday, which could be used for an exotic dive holiday.
As a diver you can help make a difference to the marine environment. All our training courses are run with the environment in mind.
PADI Open Water Diver course is the most popular diving course in the world and we run it throughout the year. You can now complete this course at the Silver Dolphin Centre with E learning, so your theory session is completed before you come to Cornwall. So when you learn to dive with us you could do your open water course over a long weekend or stay with us all week and spend the time you have saved with e learning, diving with us.
To show our commitment to the marine environment we have a special offer on some of our specialities. Book one of these specialities and you can book a second half price. The offer is on the following specialities. Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Fish ID, Night Diver, Research Diver, Search and Rercovery and Underwater Navigator.
Please note our Distinctive speciality PADI Whale and Dolphin Research Diver and PADI Digital Photography are not included in this offer.
This is our own unique distinctive speciality. This is a chance to learn real research techniques for cetacean research. The four day course includes, dolphin rescue training, whale watching programme and photo identification and passive monitoring. This is not a swim with dolphins exercise but real research on the whales and dolphins that live around the Cornish coast. A 4 day course costs £230
 At the end of June we saw dolphins twice while diving at Roskilly. So what ever speciality you want to do, come diving in Cornwall with the Silver Dolphin Centre.
Take part in real underwater projects and learn more about marine life in the UK. Our centre runs several real projects where you can get experience identifying the life in the Cornish coastal waters. A two day course costs £110
The UK has more species of fish in the sea than we have mammals on the land but how many can you identify? Spend a weekend at the Centre and you will start to recognise the amazing fish in our own waters. A two day course costs £110
As the light falls, some fish take cover as other nocturnal predators swim through the kelp forrests searching for food. A night dive lets you see another side of the life in the ocean. a two day course costs £130
This is another of the Centre's own unique distinctive specialities. This course gives real hands on experience such as measuring Eel Grass beds, measuring anemone beds, identifying and mapping Kelp Forrests and searching for Seahorses. a two day course costs £110
 We dived with the stingrays at Stingray City on our last holiday in the Cayman Islands. Do you think this is good conservation? it does disturb their natural environment but if a family of rays lived in a Cornish cove would they be as safe? Why not E mail me and let me know what you think?
Summer is now on the way and many of you may be thinking of getting back into the water. We have a number of courses running at the moment. We find people can't always take five days off work to do the Open Water Course, so we can spread it over a couple of weekends or odd days of the week depending on the student's time available. Please contact us with your requirements.
If you want to discover scuba diving, then we can try to do it for you as soon as you want, the only thing is with the weather looking good, our days soon fill up. So give us a call and we will get you in while the sun shines.
 Big schools of fish used to be common around the Cornish coast but now they seem to have vanished. If you see large schools let us know at the Centre. Do you think we need marine protected areas around the Cornish coast? If so where should they be and how big should they be? Would a marine protected area make you want to come diving in Cornwall?
Are you interested in becoming a Master Scuba Diver. If you have PADI Rescue Diver and want to complete 5 specialities you can become a MSD. You know that we are into conservation in a big way, so come and do our favourite five specialities, which are Aware fish ID, Research Diver, Underwater Naturalist, Digital Underwater Photographer and Night diver. The normal cost for these five specialities would be £580, special price £495.
We have managed to go diving over the past week, you think that now we are in July it would be warm seas and great viz but the recent gales have stirred things up but we still managed to go diving.
The water looks really clear and blue today and we have noticed that the plankton is a bit thin on the ground here in the bay. Basking sharks have been sighted around Lands End and Falmouth so this could mean visibility may drop but it still looks more tropical than any other UK dive site.
Want to join us on a dive ? then see the note on Guided Shore dives lower on this page and come diving and it wont break the bank.
Night diving seems to be good at the moment, we have just done two night dives in the past week. Frank saw two cuttlefish and a baby lobster.
On a recent day time dive I saw a large Nurse Hound also known as a Bull Huss but I like the name of Greater Spotted Catshark. Its the time of the year they come into the shallows to lay their eggs or Mermaid's Purse. Visibility has improved to around 6m. Not much plankton in the water but temperature is up to around 14 degrees C, almost tropical.
 Diving 3rd April. At Roskilly. Visibility was not good but lots of Starfish, including Spiny Starfish as shown in the picture and more baby sunstars than we have seen before.
 We are now working with the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company to carry out marine life surveys onbard the Scillonian. We will report through their website on sightings seen during the trips and also have information on trips on this website. Anyone who wants to report a sighting should contact our office. See our sightings page for more information.
 Why not start your diving career this year at The Silver Dolphin Centre. We have had many students who have come to us to do their Open Water and left as a Divemaster. We are now a PADI 5 Star IDC Centre and offer Assistant Instructor and Instructor training, so come down and talk to us about your next course or just come diving. Check out the course dates on the side bar for diving courses throughout the year.
PADI have now introduced e learning so you can complete the classroom session on line. You can complete your e learning then come to the Silver Dolphin Centre for the rest of your training. Our Open Water course will still be run over five days but as you do not have to spend so much time in the classroom, we will increase your time in the water by giving you an extra open water dive. Log on to PADI.com and find the Silver Dolphin Centre in their find a dive centre, then click on the e learning tab and you have started the e learning process. If you need help call the Centre on 01736 364860.
PADI Underwater Naturalist is one of the best courses a diver can do, if they are interested in the marine environment. We are now linking this with the class room based Padi Project Aware speciality half day course at no extra charge. Do both courses for the normal PADI Underwater Naturalist course fee of £110.
 A lot of people think UK diving is boring, just grey water and nothing to sea, but we think diving in Cornwall is the best in the UK and we see things like the Purple Henry starfish in the photo, taken by Centre staff PADI Divemaster Jude Chesterfield.
Why not take a speciality course this year, such as the Underwater Navigation course. This speciality takes two days and includes three dives and costs £120, and has just been added to our list of specialities, so look out for the chance to take this course now and find your way around our local Cornish dive sites.
 Underwater Navigation is one of the most important skills you can learn, as with all our training we go that extra little bit further so when you leave us to go diving on your own, we know you will be able to find your way safely back to shore.
 If you have completed you diving course somewhere warm and sunny say the Red Sea or Caribbean, you might think diving in the UK sea is not for you. Many who learn to dive abroad think that UK diving is all deep, dark and murky but it is not. Cornwall offers clear safe diving, better than some more tropical waters, with great marine life, so don't leave your diving till you go on holiday abroad, come and dive Cornwall, now.
 If you have completed your diving in an inland dive site such as a quarry or lake you may be concerned about diving in the sea. Our PADI Discover Local Diving includes tuition on sea conditions such as waves, tides and currents. In fact all you need to know to plan diving in the UK coastal waters.
 Come into our dive shop, it is far better to buy your kit from a dive centre where you can talk to trained staff to help you make your choice and we are competitive with buying your kit on the internet. Do your training with us and we will give discount on all you buy.
 A major part of the research work of the Centre will focus on the local dolphin population and bycatch throughout the year. As always, we will be running our popular PADI speciality Whale and Dolphin Research Diver course throughout the year.
Do you think scuba diving is an expensive hobby? Think again, we teach people to dive and the last thing we want you to do is finish your course and then never dive again because it's expensive to buy or hire a full set of kit. So come and do a guided shore dive at the Centre with our PADI trained staff which will give you some of the best diving in the UK. A guided shore dive costs £25 and includes kit hire if you need it. So don't give up on diving come and dive with us.
Weekends are made for diving, for often we can be found diving Saturday and Sunday, so break free from the nine to five and and enjoy diving in Cornwall. If you live up country we are not that far away, so why not come and have a couple days diving in some of the best sites in the UK.
 For information check our course dates page on the sidebar. New courses are being added all the time or contact the Centre to arrange the dates you want.
 If you are visiting Penzance, call into the Centre to discuss your diving needs. We are right by the harbour in the Trinity House building. Look for the large red buoys outside.The entrance to the Silver Dolphin Centre is in the courtyard at the back of the building through the green gates by the Isles Of Scilly booking office.
Discover Scuba Diving, PADI Scuba Diver and PADI Open Water Course
Start your diving with any of the three above courses, DSD takes about half a day, PSD take three days and Open Water 5 Days. All the courses are linked so Complete DSD and it can be credited to your PSD or OW course. PSD is part of the Open Water course so after completing PSD just two more days training will give you your full PADI Open Water course.
All our training is flexible so the five days for open water or three day PSD can be run over weekends or odd days that you can attend. They do not have to be consecutive days. The course is built around your needs.
 Divers train for their open water course during the summer months in the Jubilee pool. For our pool training, we also have indoor pools that we can use when the weather is not so good.
 Dive students continue their open water training at Roskilly beach near Penzance, just 5 minutes drive from the Centre. We also use other beaches around South West Cornwall such as Lamorna Cove, so our students gain experience at a variety of dive sites.
Book your PADI Open Water and you can now complete your first dive of your PADI Digital Underwater Photography Speciality at the end of this course as part of your fourth open water dive. This can then count towards your full speciality course.
Are you an Open Water diver or an Adventure diver who would like to be an Advanced Open Water diver? We can run your dives to complete your certification whilst you are on holiday in Cornwall. Open Water divers need five dives, Adventure Divers need just two dives. So you could go from Adventure Diver to Advanced Open Water diver in one day.
Book your PADI Rescue Diver for just £260 and we will include your EFR primary and secondary care at no extra charge.
Do you want to work in the dive industry? We can offer you a discount on your training to take you from Open Water to Divemaster this summer, at the Silver Dolphin Centre. If you are already a diver contact us to talk about becoming a Divemaster and completing your internship with us this summer.
Go to the Diving section on the sidebar for full details of all Diving Courses.
Come and dive with the Centre and complete the new Digital U/W photographer course. See dive specialities pages for details.
 Learn to take pictures of marine life in Cornwall with the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Course
 Then take photos of the fantastic marine life on your next dive holiday.
Learn to research, record and conserve the marine environment with this two day course. See diving specialities page for details and course and events page.
 Photo taken by Olivia Haas during a visit to Blue reef Aquarium. The picture is from the Aquarium coral breeding programme.
 We are looking to arrange more work with local children's groups and carry out more research on the marine environment throughout the year. If you would like to find out more about our PADI Research Diver course or helping with snorkel safaris for the kids give us a call or come into the Centre.
 Divers exiting the water with St Michaels Mount in the background. South West Cornwall offers some of the best diving in the UK. The Centre is in Penzance, right by the harbour and easy to find. With parking in the Centre, we are located close to fantastic beaches which we use for our shore dives. Other dive sites like Lamorna Cove and Prussia Cove are only a short trip away.
 A group of divers get ready to survey eel grass beds at Durgan. There will be more survey dives carried out this summer. We also offer the PADI Research Diver course as listed on the Diving Specialities page.
 Students from the Austrian W@ltz Viennese Learning Centre, taking their Discover Scuba Diving programme as part of their two week stay at the Silver Dolphin Centre.
We are now running more diving and conservation projects, with the idea of carrying out more practical research on, or under the water. Our projects and course pages will be changing over the next couple of months, so if you are interested in whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, or diving to see the other marine life in the kelp forests of Cornwall keep watching the Silver Dolphin Centre web site.
We now offer the Centre's own PADI Distinctive Speciality Whale and Dolphin Research course. See the events pages for details.
PADI Specialities can be combined with our research projects.
- Underwater Photography
- Research Diver
- Night Diver
- Fish Identification
- Underwater Naturalist
- Project Aware
Silver Dolphin Centre,Trinity House, Wharf Road Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4BN
Phone 01736 364860
e mail conservation@silverdolphin.freeserve.co.uk
 Bubbles and Flipper hang out on top of the office when not working on one of the dolphin education programmes at the Centre.
Cornish Marine Life Rescue is the local rescue group for all strandings and rescues. Check out the CMLR page for news and dates and how to get more involved.
 Photo taken by Anna Butler
We now have a 20 foot by 12 foot training pool that is about 4feet deep that we use for dolphin rescue training when it is too rough to go on the beach. Found on e bay by Annette and Lainy who have been working at the Centre, the pool was used for the first time when we ran the PADI distinctive speciality Whale and Dolphin Research course.
 Imogen, Lauren and Lucy with bubbles the dolphin, in the new rescue training pool.
 Just to say thank you to Penwith Council and their Beach Safety team for the support they give in the collection of dead cetaceans from the beaches of Penwith. In January we found a dead dolphin on Marazion beach which was in an advanced state of decay. Penwith staff came and removed the cetacean which was very smelly and could not have been a very nice job.
Close to the Sea Front In PENZANCE
New large shop with diving equipment, books and DVDs
The Entrance, with parking at the rear of the building.
During July 2005, the Centre underwent an exciting move to new premises in Penzance. Our new address and contact details are shown below. After starting life in the Old Lifeboat House, Porthleven in 2002 the Centre has grown and expanded requiring more space! Staff and volunteers have worked hard to paint and decorate the new premises and to help move all of our equipment. Many thanks to all who have been involved.
Marine Conservation Boat Tips
We will now be running our own boat trips for conservation research. The Silver Dolphin Centre is WISE registered to run these voyages.
Cetacean Rescue Training
 There have now been nine Cornish Marine Life Rescue courses run by the Centre and a mass stranding training course. These have been very popular (despite some bad weather!) and a tenth course is planned for later this year. The day course is free of charge and includes both theory and practical training. Places must be booked in advance.
The mass stranding was held on 30th July, at Marazion. It was a great day giving those that attended, the opportunity to learn what should be done if a mass stranding occurred.
The Silver Dolphin Centre
Trinity House
Wharf Road
Penzance
Cornwall
TR18 4BN
Tel: 01736 364860 or mobile 07881 688 234
Email: conservation@silverdolphin.freeserve.co.uk
www.silverdolphinmarineconservationanddiving.co.uk
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