Whether you've just taken up the sport, or have logged more than 1000 dives, further training is a great way to enhance skills you already have, or acquire new ones. Training makes for purposeful diving.
Having got to grips with the gear and basic underwater technique, many divers will want to 'skill up'. They might want to become proficient in rescue management techniques and first aid - useful skills, and crucial in the event of a real-life emergency. From there, they might, perhaps, want to try their hand at underwater search and recovery techniques, or get into boat handling.
Courses aimed at developing skills and creating well-rounded divers are available in most clubs and schools. These cover many areas, and might include: oxygen administration, first aid, lifesaving, boat handling, navigation, and underwater search and lifting.
Once they have acquired the basic diving skills, many divers look for an activity to busy themselves with under water. It might be something which has already caught their imagination out of the water - archaeology, photography or marine biology.
The Nautical Archaeology Society, based in Portsmouth, runs several levels of training around the country for budding 'arkies'. Once the preliminary training has been completed, divers can work on sites of historic importance. Several clubs and schools in Britain have archaeological projects in which people can take part.
When divers turn to photography, they often become more aware of their underwater environment. Creatures which might once have been unknown to them as they swam by, become subjects for photographic study. When you're a photographer, there's no longer such a thing as a 'boring dive'.
Increasing numbers of schools hold photography sessions. Why not make a week of it? Several top British photographers run photographic liveaboards both at home and abroad. Videos and books on how to take decent underwater pictures abound.
Strangely, training in marine biology is not as widely available as you might have thought. The BSAC runs a marine identification course, as do local branches of the Marine Conservation Society. Several independent organisations also run courses - from recognising a sea urchin when you see one, to gaining an understanding of more complex marine ecosystems. Some universities offer extra-mural courses.
For advanced divers, the idea of doing some more demanding diving could also appeal. A nitrox course will add safety margins to your shallow sport diving; it could also be your first step down 'mixed gas alley'. If you want to get more technical about your diving, extended range courses, trimix or perhaps even a rebreather certificate can all be completed in Britain. What about cave diving training for something even more demanding?
If it has been several years since training, why not repeat it? Diving knowledge and techniques are improving all the time, and many divers choose to complete parts of courses (or, indeed, entire courses) they have already done!