South Devon College Marine Academy

Set on the banks of the River Dart, the South Devon College Marine Academy offers a truly immersive maritime training environment, combining breathtaking natural surroundings with some of the most technologically advanced marine facilities in the UK.

Officially opened in 2022, our purpose-built Marine Academy is a centre of excellence, providing state-of-the-art resources for students pursuing careers across the marine and maritime sectors. Located within a fully operational boatyard in Kingswear, students benefit from direct access to tidal waters and the open sea – perfect for gaining experience in real-world marine conditions.

At the heart of the Academy is our industry-leading Vessel Simulator, a cutting-edge training tool funded by the LSIF project. This dynamic system allows students and apprentices to practise navigation, vessel manoeuvring and safety procedures in a realistic yet controlled environment. From challenging sea states to emergency scenarios, you’ll experience life at sea without ever leaving shore, building critical skills safely and efficiently.

The simulator is also a powerful resource for marine engineering students, enabling vessel stability testing, load configuration analysis and virtual design trials. These hands-on, technical experiences give you a head start in one of the UK’s fastest-evolving industries.

As a recognised Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Training Centre, full members of British Marine and the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL), and an accredited provider for City & Guilds, EAL Awards, and the University of Plymouth, the Marine Academy offers industry-aligned, employer-informed programmes that prepare you for both national and international careers. The Roc + Dock project, in partnership with Hydrosurv and backed by Innovate UK, has developed advanced, automated docking stations for the wireless deployment, recovery and charging of zero emission Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) – training a future-ready maritime sector through state-of-the-art technology and real-world training capabilities.

Explore Our Campus in 360°

Use your mouse or touchscreen to click and drag for a full 360° view of each facility or building.

For the best experience, we recommend making the tour full screen by clicking the settings (cog) icon in the bottom right corner of the tour window and then clicking on the arrows that appear.

Click on arrows or hotspots to move between rooms and areas.

To see a list of all points of interest, click the circle with three dots.

You can also zoom in or out for a closer look and enjoy an immersive virtual experience from anywhere!

Don’t miss the Vessel Simulator, a cutting edge training facility that allows our students to experience operating a whole range of vessels in a variety of simulated scenarios.