Scuba Diving Arundel: PADI Courses at our 5 Star Instructor Development Centre
Looking for scuba diving near Arundel?
Arundel is known for its castle, its river and its countryside. If you want to add scuba diving to that, a private heated training pool, personal instruction and a centre focused entirely on diving are only a few miles down the River Arun, at Abyss Scuba School in Littlehampton.
The Arun flows from Arundel straight down to Littlehampton harbour, where our marina base sits, so in a sense we share the same stretch of water.
Our home is Littlehampton Marina, around 5 miles from Arundel. Under one roof you have a heated indoor pool used only for dive training, a team of PADI instructors, and courses for every level from nervous first-timer to aspiring professional. Small groups and a steady pace mean you build confidence properly.
We regularly welcome divers from across West Sussex, and Arundel is one of the easiest places to reach us from, whether you are a complete beginner or a qualified diver looking for your next course.
👉 Start your scuba diving journey near Arundel today.
Why Arundel Divers Choose Abyss Scuba School
Scuba Diving Training Near Arundel — Learn in the Right Environment
Arundel is an inland market town with the river at its heart, but not all scuba diving training environments are the same.
A lot of scuba training has to fit around hired pool time in a public leisure centre. Ours does not. Abyss Scuba School was built for diving and nothing else, with its own heated indoor pool, small groups and a structured PADI programme, so beginners from Arundel can take things at a sensible pace.
For Arundel, the nearest purpose-built scuba facility is ours at Littlehampton Marina, about 5 miles away and typically 15 to 20 minutes by car.
That is why people from across West Sussex choose Abyss Scuba School for a more personal and professional way to learn to scuba dive, and why it is a natural choice for Arundel.
Private, Personal Scuba Diving Training near Arundel
Arundel is better known for its castle and river walks than for scuba, but learning to dive is closer than you might think. Abyss Scuba School takes a different approach to training: small groups, personal instruction, and a dedicated dive facility where instructors know your name before your second session. If you want to learn to scuba dive properly in a calm, supportive environment, our Littlehampton centre is just a short drive from Arundel.
A Private Heated Training Pool — No Sharing, No Waiting
The pool is ours alone. There are no public swim sessions cutting your lesson short and no lanes to share, which is rare for scuba diving lessons near Arundel. Sessions run to suit how you are progressing, so if a skill needs a little longer, it gets it.
Watch Every Skill Through the Viewing Window
Our pool comes with something unusual: a window at water level so people on the poolside can see everything that happens below the surface. It is a favourite with parents, and a real reassurance for nervous beginners coming over from Arundel, who can bring someone along to watch.
Everything under one roof
Theory, pool training, equipment retail, cylinder fills, kit servicing all sit side by side at our Littlehampton Marina base. That matters when you are coming from Arundel: one journey covers your lesson, any kit you need and a cylinder fill for the weekend, with the same team looking after all of it.
Calm, unhurried learning a short drive from Arundel
Learning to scuba dive should feel calm, structured and enjoyable from the very beginning.
Littlehampton Marina is a peaceful place to learn. There is free parking by the door, no queues and no noise from other pool users, only a purpose-built dive centre where you can concentrate on getting comfortable in the water.
We regularly welcome students from Arundel and across West Sussex who are looking for professional scuba diving lessons in a more personal environment.
The only PADI Alternative Provision centre in the UK
We hold the only WSCC-approved Alternative Provision for scuba training in the country. Our DBS-checked team, including ELSA-qualified instructors, is experienced with SEND and SEMH learners and with children as young as 8.
Families and professionals from Arundel and across West Sussex can choose Abyss Scuba School for a calm, supportive and structured environment that could support confidence, communication and personal development through scuba diving and marine-based learning.
PADI Scuba Diving Courses Serving
Worthing, Selsey, Chichester, Brighton & Many more
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![Discover Scuba Diving with Abyss]()
Discover Scuba Diving with Abyss
The Taster Session. Experience the thrill of breathing underwater in our heated private pool. No experience needed—just bring your swimwear and a sense of adventure!
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![PADI Open Water Diver Course]()
PADI Open Water Diver Course
The Full Certification. The world's most popular scuba course. Learn the fundamentals and earn your licence to dive to 18m anywhere in the world.
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![PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course]()
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course
Level Up Your Skills. Fine-tune your buoyancy and explore new horizons like deep diving and navigation. No exams—just five themed dives to build your confidence.
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![PADI Re-Activate Course]()
PADI Re-Activate Course
Back in the Water. Haven't dived in a while? Quickly brush up on your skills and safety knowledge so you feel 100% ready for your next holiday or local trip.
Accessible Diving for Everyone
We offer the full range of PADI programmes at our private facility, tailored to your pace and goals. As the only PADI centre in the UK with a WSCC-approved Alternative Provision, we're known across West Sussex for making diving accessible to all not just those who find it easy. Our DBS-checked team includes ELSA-qualified staff with extensive experience supporting SEND and SEMH learners, and the calm, consistent environment at our Littlehampton marina facility is only a short trip from Arundel.
🤿 Beyond the Pool
Once you've mastered your skills, the adventure continues. We run regular sea diving trips off the Sussex and Hampshire coast and from our local marina. We also use specialist inland sites including Vobster Quay and Stoney Cove for year-round training and advanced skills development.
👋 Join the Community
Becoming an Abyss diver means joining a thriving community. Our active dive club meets for local shore dives, boat trips, and social events and our WhatsApp community connects hundreds of divers across the South. Plus, you can join us on our escorted overseas holidays to explore world-class reefs with the instructors you already know and trust.
Diving from Arundel: Where Your Certification Takes You
Arundel sits a few miles inland, but the sea is closer than it feels, and the South Coast offers some of the UK’s best scuba diving for both newly qualified and experienced divers. Along the coast there are shore dives and boat dives to wrecks and reefs, with lobsters, cuttlefish and shoals of fish to find, and well-known sites such as Swanage Pier and Chesil Beach are within reach for a day or weekend trip. Inland sites like Vobster Quay and Stoney Cove offer dependable diving all year, and we visit them regularly with students and club members. Your PADI Open Water course is the key to all of it, including our group trips abroad with the instructors who taught you.
We also serve divers from Southampton, Portsmouth, Hayling Island, Havant, Emsworth, Chichester, Selsey, the Witterings, Pagham, Bognor Regis, Rustington, Angmering, Worthing, Lancing, Shoreham-by-Sea, Hove and Brighton.
Visiting us from Arundel
Address
Abyss Scuba School
Unit 1C Littlehampton Marina
Ferry Road
Littlehampton
BN17 5DS
By Car: Abyss Scuba School is around 5 miles from Arundel, typically a 15 to 20 minute drive via Ford Road. Free parking is available directly outside the centre at Littlehampton Marina.
By Train: Trains run from Arundel to Littlehampton with a change at Ford. From Littlehampton station it is around a 10 minute walk to the marina, or a quick taxi ride.
On-Site Parking: Free on-site parking is available directly outside the dive centre with no charges or time restrictions.
On-Site Services: Cylinder fills, scuba equipment servicing, and a retail shop stocking brands including Fourth Element, Cressi, Suunto and DIVEVOLK are all available on-site at Littlehampton Marina.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Abyss Scuba School at Littlehampton Marina is around 5 miles from Arundel. It is a 5 Star PADI Instructor Development Centre with a private heated training pool, personal instruction and courses from first try dive to professional level, typically 15 to 20 minutes away by car.
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Your classroom and pool sessions take place at Littlehampton Marina, around 5 miles from Arundel. Your qualifying open water dives are then completed at a suitable local or inland dive site with the same instructors.
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Our Discover Scuba taster session starts at £55 per person. The full PADI Open Water certification is £600 and includes use of our private heated pool and all required scuba equipment. Visit our Courses page for the full current price list.
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Children can start scuba diving from age 8 with the PADI Bubblemaker programme in our pool. From age 10, they can enrol in the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course. Our private pool and viewing window are especially popular with families, as parents can watch from poolside.
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Not at all. All the scuba equipment you need is included in your course, so there is nothing to buy before you travel over from Arundel. When you are ready for your own mask, fins or computer, our on-site shop will help you choose.
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Yes. Abyss Scuba School delivers a WSCC-approved Alternative Provision and our DBS-checked team includes ELSA-qualified staff. We have experience supporting SEND and SEMH learners in a calm, structured environment, using our private pool and consistent instructors.
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The PADI Open Water course has three parts: theory, pool training and four open water dives over two days. Plenty of students complete the first two parts across a weekend or several evenings, and our team will work out a timetable that suits you.
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There is plenty. The South Coast has shore and boat diving, inland sites give year-round options, and our dive club runs regular trips, so newly qualified divers from Arundel always have people to dive with.
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The main difference is the environment. Abyss Scuba School has its own private heated training pool, a viewing window, small group instruction, on-site kit services, retail support and a facility built around scuba diving. You are not squeezed into a hired pool slot, which is why it is worth the trip from Arundel.
Ready to take the plunge?
There is a whole world under the surface off the South Coast, and Arundel is closer to it than you might think. Start at Abyss Scuba School in Littlehampton and you will reach your first open water dive calm, capable and well prepared.
