Days Out NI
Diving & snorkelling Larne

Larne Sub-Aqua Club

Larne's BSAC branch — try a dive in the pool, then train for the open sea.

5 photos
Join or try-diveMembership club — contact to arrange
£15Varies by course or trip
LarneDiving & snorkelling
Get directionsOfficial website
Dive clubType
£15Cost
Beginners OKExperience
Kelp reefsYou may see
Car parkParking

Larne Sub-Aqua Club — Larne's BSAC branch — try a dive in the pool, then train for the open sea.

  • What you can do: Pool try-dive for beginners; BSAC Ocean Diver training; sea diving for qualified members.
  • Experience needed: Try-dive is beginner-friendly; open-water and wreck dives are for trained, qualified divers.
  • Conditions: Cold sea water year-round; sea dives weather- and tide-dependent; pool try-dives in a heated pool.
  • Kit: Provided for pool try-dives and trainees; own drysuit/wetsuit needed for regular sea diving.
  • Booking & access: Contact the club ahead via website or Facebook; not a drop-in guided-dive operator.
  • Cost: Try-dive quoted around £15 on the club site to cover kit and pool hire — check current prices.
Plan your visit

Breathe underwater first, then learn to dive

The easy way in is a pool try-dive at Larne Leisure Centre, typically on a Thursday evening, with a club instructor and all the kit found for you. It is a controlled pool session, so it suits absolute beginners and anyone testing whether scuba is for them. From there the path is the BSAC Ocean Diver course, which the club runs about twice a year and which is the qualification that lets you dive in open water. Out in the sea the club dives from two RIBs, mostly around the Maidens lighthouses and their wrecks and at Strangford Lough, with occasional trips further afield to Donegal. Those sea dives are for trained, qualified divers only, not try-dive beginners.

BSAC club Pool try-dives Ocean Diver course Cold water Qualified divers for sea dives Club RIBs
Good to know before you go:

Conditions here change with the weather and the tide, and visibility changes with them — clear and calm one day, murky and rough the next. Check a forecast and a tide table before you set off. Try-dives, courses and trips run on set days and tides, so book ahead rather than turning up.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 📱A bookingCentres and clubs run try-dives and trips on set days and tides — arrange it before you travel.
  • ☕Warm layers and a hot drinkThe water is cold all year. Dry clothes and something hot afterwards make the whole day.
  • 🏖️A towelAnd somewhere to put wet kit for the drive home.
  • 🤿An honest look at your experienceMatch the site to the training you actually have. Plenty of people start with a try-dive instead.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Type
BSAC sub-aqua club (membership), run as Barracuda Sub Aqua Club
What you can do
Pool try-dive for beginners; BSAC Ocean Diver training; sea diving for qualified members
Experience needed
Try-dive is beginner-friendly; open-water and wreck dives are for trained, qualified divers
Conditions
Cold sea water year-round; sea dives weather- and tide-dependent; pool try-dives in a heated pool
Booking / access
Contact the club ahead via website or Facebook; not a drop-in guided-dive operator
Kit
Provided for pool try-dives and trainees; own drysuit/wetsuit needed for regular sea diving
Cost
Try-dive quoted around £15 on the club site to cover kit and pool hire — check current prices
What you may see
On sea dives you may see kelp reefs, wreck structure and Irish Sea life — never guaranteed
Parking
On-site parking at Larne Leisure Centre
Address / location
Pool nights at Larne Leisure Centre, Tower Road, Larne, BT40 1AB; sea diving around the Maidens and Strangford Lough
Questions

Before you go

Do I need experience?
Try-dive is beginner-friendly; open-water and wreck dives are for trained, qualified divers
How much does it cost?
Try-dive quoted around £15 on the club site to cover kit and pool hire — check current prices
Do I need to book?
Contact the club ahead via website or Facebook; not a drop-in guided-dive operator
What are the conditions like?
Cold sea water year-round; sea dives weather- and tide-dependent; pool try-dives in a heated pool
What kit do I need?
Provided for pool try-dives and trainees; own drysuit/wetsuit needed for regular sea diving
Getting there

Larne Sub-Aqua Club is at Pool nights at Larne Leisure Centre, Tower Road, Larne, BT40 1AB; sea diving around the Maidens and Strangford Lough. On-site parking at Larne Leisure Centre. Tap below for directions.

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Nearby

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The story

About it

The Larne area's BSAC branch operates as Barracuda Sub Aqua Club, a small, friendly club that meets at Larne Leisure Centre and dives the East Antrim coast. It is part of the British Sub-Aqua Club training structure, so newcomers come in via a pool try-dive and then progress through the recognised Ocean Diver qualification.

The club is best known for diving the Maidens lighthouses and their shipwrecks off the Antrim coast, along with Strangford Lough, using two club RIBs and its own breathing-air compressor for tank fills.