Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog

Your Scuba Instructor: Your Best Friend

2010-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Most people taking scuba diving classes for the first time just pick the closest or most convenient dive school to their home, and get whatever instructor comes with the class. That's just the way it is, but then it shouldn't be.

Just as bikers will advise you to get the best bike you can afford, or guitarists will advise you to save up for a decent instrument, your instructor will be your gateway to the underwater world, and you shouldn't scrimp on him or her either. The good news is that unlike a bike or a guitar, your scuba instructor won't be coming off an assembly line at the factory, and price isn't going to be the deciding factor. A bad guitar will be difficult to play and won't be capable of showing you how far your talent will go, so you might just chuck it and forget it, and the world loses another potential guitar god. With scuba, a good instructor will ensure that your first foray into the deep (or the shallows, which is nice too) will be a fun, memorable experience that will make you want to dive as often as you can.

At the risk of being too simplistic about it, we can group scuba instructors into two: those who work as scuba instructors to make a living and nothing else, and those who do it because they genuinely love to scuba, and want to spread the knowledge and win new converts, with the money just being icing on the cake. We are assuming that whatever instructor you pick will know what he's talking about at least, it is your job, no, your duty, to make sure whichever school you choose is duly certified and legit.

Shop around like as if you were shopping around for a new pair of shoes. You wouldn't spend your footwear-money until you find the pair that's just right, right? Scuba diving is very popular, and if you look at a directory for your area, you might be surprised at all the available schools within a reasonable radius.

Research on the dive certification agencies. PADI and NAUI are just two of many others. Try to find out the differences in their methods, and pick the one which seems to suit your needs best. If you want to become a professional diver, doing technical dives and deep water with special breathing systems, your needs in a scuba instructor and school will be different than if all you want is to take it up as a relaxing leisure activity.

You may also find a scuba instructor who's affiliated with a university or college, and this way you'll possibly be able to ask friends how he or she is. Never underestimate the opinion of others who have taken classes before you. You can also search for reviews on the Internet; the first-person experiences people post in the review sites are very valuable.

When you've honed in on the school, don't be afraid to do a bit of face-to-face time with the instructor. How comfortable are you talking to him? How long has he been teaching? Does he look like somebody who is happy in his work?

Finally, ask if you can sit in on a teaching session. This will be your best gauge of how he conducts class, and if you will fit in it.

There's no sense to suffering through classes with a bad teacher in what is supposed to be one of the most pleasurable activities you can ever hope to experience. Your scuba instructor will make or break beginning experience, so choose well!

Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog Report: 7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti

2010-01-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog has just heard the news that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake has hit Haiti, with the epicenter some 10 miles away from the capital Port-au-Prince. There was fear of tidal waves reminiscent of the Boxing Day disaster following the earthquake but authorities have so far said that the danger of dangerous tsunami has passed.

That being said, there is still much devastation in Haiti, being a poor country (said to be poorest in the Western Hemisphere), they just do not have the resources to deal with an event of this scale. This is why Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog urges you, if you are in a position to do so, to please help in whatever way you can. At this point aid agencies all over the world are preparing packages for transport to the impoverished country, do check if there are such agencies near you taking donations. If you are in a capacity to physically help, any service that is critical in this sort of situation (medical, social work, disaster management, etcetera) will be appreciated also. Again, if you can volunteer and find an avenue to do so, let Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog be the first to thank you and urge you to do your best.

With lines of communication patchy at best, there is also a dearth of news coming out of Haiti right now. If you are within the area and have access to the internet or any other line of communication, or if you've received news that may be helpful to the public, you can visit news organization's websites such as CNN and the BBC where they will disseminate the the information for you.

Here are a few snipets of news of the disaster coming from a few sources so far:

From Yahoo, CNN, and BBC.

Our thoughts go out to those in Haiti. Please, if you can help at all in any way, do so. Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog will continue to follow the news.

Scuba Diving At Age 10?

2010-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Our 'net research seems to point out that 10 is the minimum age at which someone can take scuba diving classes, and the certification agencies do indeed have training programs for those in that bracket (with some additional requirements and adjustments), but the parent or guardian must be aware that there are some things to think about that are probably not in the brochures when considering sending a young 'un off into the underwater world.

Physically. scuba diving is not so stressful that a 10-year old wouldn't be able to do it. On the contrary, the amount of effort involved in leisure diving can be so little that the very young or the very old will find a comfortable pace with no problem, and still enjoy the experience immensely. A 10-year old's body mass is considerably smaller than an adult's though, and what may seem to be comfortably warm water to a grown-up might chill a child. He or she may therefore need a warmer suit, booties and gloves.

There is also the question of equipment. There are regulators, tanks, and other scuba equipment that are sized for children, and assuming that you are planning to send your child off to classes thinking of using the equipment provided by the school, it would certainly be good to check beforehand that they do indeed have them. Not all schools do.

Then there are the psychological factors, and these will be best assessed by someone who has lived with the child for some time. Is he or she mature enough to understand the importance of following the rules outlined in scuba diving class? Breaking the rules in soccer or basketball only gets one a foul and maybe a reprimand from the instructor, but breaking the rules in scuba can have very dangerous consequences.

As always, the best bet is to pick a school which has prior experience with teaching children of that age. Maybe more important than having the proper adjusted programs, they will have instructors who can properly assess, within the course of instruction, if your child has reached an age when he or she can keep safe in the water.

And if you can, dive as a family! It will only enhance the enjoyment of scuba diving a hundred-fold.

Scuba Diving Class: How To Get Used To Mouth Breathing

2009-12-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

One of the skills it would be useful to have even before you start your scuba diving classes is mouth breathing. I never had a problem with it, even when I was a child I would mouth breathe with no undue stress whenever my nose was congested (which was often). I was a natural at it and I assumed everyone could do it. It was only when I got into scuba diving when I learned that many more people have problems with mouth breathing than those who are like me. Most people either can't mouth breathe 100%, meaning some air is still passing through the nostrils when they think they're mouth breathing, or they can't do it at all.

To be relaxed under the water, you will need to master mouth breathing. The normal reaction of a land-lubber is to panic when he or she inhales water. This is normal. It is our body's involuntary reaction to the threat of drowning. But it is a fact in scuba that sometimes, during a dive, someone will accidentally kick you in the face or you will bump into something, or one of a million other possible scenarios will cause your mask to momentarily lose its seal. Your mask gets flooded, you inhale a little water. Water passing through the nostrils causes a burning sensation.

As a diver, the thing to do is to calmly breathe in through your regulator, lift up the bottom of your mask slightly, and blow out through your nose to clear the trapped water out (this is one of the lessons you will go through in your scuba diving classes). To do this, you will need to fight the panic reaction and this can only be done by getting used to the sensation of inhaling a bit of water through your nose, and of course, perfect mouth breathing.

One exercise you can do is freestyle swimming. Not only will it give you a good total body workout, you will also learn to take a gulp of air for that split second your face is out of the water and exhale when your face goes under. Vigorous freestyle swimming means you will inadvertently inhale some water too, so you will get used to the sensation.

A less strenuous exercise is to stand in chest deep water in a pool, submerge your face, and breathe through a snorkel without a mask. Since you're not swimming, you can just hold the snorkel tube to the side of your head where it will normally be. Don't pinch your nose with your fingers or anything, try to just breathe through the snorkel without getting any water in your nostrils.

Lots of people who start diving realise just there and then that they can't easily mouth breathe at the start. But it's an easy skill to master, and doing the exercises before signing up for your scuba diving classes will mean one less hurdle between you and your open water certificate!

Reasons To Take Scuba Diving Classes

2009-11-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

If you've been thinking of taking scuba diving classes, chances are you already know these things, and are only looking for some positive reinforcement, somebody to tell you that yes, the reasons you have are the right reasons. So without further ado, here's that positive reinforcement.

Scuba diving offers more mystery, suspense and adventure than all those television shows and movies put together. No matter how many underwater documentaries you've seen, no matter how clear and highly defined the monitors on which you've seen them, you will still hardly believe the new world you will find yourself the moment you jump into open water. The colors, sights, sounds, feelings, and especially the emotions of the first dive are things rarely forgotten by any diver.

Scuba diving offers health benefits. Maybe it won't give you muscles like you'll get if you lift weights, or speed like you'll develop if you train as a sprinter. But diving will give you the exercise benefits of moderate swimming, and many people who develop an affinity for the water become motivated to become even better and stronger swimmers, getting even healthier in the process.

Stress relief is a given. Scuba is unique in that it gets your adrenaline going with the excitement of the dive, but once you get in there and start going with the flow, things suddenly slow down, and you become relaxed, almost meditative. You get a natural high and all the stress of life topside melts away.

But to get all these benefits, there is one key you must have, and that is the experience and training that you will get in taking scuba diving classes.

Should I Take Group Scuba Diving Classes Or Take Personal Instruction Alone?

2009-11-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

"I'm feeling a bit embarrassed to take my scuba diving classes with a group because I'm a bit slow with physical sports. I'm afraid I might lag behind my classmates and make a fool of myself. Can I take a personal course with only me as the lone student, going at my own pace?"

If you look through the yellow pages or in the internet ads, you should see some Open Water Certification courses that are offered for a class of one, as well as the more common group classes. You have better chances of finding these of course, if you live in an area that's near a beach of dive spot, although most any landlocked area will still have its share of dive schools. Whichever path you take, make sure you get an qualified instructor.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. First of all, individual instruction will be more expensive. While as of this writing, getting certified in a regular class in America will cost you in the range of about $200 to $300 for the full certification course, individual instruction, and "at your own pace" as you described, will be like the Rolls Royce of scuba classes, and you should expect to pay by the hour, and upwards of $700 to $1000 depending on how fast you learn.

That said, you might just be all stressed out over nothing. Remember, scuba classes attract all sorts of attendees, and chances are, no matter how incompetent you might think you are, there will be someone else in class exactly like you or even slower. This is an open water certification course that is designed to finish in as short as a weekend, this is not high school. There won't be class bullies or the poor guy whom everyone makes fun of. The entire class will be as excited as you and as new as you to the sport, and these same guys will often become your friends and dive buddies for life.

So don't worry too much, get into that scuba diving class and prepare to have a lot of fun and meet new friends!

Do I Have To Be A Good Swimmer To Take Scuba Diving Classes?

2009-11-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

The biggest thing that stopped me from plunging into my first ever scuba diving classes, and into the sport in general, was that I wasn't a strong swimmer, and somehow I supposed one had to be a good swimmer in order to scuba. Over the years (yes, I took years on dwelling on whether I should or shouldn't), I got to thinking, what with the fins, the buoyancy equipment (inflatable bladders to make you float, lead weights to make you sink), and the companions who were going to be with me, maybe strong swimming skills weren't really something to worry about.

Now, good swimming skills are a plus if you ever want to take scuba diving classes because the fact that you'll already be comfortable in the water and able to go under with confidence should make you a natural. Swimming is involved in scuba diving of course, no matter what sort of equipment you have (except maybe if you have one of those handheld propeller things, but where's the fun in doing nothing but that?), so being in good shape will help, but any reasonably healthy individual should be able to pass muster.

In class, you may be asked to do tasks that will show your level of comfort in the water and your swimming skills. This will entail submerging your face in the water and a basic endurance test. The term "endurance test" shouldn't scare you either, it only means doing a certain length of nonstop swim (about 200 yards or back-and-forth twice in an Olympic swimming pool) without a time limit. You are after all just after recreational scuba diving and not applying for the Navy SEALS.

So if you already have fun splashing in a swimming pool or on the beach, chances are you are skilled enough to take on basic scuba diving classes. If you aren't, what better motivation is there to improve?

Scuba Diving Classes Basics: What Equipment Should YOu Buy First?

2009-10-22T02:12:00.000-07:00

Even at the start when you are just about to take scuba diving classes, there are pieces of equipment you would be well-adviced to buy already. Getting everything all at once will be much too expensive to be comfortable, and at this stage in your scuba career there really is no telling if it's going to "stick," or how often you will actually go out diving as opposed to having your brand new complete set of equipment just languishing unused in a dusty corner.

With that in mind, there are certain pieces of equipment you can dive in and purchase already. There's still no telling how often you will actually use them after the first few times in scuba diving class, but at least you won't have spent too much, these possibly being the least expensive pieces out of a complete set.

The mask or diving mask - This is perhaps the most personal piece of equipment you will need. Choose one that fits your face, meaning that it should form a good seal around your face. To test this, get your hair out of the way and put the mask on your face without fitting the strap behind your head. Now, inhale through your nose slightly. This should form a vacuum inside the mask, holding it to your face even if you turn face down. If you're buying from a good diveshop, the staff should be able to help you with the fitting, or if you've taken a few hours of scuba diving classes already, you should have gone through how to fit a mask, it's one of the first lessons.

Fins - Like buying a pair of shoes, you should fit several fins until you find a pair that fits well and comfortably. Fins are worn to aid in propelling you underwater so that you conserve energy, use less air, and maximize dive time. A badly fitting pair will hinder instead of help. If you plan on diving with booties, fit them with your booties on, resist the temptation to estimate the added bulk of booties.

Although these may be rented when you go diving, the fact that masks and fins aren't one-size-fits-all makes it all the better if you do your dive with your own personal (and well-fitting) mask and fins. You may also consider buying your own snorkel, and if you plan on diving in less-temperate waters, a dive suit, but these open up a wide array of decisions to be made altogether, and will be discussed in another post.

Have fun shopping, and in your scuba diving classes of course!

Scuba Diving Classes Experience: One Girl's First Time

2009-10-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

If we were to guess at the sort of person who would follow the Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog, it would probably be the sort who wants to dive RIGHT NOW but who is afraid to do so. Fear is always there whenever one is about to dive (pardon the pun) into the unknown. And there is little we can classify as more "unknown" as under the sea. He or she will make up excuses to postpone the lessons until next month, then the month after that, then the next. So just to remind that person of why he or she ever thought of scuba diving anyway, here's a direct quote from one Indonesian girl's first open water experience. It was written in 2007 in a blog she calls, appropriately, ...Life Is Beautiful...

"Suddenly all around me was green. It felt like living in a green world! Really. As far as I could see... everything was green! I saw some corals, big ones, some of them look like giant mushrooms. I saw some sea urchins too, giant 'keong' in white and lots of 'goby' fish hiding in the sand.

I was enjoying the scenery all around me until my instructor waved at me with her hand holding a pink fin. What?! 'That fin looks familiar', I thought. And.. yes! That's my fin!!! Hahahaha... I didn't realize that my right fin managed to release itself from my right foot! Naughty fin! I was almost choke from laughing with the regulator on and the mask attached on my face :))."

It's a nice read, simple and very personal in a way that a first open water dive will be something different and personal for each and every person who experiences it.

So go and get your scuba diving classes already!

Scuba Diving Classes Basics: What Is SIT?

2009-10-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Just to answer a point raised in the previous post in Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog, SIT stands for Surface Interval Time. It is the recommended time (with NAUI and PADI publishing different times) a diver should spend out of the water after a dive, before going for the next one.

Usually, when you go to a nice dive site and rent your equipment and boat (and we do recommend at this early stage that you rent instead of buy your equipment and boat), you get a two-tank dive for your money as a package. This means that you can dive (usually) in the morning using up one tank, then rest (this is the SIT), then do another dive in the afternoon with the other tank.

The time spent in between these two dives follows a minimum time value because of human physiology. When you take your tankful of air and dive into the water, you are entering an atmosphere much denser and heavier than air, meaning that your body is under heavier pressure, or that it is getting squeezed more, than if you were out of the water. Conversely, the deeper into the water you go, the heavier this pressure will be.

Therefore at the end of your dive-time, you also have time added in to decompress (hmmm... I see that we need to have more posts just to explain these diving terms, but then that's what Scube Diving Classes Infoblog is for!), that is, you cannot just surface suddenly and get out of the water because as the pressure around your body lessens, nitrogen that was previously dissolved in your blood and tissues collects in your joints as bubbles. If the gas bubbles accumulate too much, you get the bends (there's a diving term you've probably heard of before), a painful and potentially deadly condition.

If you follow the decompression procedure (which you ought to) and gradually rise to the surface and back to shore or to your boat, you will still have nitrogen bubbles in your joints, but not enough to cause discomfort. SIT allows these remaining bubbles to dissolve back into your blood and tissues, so you can start your next dive with a clean slate, as it were.

SIT time differs according to NAUI and PADI tables but usually falls to within 45 minutes to an hour.

Stay tuned to Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog for more scuba beginner posts like this!

Scuba Diving Classes By NAUI and PADI

2009-10-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

One of the first things you should decide when ready to take scuba diving classes is which agency-affiliate class to pick. There are many scuba diving agencies that exist throughout the world, but usually, and especially for those in North America (although I would venture that also in Europe and Asia), the agencies to pay attention to are NAUI and PADI. It is easy to get classes that are affiliated with either, so which should you pick? Here's some basic info to help you decide.

NAUI, or to be more precise NAUI Worldwide, stands for National Association of Underwater Instructors, while PADI is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Both are internationally known scuba diving training and certification organizations, but that's about where the similarities end, especially where you, the future scuba diver, is concerned.

NAUI is a not-for-profit organization. NAUI's scuba diving classes are longer and more intense, and many would say more difficult, but arguably their graduates hold a deeper degree of proficiency. NAUI's dive tables (a dive table is one of the pillars of diving, and we will have more posts on this later) are generally more conservative in terms of Surface Interval Time or SIT. SIT basically is the time you need to spend on the surface in between dives, allowing your body to vent off the nitrogen accumulated in your system while diving (again, more on this on later posts).

PADI on the other hand, operates on a marketing basis, and probably as a result, their scuba diving classes are designed to be shorter and simpler to pass. This is not to say that their classes are lacking or inadequate in any way, and as proof there are a great many PADI-certified divers out there and they're not turning belly up in great numbers at dive sites all over the world. There are also more courses on offer with PADI, and certainly more schools, making it the largest certification agency in the world.

So, in simple terms, PADI offers shorter classes that are easier to pass (but which are adequate to make you a safe scuba diver), more courses to choose from in more schools all over the world, and at probably cheaper prices (partly because of the greater competition). NAUI offers classes that take longer and more effort to pass, but it could also mean that it makes the NAUI-certified scuba diver that much safer and better. It is also a bit harder looking for a NAUI diving school dependent on where you are, and you may have to pay more.

The final choice is up to you, your means, and where you are located. But taking scuba diving classes from either one should be fine, in the final analysis it is the individual diving instructor, and your aptitude for the subject, that will affect what sort of diver you will turn out to be.

Welcome To Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog!

2009-10-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

The Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog is a site where newbies (or even pre-newbies) to the sport of scuba diving can get information that may be obvious or too simple for the old pros, but are nevertheless in the minds of many people who are beginning to get serious about the activity.

Let's face it, some of us are a bit overwhelmed by all the info we read about regarding scuba. And although we want to take scuba diving classes, we want to start by reading up on it first, or maybe getting some valuable pieces of wisdom from others who are more experienced. The problem is that such information can be a bit hard to come by, and some newbies are plain embarrassed to have to tap a certified "sea dog" on the shoulder to ask all his questions. It can be intimidating, and the best way to find answers is to share info among fellow newbies. We learn one step at a time about this wonderful thing called scuba diving, and wouldn't it be wonderful if we could share each new piece of information with all the other newbies, and get to share in their learning as well?

This blog will hopefully become a repository of newbie knowledge in this realm. Which classes to take, where to take them, PADI or NAUI (and what exactly is the difference?), how to prepare for the first class, how much you're likely to spend, all these questions will hopefully be answered in a way that even the greenest diver-wannabe will understand.

Again, welcome to Scuba Diving Classes Infoblog and we hope you have a pleasant and informative stay!