Scuba Diving Certification: What You Need to Do Before You Go Looking For Nemo
Author: Dianne Rein
So you are thinking about getting your scuba diving certification but aren't
sure what it entails? We'll go through the details here.
Scuba diving is a wonderful sport and you will be able to enjoy it for many
years to come. There's nothing like floating effortlessly underwater and
seeing all the beautiful fish, coral, wrecks, etc. Certification will open
up a whole new world for you.
First, let's start with the basics. What exactly is scuba diving certification?
In order to go scuba diving with any reputable dive shop, you must have
a certification card (more commonly known as a c-card). You obtain this
card by taking and passing a dive certification course. Once you pass this
course, you receive your c-card and you are good to go.
The two main certification agencies are PADI and NAUI. Other agencies, such
as YMCA and SSI, also offer scuba diving certification but NAUI and PADI
are the most widely recognized.
The dive shop (or other entity) that you take your training from will be
affiliated with one of these agencies. That is who you will receive your
card from.
The most common scuba diving certification for recreational divers is the
open water diver. Once you finish this course and pass the tests and dives,
you receive your c-card. Once you receive your card, you are certified for
life. There is no other mandatory training. There is other optional training
you can do, but nothing more is required before you can start diving.
What are the requirements for taking a certification course?
As far as age goes, for PADI you must be 10 or older to take the course.
Students younger than 15 will receive the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification.
It can then be upgraded to PADI Open Water Diver certification upon reaching
15. For Naui, you must be 12 or older to take the course.
Basically you should be in good physical shape and be comfortable in the
water. A clearance from your doctor would be a good idea if you have any
doubts.
During the course you will have to be able to swim 200 yards. However, you
can use any stroke and there is no time limit on how long it takes. You
also have to tread water or float for 10 minutes. Again, you can use any
methods you want.
The course itself can be broken into 4 major segments:
1. Book work
2. Exams
3. Pool training
4. Open water dives
The amount of time it takes to get our scuba diving certification depends
on what avenue you take. There are intensive weekend courses where you can
do all your book work and pool work in one weekend. This option usually
involves advance reading. I think this could be a bit overwhelming if you
have no prior experience but many people opt for this route.
At the opposite end are the options where you meet over the course of several
weeks to do your book and pool work. This is the option I chose. The class
met once a week for 6 weeks. The first part of the night involved the classroom
(about 1 1/4 hours) followed by pool work (about 1 1/2 hours).
A recent introduction are the on-line certification courses which allows
you to do the book portion of your scuba diving certification from anywhere.
You get a referral to do your open water dives after you successfully complete
the book and pool work. Your open water dives are usually done in a lake,
quarry or ocean. You typically do these dives over the course of 2 days.
Certification usually requires 4 or 5 successful open water dives. You also
have to do your open water dives within a certain amount of time of receiving
your referral.
During your open water dives, you will perform the skills you learned in
class for the instructor. This involves such skills as clearing your mask,
buddy breathing, etc. Once you successfully pass the open water dives, you
will receive your c-card.
As far as the cost of certification, prices for the course and pool work
portion can range anywhere from around $150 to several hundred. I think
$200-$250 is probably about average. If you take book portion online through
PADI, the course currently costs $120 (you still have to pay for your in
water training and open water dive portions).
Adding in the cost of your open water dives, the total cost of dive certification
will probably be about $350-$450.
Hopefully I have answered most of your questions about getting certified.
Give it a try, you won't regret it!
About the Author:
Dianne Rein runs a scuba diving website at http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com.
You can find more information about scuba diving basics , necessary scuba
gear, scuba diving tips and much more on her website.