“Scuba involves putting a heavy tank full of compressed air on your back and diving into deep water with a tiny rubber tube being the only thing that keeps you alive.” A quote from: http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845366_be-scuba-diver.html . I love it!
- Ask yourself, “How serious are you to be a diver?” Do you want to dive in warm waters a few times a year at some pricey resorts, or be a recreational diver, which limits you to a max depth of 130 feet, or are you interested in hardcore cold-water diving and exploring shipwrecks? It’s important to ask yourself such questions, because you can enjoy diving without becoming certified. If you vacation in popular diving spots like the Caribbean, Cozumel or the Florida Keys, you will easily find offers for “resort” dives. These are usually 1-day or weekend crash courses in diving that include a guided dive with a dive master. You do not get certified and cannot go unsupervised, but you are certainly allowed to enjoy the marine life in the area. Although often expensive, this type of introduction to diving is a wonderful way to decide if you want to pursue certification.
- “How good of a swimmer are you?” You don’t have to master every type of stroke. Scuba certification only requires that you are able to swim about 200 yards using any stroke you want and to be able to float or tread on water for about 10 minutes.
- “Are you in good general health?” If you are in good general health and are comfortable in the water, then you should be able to scuba dive without any problems.
- Find a professional scuba dive center in your local area. There are about 1,900 professional scuba dive centers in North America alone and your local ones should definitely be checked out. Most will run basic certification programs on a regular basis. These centers or shops should be listed in the yellow pages and you can also check with websites of some of the major scuba diving certification agencies such as PADI, SSI or NAUI as they will also have listings. If you live in the Sacramento, California area I recommend Fisheye Scuba in Folsom, CA. I am certified with PADI.
- Talk to a certified scuba diver and do your research. A good way to know what you’re getting into is talking to someone who has been diving before. It’s better if you can find a dive instructor or a dive master to talk to, but even someone with a little dive experience should be able to help you out. Contact Peggy @ http://www.gogirl-travel.com/contact.php if you have any questions. I would be more than happy to talk to you.
GoGirl Tidbits:
SCUBA stands for “Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.”
PADI stands for “Professional Association of Diving Instructors.”
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Peggy,
Great post! I got certified right out of college with the intent of diving in Greece while I lived there teaching English. Little did I know that you can only dive in two places in Greece because of the high concentration of archeological artifacts. Oh well…years later I got re-certified with my hubby and we went on a fabulous dive in Belize. It is an amazing sport and one I love.
Thanks Darcie, Greece sounds interesting. Belize is one of the places on my list to dive also.
Even though you did not get in to the top 10, I wanted to read your blog and comment anyway! I have always thought scuba diving would be such a beautiful and fantastic skill to have; my husband’s nephew actually teaches scuba diving, but I have not chosen to learn only because I am not a good swimmer and water kind of scares me! so I just fantasize about it and love to watch those programs on TV or movies where they film people exploring the oceans with their scuba gear! I enjoyed reading your tips, and if I were a better swimmer, I would definitely consider pursuing this sport!
Thanks Donna! I am in the process of getting a television show going and it will include underwater scuba for your enjoyment.
Peggy, I was certified 25 years ago, or so. I did my first open dive at Salt Point in Mendicino County, and it was spectacular! I had the opportunity to dive some beautiful spots, but I think the most amazing was the Northern Mariana Islands (some of the best diving in the world, I’ve been told).
It’s been years since I last dived, but you are making me want to get re-certified. There is nothing like that underwater experience, with only the sound of your own breath.
Thanks Heidi, you should get re-certified. Salt Point sounds interesting I will need to check that out.
Peggy, You are so out of my league! Scuba diving is not something I’ve ever done or even thought about doing. But I love the images shown by scuba divers and really admire people who are this adventuresome. From reading your tips I think it’s safe to say I won’t be trying scuba diving, but even reading about it is fun and reminds me of the joys of travel.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
Thanks Judy.
Thanks for the details on Scuba diving. I have never done it, and I am not sure I would do anything but recreational diving, but it is wonderful to know what is out there, and how to do it right!
Jen Duchene
The Home Makeover Mixtress blending cool and cozy style.
Your welcome Jen!