Are there any experienced Sciba Divers out there??
by scubaboy on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 | 10 Comments
Hey I want to learn how to scuba dive…I need to know where is a great place for my first dive…I love sea turtles and rays…best answer gets 10
u need schooling first.
u cant just dive
My uncle is an 18 year navy diver. If you let me know where you are, I will talk with him and provide you with a lengthy 10 point answer!
Before you go diving you HAVE to get certified and get proper training. Check out if there are any areas around where you live offering programs or something. Scuba diving is expensive (for all the equipment) so be sure you really want to do it.
Look it up in the yellow pages. There are scuba dive centers even in the desert (they learn in lakes or pools). Myself, I got certified in Guam. I’ll be honest though…I prefer just plain old snorkeling. You can explore the coral reefs and all the brilliant fish (including sea turtles) from a shallow depth. Once you put on your scuba gear and go down 40 feet, it is dark, and there is not as much life. Just my preference. Plus, I have a hard time clearing my ears.
if you want “to learn” as in need to get certified first, you probably wont see too much of that. you will learn in pool and confined waters for the most part. when you finish you will be certified to dive to 30 feet only. 31 to 60 require an advanced diving class (classes are for your safety, use them and only dive to dephts you are certified for)
if you are certified, go to Catalina island in California (dont know where you live)
i’ve also dived in Okinawa, Japan. they have lots of colorful fish who are not too scared of humans so they come right up to your face (if you have food)
australia is supposed to be one of the best places in the world, the great barrier reef
the california coast is nice but it is cold and visibility is kinda limited
if you have never done it you should practice at a pool for a while then you can go to deeper water for a while make sure you practice and get used to it because if you go right out into deep water with out knowing it will feel like the water is crushing you and it will be hard for you to breathe diving is very fun you will enjoy it be careful and have fun when you are diving anywhere is a good place for your first dive go slow and have fun
As several other have said you need to get certified to dive first. Check out the dive centers in your area. Once certified some great places to dive are Cozumel or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Both sites have lots of sea life and very colorful reefs.
There are no sciba divers. There are scuba divers. Would you know the difference?
It’s not difficult to get certified. What’s difficult is finding a dive shop that you feel comfortable with. As for the training agencies, there’s no real difference between PADI, NAUI or SSI at the open water level. The difference come in later, if you go tech as you’ll leave these agencies and go to IANTD. You can get hold of any PADI dive shop and ask for their discover scuba course. It should be free or at most cost you a couple bucks for pool use. Gives you a chance to try it out in a supervised pool for 40 minutes. Scuba may not be for you, better to spend 3 dollars for a pool fee than 250 bucks on a course, that you may not be able to finnish.
When you’ve decided on your shop, you’ll have to make some basic purchases. Mask, snorkel, fins are bare minimums, the rest of the gear can be rented after you’re certified. The course ought to include the use of this gear for your training period. Most reputable dive shops don’t have any surprises like “ohh did we tell you there’s an extra charge for…..”. It should be all in one package.
The training itself can be done in as little time as 2 evenings (average class time) and 2 days of diving, one day in the pool (2 dives) and one day in a quarry or lake (2 dives). That’s it,when sucessfully completed, you are cert’d to dive to 60 ft with a buddy. It doesn’t end there, there are many courses, for varied interests, to take, Advanced level open water, wreck, cavern,Nitrox,photography and peak buoyancy to name a few.
Edit: Wow…never seen a firefighter drown at 1000 feet. How many times have you died doing this? Must have been the Krypton enriched trimix with the special waterproof undies , that helped you dive that deep.
Look online or in your yellow pages under scuba diving and find your local PADI training center. The first class, “Open Water Diver”, can take as little as two weekends or two months depending on how many people are in your class and how often you meet.
It is one of the most incredible experiences you’ll have in your life, but there’s no substitute for knowing what the heck you’re doing out there. Take the “Open Water” class and then hit up Cozamel or Florida and go see what the other 70% of the world looks like.