Instructor Development Courses with Sussex Scuba

Learn to dive in Sussex, Kent and Surrey with Sussex Scuba diving courses

Learn to dive in Sussex, Kent & Surrey with Sussex Scuba diving courses

About us

What do we offer Sussex Scuba are the owners of Mike's Waterfront Warehouse in East Grinstead. The business is owned by Derek and Denise Lancaster, both of whom are very experienced divers and trainers. The business has been established for almost 11 years and has built up a very strong customer base. The Centre has recently achieved the prestigious PADI 5 Star IDC (Instructor Development Centre) status and as such can offer a complete range of products and services, and every level of diver training from novice right up to advanced Instructor training courses. As well as the very high standard of training we also maintain a very well stocked and varied shop, full on site regulator servicing, air and Nitrox to 300bar, tank inspections, dry suit repairs, and a full range of PADI courses including Instructor courses, 19 different specialties, DAN Oxygen Provider courses and first aid courses We also have our own club which is proving to be very popular with over 100 members. So if you are interested in diver training, dive trips or in joining our club, keep visiting the site or *e mail* us to get yourself included onto or mailing list.
Our Philosophy We firmly believe that diving should be fun and safe, with the emphasis on safety. All our instructors have been trained by PADI, the world's largest diver training agency and have therefore received extensive training in all aspects of diving. The two owners have also had extensive training in other sports for over 10 years each and have worked with children and adults extensively. In addition, all instructors have CRB approval thus clearing them to work with children. All classroom training is conducted in our own training school and is always fun and lively. We actively encourage lively interaction and good humour
Our Staff Meet the team!! The school has continued to grow and we now have 6 Instructors 2 Assistant Instructors and 7 divemasters. All of whom are very experienced and passionate about diving
Denise Lancaster - Instructor Denise is ranked as a PADI Staff Instructor which is one of the highest levels available. She is also an EFR Instructor Trainer, and a DSAT Gas Blender Instructor. In addition she is also an instructor for the following DAN courses: Oxygen provider, Advanced Oxygen provider, Automated External Defibrillator, Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, and Diving First Responder. As with all the team at Sussex Scuba Denise’s number one priority is safety quickly followed by fun. Diving is a great sport for everyone regardless of age size or gender and Denise is very keen to encourage this to everyone she trains. She has been diving for several years and has dived extensively in the UK, particularly the South Coast along with Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Tenerife, and various Caribbean Islands and Indonesia Denise is not only very passionate about diving but she also gains a great deal of enjoyment from helping others to develop and enjoy diving. She has been involved in training and coaching for over 10 years. As a Staff Instructor she is qualified to teach instructor level courses as well as 14 diving specialties, including Nitrox, deep, wreck, and Emergency First Responder training. As with all our instructors and divemasters, she has CRB approval. Denise is particularly keen to work with women as she feels she has the necessary experience and knowledge to work with them with and help resolve any issues they may have

	Derek Lancaster - Instructor In accordance with the Sussex Scuba philosophy Derek is passionate about safe diving. All diving should be conducted in accordance with best practice, but it should also be fun, otherwise why bother. Derek has been diving for several years both in the UK and overseas. He has experience diving all over the South coast of England and West Wales, along with expeditions to Tenerife, Cyprus, various Caribbean Islands, Turkey, the Red Sea and Indonesia Derek not only has a genuine passion for diving but more importantly he has a passion for teaching and working with people to develop their skills and therefore enjoyment. He has been involved in training and teaching adults and children for over 17 years, prior to that was head of training for a major multi national corporation. As a PADI Staff Instructor derek is also able to teach instructor level courses as well as 14 specialties. He is also an EFR Instructor Trainer, and a DSAT Gas Blender Instructor. In addition he is also an instructor for the following DAN courses: Oxygen provider, Advanced Oxygen provider, Automated External Defibrillator, Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, and Diving First Responder. . Derek also has CRB clearance which is necessary before anyone is able to train children.

Clive Albon - Course Director The rating of Course Director is the highest status anyone can achieve within the PADI organisation. As a Course Director Clive is obviously able to teach any diving course but he is also able to teach instructor level course. Clive has been diving for 19 years and has been a PADI Professional for 18 of those. For the last 9 years Clive has been a PADI Course Director and has achieved PADI Platinum Course Director (awarded to less than 80 CDs worldwide last year). He has over 2000 PADI Professional level certifications. Clive works in the UK, Malta, Canaries, Balerics and mainland Spain, and instructs all levels of the PADI System from Discover Scuba to IDC Staff Instructor. He enjoys instructing, and when he can't do that goes diving!

	Gary Wilson - Instructor Gary qualified as a diver over 6 years ago when he took a weeks holiday with a group of friends with the intention of learning to dive. Obviously this was not enough for Gary as he wanted more and more. He joined a small club near his home which gave him valuable experience of UK diving. He also gained qualifications in Power Boat handling. Whilst continuing his UK diving he also continued his dive education completing his Advanced Open Water and Rescue diver during 2006. Gary joined our staff as "casual labour" in 2006, as he just wanted to be involved in a dive centre. He was well utilised in carrying heavy boxes !! Unfortunately even this didn't put him off and he enrolled on the Divemaster course which he completed at the end of 2007. Gary then went onto to achieve Instructor status in February 2009. Soon after which he also qualified as an EFR Instructor. He is also a DAN certified Oxygen administrator and is trained in AED usage. Gary has extensive UK and overseas experience diving all around the south coast of the UK, as well as Tenerife, Turkey, Spain, Minorca, and several Red Sea Trips. Gary quotes the Open water manual as one of his driving forces... "Go places, meet people, and have fun !!!"

Brian Smith - Instructor Brian learned to dive 9 years ago and has not looked back since. At the time he was a self confessed workaholic working 7 days a week, every week. Since taking up diving he has never worked at weekend again! Brian only learned to dive late in life and by his own admission some aspects were a challenge to him. It is this struggle that gives him his love of teaching - he was a difficult student. Brian's diving experience is really extensive. if has dived all around the world including the Red Sea, Mauritius, Grenada, Scapa Flow, and many many UK dive sites

	Allan Freeman - Asst Instructor Allan has been diving since 1998 and in that time he has dived all the world's top dive destinations including: Malta, Caribbean, Red sea (many, many times), various Mediterranean sites and many UK dives. Allan is also a very keen teacher and has been teaching PE and general fitness work for many years to adults and children. He still gets a buzz from seeing people enjoy, (and making sure they enjoy !!)their first experience with scuba

Jason Murphy - Assistant Instructor Jason has two passions in his life - rugby and diving, with diving being at the top of the list. Jason learned to dive in 2001 in Portugal and from the very first moment he was hooked, and his enjoyment has continued since that day. Jason originally started his Divemaster course during 2006 but was forced to stop diving due to an injury. Jason joined the team at Sussex Scuba in February 2008 whereupon he started the Divemaster course again. "Joining Sussex Scuba and completing the Divemaster course has been great fun and a fantastic experience. I have made great friends, and met so many people new to diving. This has to be one of the best jobs around !! Seeing new divers finish their Open Water Courses and seeing the delight and relief on the faces is a very rewarding experience for all of us". After successfully completeing the Divemaster Course during February 2009 Jason completed the PADI Assistant Instructor Course. Jason is also a DAN certified Oxygen administrator, and is trained in AED usage Jason's diving experience is extensive. He has dived all around the UK - Lundy island, Brighton, Farne islands, Plymouth , Weymouth , Cornwall and Scotland . Overseas diving includes several trips to the Red Sea, Spain , and Portugal .

	Garry Pointer - Divemaster Garry has been diving for almost 10 years and during that time has dived all the great sites of the world, several times over !!!. Not only is he massively experienced as a diver, his training knowledge and experience is also massive. Having started his career with PADI, Garry crossed over to BSAC in 1998, where he rose through the ranks becoming an Open Water Instructor. Following this experience Garry developed his deep and technical skills with TDI and SDI and is now experienced in deep, cave and re breather diving. After such varied and valuable experience, Garry still gets his biggest kick from watching newly qualified divers emerging from the water with a smile on their face

Helen Wooton - Divemaster Helen has been diving for several years in the UK and overseas and has experienced a wide range of diving environments and challenges. Helen's motivation is to help people to enjoy themselves while learning, and to give them the skills to ensure that they continue to enjoy, and share her passion for diving. Helen lists patience as one one of her strengths which she uses to great advantage when teaching, to ensure that everyone is able to master the required skills. Helen has dived extensively around the South and South West Coasts of the UK. She has also dived extensively overseas including, Egypt, and the Caribbean. As well as an experienced Divemaster Helen is also a DAN certified Oxygen administrator.

	Kevin Charman - Divemaster Kevin decided to learn to dive when, in his own words, "a glittering football career came to a premature end" (I think he was about 44 when it ended "prematurely"). He decided he needed a new challenge and a new sport and scuba diving seemed to fit the bill well, in that he could continue to enjoy a great sport and, in time, and with experience he could also enjoy coaching again. After working his way through all the necessary courses and experiencing some of the worlds best diving in places such as Mauritius, various Caribbean islands, the Mediterranean, the Red sea and South Africa, Kevin qualified as a divemaster in November 2007, and soon after qualified as a DAN certified Advanced Oxygen administrator. He is now looking forward to getting more involved with assisting with teaching, and getting back into his favourite dive site - the lovely Horesea Island.

Russel Cottingham - Divemaster Russel qualified as a diver back in 2003. As he says he completed the course in February which is supposedly the coldest month of the year - I suppose the would explain his love of UK diving !! He was originally drawn to Scuba diving via surfing, as a keen surfer he wanted something else to do when the surf is flat and scuba diving happened to fit the bill. As well as being a newly qualified divemaster, Russel has worked his way up from open water right through to Master Scuba Diver - which is the highest level of qualification for a non professional diver. Along the way he has completed six specialties including drift diver, nitrox, wreck diver, underwater photography, deep diver and oxygen first aid. He is also a certified DAN Advanced O2 provider. Russel has extensive UK dive experience including dives in Scotland , Northumberland, Cornwall , and the English Channel . In addition he has dived in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean . His favourite and most enjoyable dive was in Southern Egypt taking photos of a group of Oceanic White tip Sharks who were circling around him while doing his safety stop. "I hope that hasn't put any budding divers off" The best thing about being a divemaster is helping to teach new divers to explore some of the most amazing places on earth, and being there to see their big smile after they qualify.

	Gareth Bridel - Divemaster Gareth has been diving since 2005 and has made many trips to the Red Sea . He is also a very keen and experienced UK diver having dived at most of the main UK coastal diving areas including, Scapa Flow ( Scotland ), Bridport, Pembroke, Brighton, Plymouth , and Cornwall , . He especially enjoys the clarity of the waters off Wales and Scotland and the Scilly Isles. In addition to a range of diver training he has also undertaken RYA Powerboat course, VHF Radio and boat handling courses and is keen to extend his skills further. He has recently completed the Divemaster Internship and loves sharing his passion for diving with others, especially those experiencing scuba for the first time. Gareth has two children, both of whom are avid Seal and Master Seal Team members, and been diving since they were 8 yrs old "It is great to see the confidence kid's gain from scuba and how easily they adapt to the underwater environment - often better than adults!" Gareth has an interest in all things living underwater and is a keen photographer "There are so many colourful species around the UK coast, often overlooked by divers who only dive in warmer waters - but that is the great thing about diving, there is something for everyone to enjoy."

Amy Muggeridge - Divemaster Amy qualified as a divemaster in 2005 and has already gained valuable experience teaching in Spain. Particularly good with nervous first timers, Amy describes herself as an "aquatic geek" loving all things fishy and maritime. So much so that Amy that after working with us for a year or so she is now part way through a Marine Biology course at University. Amy is still available and works for us during her holidays.

	Tom Jackson - Saturday Boy Tom is our Saturday Boy. He is also a very experienced diver. He passed his Open Water as a 12 year old and since then has dived at various locations including, Tobago, the Red Sea, and Barbados. During 2007 he qualified as a Rescue a Rescue Diver. In his own words: Probably the best looking member of staff he works very hard in the shop on Saturdays Tom is currently taking a year out before deciding on a University course.

Storm - Scuba dog The school dog! Storm is a Weimaraner. His love of diving and divers started as a puppy when he was first brought into the shop. He quickly got used to the loud noises of the compressor and tanks discharging, and the people coming in and out. He is especially fond of training courses. He will always have a little wander in just to see who is there. This room is also particularly popular with him around lunch time when he likes to make sure that lunch is up to scratch !! Storm's main hobby is chasing rabbits, as he is not that fond of water !!!