Basic Scuba Diving Certification
Formal Training Is Neccessary to be Able to Scuba Dive
© Jim Bray
Nov 2, 2008
Almost anyone can learn to dive. It is best to do some research before you start your first scuba diving course.
Learning to Scuba Dive
A scuba certification is essential to be able to scuba dive. Dive centers and charter boats will not take a person diving unless that person has a scuba diving certification card from a recognized training agency. It just is not safe.
Basic scuba diving training teaches students to be safe, responsible divers. New divers can dive with a certified buddy without the supervision of an instructor or divemaster. This opens the door to an exciting adventure. Specialty diving like wreck diving, cave diving or diving under ice requires divers to undergo specialized training and certification.
Requirements for Scuba Diving Certification
There are many scuba diving certification agencies around the world. Two of the most well known agencies are PADI and NAUI.
Regardless of the agency, the basic scuba diving training is pretty much the same. Students are first required to fill out a medical form. Then they are asked to swim a distance of 200 yards/meters and complete a ten minute surface float. After this, the training begins.
A scuba diving class comes in three parts.
- Theory: Each scuba diving lesson will teach a different aspect of diving. Students learn about basic scuba gear, breathing air at depth and the physics of diving.
- Confined Water Training: This is where the fun begins. Students get their fist taste of breathing underwater. In the pool or shallow water students learn and practice basic scuba skills like mask and regulator clearing, buoyancy skills and out-of-air procedures. They practice swimming underwater as well as surface skills such as snorkel breathing and snorkel clearing.
- Open Water Training: This is the student’s proving ground. In the open water they must show the instructor they have a certain level of mastery of the skills they learned in confined water training. All the skill practice in the pool will now pay off. These skill evaluations are spread over four dives. Each dive starts with the student showing the instructor how well they can perform the skill. The dive ends with a relaxed underwater tour. Students find this is a great time to work on their breathing and buoyancy skills.
Nothing takes the place of formal training when it comes to learning to scuba dive. It would be dangerous to dive without first taking a scuba diving course. It is the safe and responsible thing to do.
Rewards of a Scuba Certification
The road to becoming a certified diver is challenging. But it does have its rewards.
- Self-Confidence: By mastering the fundamental skills necessary for scuba diving new divers gain confidence in the water. As their confidence builds they become safe and responsible divers. Students gain the ability to handle any situation underwater.
- Travel: A diving certification opens the door to a world of diving. There are dive locations all over this blue plant. A certified diver can dive at some of the most beautiful and exotic places the world has to offer.
- Careers in Scuba Diving: There are many exciting careers available in the diving industry. There are jobs like scuba diving instructor, underwater photographer, marine biologist and underwater salvage (treasure hunting). There are also careers in marine conservation and underwater archeology. These are just a few of the jobs open to those who have completed a scuba diving course.
A certification in scuba diving can be the beginning of an incredible adventure into the unknown. Those who choose to embark on this adventure are granted privileged access to a beautiful and mysterious underwater world.
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