In fact it is fast becoming one of the biggest family sports, in much the same way as skiing did 10-15 years ago.

That diving is popular goes without saying.

It offers a wonderful experience of the natural world, freedom, technique and team spirit. It also involves a healthy dose of treasure hunting and exploration.

Most people have at some time or another stood on a harbour pier and thought about what lies beneath the waves. Previously it was both difficult and expensive to learn to dive, but thanks to developments in both equipment and training, it has never been easier or cheaper to find out what lies hidden on the seabed.

Travel and dive

Today, you can register on a scuba-diving course at the same time as booking your holi-day. In many cases you can even start the theory and basic training in Denmark, and then enjoy all the fun of being in the water when you arrive at the diving destination. This helps to ensure that you will not spend unnecessary time in the classroom when you are on holiday, and that you will be able to ask all the questions you want without feeling rushed. This holiday pre-paration is becoming increasingly popular in Denmark, the only disadvantage being that the many warm-water divers all too rarely try diving here. They do not know what they are missing out on.

Family togetherness

Diving is about partnership. One of the funda-mental principles of recreational diving is having a partner nearby to provide assistance should problems occur.

However, it is also intended as a philosophy supporting the idea that “shared happiness is double happiness”. Diving involves almost all our senses, and at the end of a dive you are so full of impressions that it is impos-sible to remember them all. If you and your family scuba-dive as a holiday activity or weekend hobby, you can enjoy a sense of togetherness and shared experiences matched by few other sports. Simply travelling to and from the diving site is one way of getting out into Danish countryside you would not normally see.

How many of you have been, for example, to Mariager Fjord? Or to Stevns, Fornæs light-house, Langeland, the Little Belt, Sønderborg Fjord, or even to the beach at Moesgaard? Every single diving trip is an opportunity to ex-perience nature, both above and below the sur-face, and there is always something to see for all the family.

The Bay of Aarhus

Aarhus is an old medieval city, and goods have been transported by water for over a 1,000 years. There are several places where you can see relics of Stone Age settlements, and all round the coastline there are large belts of seaweed, home to countless fishes and other sea life. However, if you are not keen on taking a proper scuba-diving course, there are still wonders to be seen – all you need is a light-weight wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins.

Sea trout and grey mullet are common guests in the low waters of the bay, while codling and flatfish abound. It is possible to dive for eight months of the year with a thin wetsuit.

Come and try it!

If you want to have a go at scuba-diving, or are thinking about diving as your next family activity, Aarhus has several good diving clubs. You can find them on the homepage of the diving maga-zine DYK, which also has lots of interesting articles etc. about diving in Denmark and abroad – www.dyk.dk.