Learning to dive was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The time I spent getting certified was one of my happiest memories as it was then that I discovered the amazing world of diving. It also opened so many doors for me, allowed me to meet lots of like minded people and explore the underwater world.
However amazing, getting certified as a diver is also a big investment of money and time so you will want to understand your different options beforehand to make sure you choose the right one for you. It is also good to prepare yourself for what to expect when you first go scuba diving – as many things about it might surprise you!
It can be overwhelming when you first start looking in to scuba diving, with so many options out there for where to get certified, what agency, what course etc. I have tried to think of everything I can to help you prepare for your first time scuba diving and starting the best adventure ever.
What to expect when you first go diving?
- You can’t just jump in the water and go diving. There will be a lot of theory in the classroom before you go in the water and start diving. You need to have some level of qualification to go diving, see your options below.
- There is a lot of equipment, it’s pretty heavy and at first it might seem overwhelming but listen to your instructor carefully on how to set it up and take the time to understand your equipment and what it does before starting your dives
- Breathing underwater feels weird – at first I remember feeling like I wasn’t getting enough air in, but you soon get used to it and eventually don’t even think about your breathing. You just have to trust in your equipment and if you ever start to feel panicked when you’re under the water just try and take in your surroundings and focus on that.
- It’s amazing and so peaceful – it’s so calm under the water with only the sound of your breathing in your regulator.
- You will feel weightless. On the shore you will feel like the equipment is heavy and weighing you down, and will probably question how you will swim with all of it on your back, but you can actually move so freely and will feel very weightless when diving.
- Seasickness – If you are prone to seasickness make sure you come prepared for your dive. The boat rides out to the dive sites can be long and often rocky so use whatever works for you to combat feeling nauseous, I personally just find staring at the horizon helps. Once you’re in the water you will feel fine!
- You’re not alone – you will always have a dive buddy who will be within arms reach the whole time. Take the time to get to know them a bit before you jump in and make sure you are both clear on the hand gestures needed.
I also have some Dos and Don’ts for New Divers to help prepare you.
How do you learn to dive?
You need to be qualified in order to be a scuba diver as there are some crucial safety protocols and information that you must be aware of before you can be classed as a diver.
There are a number of different qualifications on offer for you to choose from, whether you just want to see what it’s like or you want to commit to getting an open water certification. I have summarised some of the main ones on offer to new divers to help you figure out which one is best for you…
Your Title Goes Here
Discover Scuba Dive
Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Enriched Air (Nitrox)
PADI or SSI?
There is also BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) if you are from the UK. BSAC Open Water course will also provide you with everything that PADI does but is known for giving more thorough training and a greater sense of community amongst other UK divers. This course does however take slightly longer than a PADI or SSI diver course.
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What does the training entail?
When you begin learning to dive, the first couple of days will mainly be theory work, watching videos in a classroom and learning about important safety protocols.
The next stage is to get used to your equipment and the feeling of breathing underwater in a confined space such as a pool. You will do a few pool sessions where you start to learn your practical skills in a safe environment. Your practical skills are designed to prepare you for anything that could happen under the water and range from being able to clear your mask if it fills with water, to what to do in an emergency situation such as running out of air. These can seem tedious as they can take time but they are so important in feeling safe and comfortable when you start diving, knowing you are prepared for anything.
After your pool sessions you get to go for your first dive in the ocean! Even though you have already done some diving in a pool, being in the ocean feels completely different and sometimes can be scary if there is strong waves or because you can’t see the bottom. That’s why it’s important to take your time with the skills and feel comfortable before this step.
It’s not all skills and studying when you are getting certified however, and you do have some open water dives where you get to enjoy the diving and take in your surroundings.
Before you can say you are officially a scuba diver you also do need to sit an exam to check you weren’t snoozing through the safety lessons – this is not too hard and reinforces everything you have learnt!
If you go on to your Advanced Open Water Diver course…
The advanced diver course is a lot of fun, there are no exams to sit and it’s only 2-3 days. In this course you get to learn lots of new skills that will make a big difference in your ability as a diver later on such as buoyancy control, navigation and deep diving. You also get to choose which adventure dives you would like to do, all of which are the first of a speciality course and include night diving, drift diving, wreck diving, underwater photography, fish ID, and search and recovery.
I chose to do night diving and wreck diving as two of mine and they were both incredible experiences – night diving is now one of my favourite kind of dives!
Where can I learn to dive?
I learnt to dive in Thailand at Big Blue Dive School on Koh Tao and can’t recommend it enough.
How much does it cost?
How long does it take?
Is diving safe?
This post by PADI goes in to more detail if you are concerned about the risks of diving.
Dos and Don’ts for first time divers
- DO keep a dive log. Note down what marine life you saw, how deep you went and what weights you used so you can keep track of what you have done!
- DO remember to equalize. Some people will struggle with the pressure on their ears a lot more than others so it’s important to not feel embarrassed if you can’t equalize straight away and take your time descending. Speak to your dive leader if you’re struggling to equalize.
- DO stick with your dive buddy.
- DO stay hydrated when diving. It’s very easy to forget to drink when you are on the boat for multiple dives, and in the sun.
- DO listen to your dive briefing. You will be given a dive briefing before each dive – including what the layout of the dive will be, what marine life you might see, what underwater tests you will be doing, any important signals, make sure to listen.
- DON’T dive hungover!
- DON’T fly within 24 hours of diving. You will risk decompression sickness as your body hasn’t had time to get rid of any nitrogen build up.
- DON’T use your arms. You don’t need to use your arms to propel forward when diving, it wastes energy you could be putting in to your massive fins.
- DON’T touch the corals. It damages them!
- DON’T bring single use plastic bottles. Help protect our oceans and get a reusable bottle.
- DON’T forget your GoPro!
Any other questions not answered here? Drop them in the comments below!
Happy Diving 🙂
Thanks for the tips! Looking to get certified in Thailand/Bali (COVID permitting)!
Either Thailand or Bali would be amazing place to learn!!
Making sure that you clear your ears is critical. I destroyed my right inner ear while training in 13 feet of water due to this and ended up with a peri lymph fistula. I was disappointed to not be able to to finish the course. Be safe!
Wow that sounds nasty poor you, very true you have to be so careful with your ears.. Thank you I will!
This has made me want to try diving so bad!! Thank you for the tips!
As long as you come with me!! 🙂
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