If you have started to entertain the idea of getting involved in scuba diving then congratulations; the adventure of the journey has already begun! Planning and the anticipation of your first dive all build the excitement and make for an incredibly memorable experience when you take that first breath underwater. There are a number of avenues you can take to explore the world beneath the waves. his article serves as a starting point for the planning process.
Being prepared ahead can save you time, money and potentially a lot of heartache. Whether you are just testing the waters with a ‘discover/explore scuba’ type experience or are ready to launch into your Open Water course (more on these shortly!) and beyond, you will at some point have your health status and history reviewed. Usually this process starts with a standardised medical questionnaire that can easily be searched and found online.
Dive medicals
Looking at the questionnaire well in advance of diving should give you a rough idea of any potential showstoppers. This gives you time to consult the tour operator or dive shop and follow up for a dive medical with a doctor if needed. Tour operators and dive shops understandably tend to have a very low appetite for risk. As such they will often make determinations conservatively when it comes to reviewing individual diver medical questionnaires. If you are already a certified diver but have not been in the water for a while, it is well worth making sure you are fully fit to dive. For example divers or holidaymakers who have booked a day trip to explore the Great Barrier Reef will often fill these forms out whilst on the boat ride to the dive site. It is not uncommon once the staff review their questionnaire to see people told they cannot dive at all. Sometimes this is due to a change in medication, a recent surgery or something else. All of which are much easier and quicker to resolve ahead of time whilst still on dry land!
Testing the waters
Once you know that you are good to get underwater, you just need to decide how and where. As mentioned earlier, there are a few different options when it comes to getting started. With so many holiday destinations in Australia and South East Asia being on the coast and often adjacent to beautiful reefs, you will find tourism businesses that in conjunction with affiliated dive companies, will offer guided underwater scuba tours for those with zero experience. This type of product is usually marketed under titles such as ‘try/discover/explore scuba’ and generally all offer the same thing. These kinds of experiences are a fantastic opportunity to experience scuba diving in a controlled environment. These dives are conducted under the direction of diving instructors whilst at the same time exploring some of the local seascapes. These experiences require no prior study or coursework to be completed beforehand as customers are usually briefed on the essentials before getting in the water. They are relatively inexpensive compared to a dedicated scuba diving course, and in some cases may even count as a credit towards a future dive course when you inevitably fall in love with being underwater.
Open Water Course
If you have made up your mind that it is time to get certified, then the Open Water course is the first step. By the end of this course you should be proficient in the use of your diving equipment, able to control your buoyancy, communicate effectively with your buddy and dive instructor underwater, as well as handle a few inconvenient events like a flooded mask and an out of air situation among other things. The Open Water course is designed to give you the ability to safely dive conditions equal to or better than those that you learned in, and to a depth of 18 meters.
Where to next?
The Advanced Open Water course is the next step in the scuba diving pathway and is often undertaken immediately after completing the Open Water course. The advanced course consolidates and develops the skills taught during Open Water training, and allows you to dive to a depth of 30 meters. Depending on the diving association you choose to become certified under, the Advanced Open Water course accommodates elective diving modules. Modules inlcude wreck diving, night and under water photography to name a few. This gives recreational divers some choice in what skills they want to develop based on their interests and how they want to dive into the future. It is by no means essential to complete the Advanced immediately after the Open Water for a few reasons including time, finances and convenience.
Whilst it may be easy to move straight from one course to the next, there may be some benefits in putting space between the two. You may already have an idea of places you want to visit and things you want to see as a diver for example Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia or the SS Yongala shipwreck in Queensland. Both remarkable places, both of which you can visit whilst carrying out your Open Water and Advanced Open water courses respectively. In both places you will be experiencing a different location, different conditions and learn from different instructors. Even though your experience in one place may be better or worse than another, it will help keep a steep learning curve during your diving training and hopefully make you a better diver!
Regardless of which pathway you choose to achieve your diving qualifications, plan thoroughly and have fun! If possible, go into dive shops and meet the instructors that will teach you the art of life under the sea. Learning to dive is a very interactive process so it is important that you have a good rapport your instructor and feel comfortable. Ask lots of questions! The more you get out of the course, the more confident you will be and the more you will be able to enjoy your fun dives in the future!