How to Become a Certified Scuba Diver
Scuba Training Includes Classroom, Pool, and Open Water Experience
Jan 18, 2009
SCUBA stands for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus." Another way to look at it: SCUBA gear is life support equipment, designed to keep humans breathing in an environment they have no business being in.
So it's no surprise that becoming a SCUBA diver takes specialized training. Here's the good news: An average swimmer can complete a basic Open Water SCUBA course in a matter of a few days.
So-called "resort" courses are also available. These introductory programs, offered by dive operators in tropical seas, allow beginners to experience a shallow dive under the close supervision of an instructor. They do not teach a diver what he or she needs to know to dive independently.
Certification courses are offered by associations such as PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), the YMCA, and a few other groups. Courses are offered through SCUBA shops, resorts, dive operators, YMCAs, colleges, and community centers.
The Classroom Training for SCUBA Certification
Classroom training explains the basic physics of diving (which helps divers understand the skills they will be learning and the function of each piece of gear). It also covers the all-important rules of calculating how long it is safe to stay underwater at different depths, the science of diving illnesses such as the bends and nitrogen narcosis, first aid, and concepts that will be practiced in the pool and open water parts of the course.
Some agencies offer the classroom portion of the course in an on-line format.
Beginning SCUBA Pool Instruction
In the pool, students learn to use the gear in a safe controlled environment. (Note: The "pool" component can be taught off shore in tropical waters, in a shallow place with good visibility). Students practice assembling, putting on, and taking off gear, learn what all the controls are for, then practice descending underwater, breathing through the regulator, clearing masks, and performing emergency operations such as sharing air with a partner.
The course is taught in simple steps, and even people who think they would be terrified to dive quickly start to feel very natural underwater. Pool drills are repeated until students feel absolutely comfortable with their gear and their ability to use it.
Open Water Training for SCUBA Certification
The fun part of the course is the open water section. Students practice assembling gear, doing a preliminary pre-dive safety check, donning gear, then entering the water using techniques such as the backward roll and the giant stride. Students then check their buoyancy and descend under the supervision of a diving instructor. Skills such as sharing air, clearing masks, clearing a regulator, controlling buoyancy, and using a compass are practiced during the dive, and the rest of the time is spent diving - getting used to the experience of being and breathing underwater.
Other SCUBA Training Options
Many programs offer students the choice to do the course and pool work near their homes, while the open water training is done in a tropical location. This makes sense for people who live in cold-weather climates (or places where the diving isn't especially good for beginners), or who want to maximize their diving time at the resort.
Divers who complete the course are given a diving certification card, known as a "C- Card." This is the license to dive without the supervision of a dive master (diving with a buddy is always recommended), and to fill tanks with air at dive shops. However, most divers feel that it takes a few dozen dives before they feel competent to dive without a dive master watching over them.
Open water instruction is just the beginning: Divers can continue their education with more advanced classes, specialty classes, and even dive master, rescue, and instructor classes.
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