Deep Blue Diving welcomes you to our IANTD, TDI and PSA Training Facility.

We are based in Plymouth, South Devon, where our unrivalled waterfront location is on the doorstep of some of the best diving in the UK.

Our well-established and professionally run centre caters for all levels of diving including a strong emphasis on Mixed Gas and Rebreather diving. Within 10 minutes of leaving the centre you are diving on classic wrecks and reefs and a little further afield for the more adventurous we have un-dived and challenging deep wrecks throughout the Western Approaches.

About Deep Blue.

Who are Deep Blue Tech?

Well you could be forgiven for getting a little confused, there does seem to be an awful lot of Companies in the UK trading as Deep Blue but here?s my take on it.
In 1996 I completed my PADI OWSI and IANTD Advanced Nitrox Instructor with a guy called Martin Smith. Martin ran a company called Deep Blue Diving Ltd and he specialised in Tech Training.
In 1997 I asked Martin if I could use his company name as I wanted to do the same as what he had done. As he wasn?t training divers at the time he agreed, and I used the name with his consent.
Martin was an inspiration and firmly put me on the track of Professional Tech Training, he showed me the first incarnation of George Irvines first video in 1997, nearly 9 years ago!

It would seem at exactly the same time Deep Blue Dive Centre in Tynemouth started up, and also another diver named Colin was running a Deep Blue Diving in Stoke as a PADI training facility based at a swimming pool in Stoke.
Martin was the original Deep Blue and I have argued this point with both the Deep Blue Dive Centre and Deep Blue Diving in Stoke.
Colin from Deep Blue Diving in Stoke has now ceased trading so I guess I?m now the only Deep Blue Diving in the country, unless someone else has started up that I don?t know about?

To avoid the above happening I trade marked the name Deep Blue in 1999 and have had to take legal action to stop other companies using it, what?s the big deal with the words ?Deep Blue???
My Deep Blue started in late 1997 with a really good friend called Mike Norwood who was also on my IANTD IDC with Martin in 1996. We concentrated solely on Tech Training and Exploration enjoying great diving adventures all over the UK and Europe.
We set up a dive centre in Cheshire and eventually moved down to Plymouth. Mike moved to the States at this time marrying a lovely girl called Di, we kept in touch and I was privileged to be an Usher at his wedding in Manhatten, sadly Mike died in a diving accident in December 2003.

Deep Blue relocated to Plymouth in 2002 and ran the successful Expedition Vessel Loyal Watcher.
You can read all about our adventures on the Expedition page, these were the best times of my life, I will never forget the experiences and exploration I had onboard Loyal Watcher with my best mate ( and later to be Best Man ) Steve Wright.
Then along came the day boat ?Seeker? and two commercial RIB?s named KaraC and Searcher. A much bigger dive centre was started in Mount Batten , Plymouth in 2003 and a PADI 5 Star IDC Centre was born along with a prosperous retail side.

The down side of all this development was that I took my eye off the ball. I temporarily misplaced my original passion that drew me to this sport, exploration ! I had become a Dive Centre manager in three years, that was not part of my plan.
In the Summer of 2005 I realised this and now have passed on the PADI OW training, retail, gas mixing and shuttle dive operation to other parties.
Seeker, Kara C and Searcher have all been sold, in particular Seeker has gone to the best boat handler in the South, Steve Wright, my companion of many years as the Skipper of Loyal Watcher. Without Steve Loyal Watcher would never have been the success it was, I thank you Steve.
I have replaced the older boat with a much newer one named ?Endeavour?, you can read all about her within this site.

My focus for 2006 and beyond is to improve what I enjoy the most, deep wreck and cave diving and to further improve my instructor capabilities. I have been very fortunate in my diving career to have dived the best wrecks with the best divers, and now I plan to enjoy diving even more.
Please enjoy this website which has been developed with the ?back to my roots? ideal of Deep Blue, pure Tech Training and Exploration diving.

Thanks to you all for your continued support, I look forward to diving with you in 2007 and beyond.

Rich Stevenson, December 2007.

About Rich (more info >>)

Rich was trained in the mid -90's by Instructor Trainers such as Tom Mount, John Orlowski, Kevin Gurr and David Thompson.

Rich gained his qualifications after years of exploratry diving and relies on this experience when running Technical level courses.

In turn Rich has been responsible for training Instructors since 1998 and continues to do so on a regular basis.

Training is very important at this level and Rich feels that his personal experiences can make a difference to the abilities of an individual diver as well as maintaining safety.

To read more about Expeditions that Rich has been involved with please go to www.global-exploration.com or Leigh Bishops website www.deepimage.co.uk
To read more about Rich Stevenson Click here >>