Scuba diving has steadily gained in popularity over the past thirty years. Through the development in tourism as well as an overall increasing environmental awareness and interest in our oceans, diving has been promoted and has become more accessible for anyone interested, fit and healthy.
Now, before a novice diver decides to explore what lies below the surface, one should think about the following questions:
How comfortable am I in the water?
To participate in a one-time scuba diving experience, it is not mandatory to be a good swimmer. In fact, being able to swim is not even a requirement!
However, your underwater experience will undoubtedly be more relaxed and enjoyable for both parties, you, the diver and the instructor who conducts your program, the more comfortable you feel.
Considering that everyone’s safety should always be of primary concern, avoid panicking because some water enters your mask and burns in your eyes and nose, is imminent.
Further, the idea of being totally submerged and solely relying on scuba equipment to breathe should not be a frightening prospect.
We recommend…
If you love being in the water, you enjoy swimming and you have snorkelled before, we would call you a ‘water-baby’ and you will most likely master your first scuba diving session in no time.
Should you belong in the category of swimmers, comfortable enough in the water but you have no experience in the ocean and have never snorkelled, you will probably be fine as well, but we recommend you equip yourself with snorkelling gear first and go for a spin, just to make your first experience a little easier.
As for the third category, the non-swimmers and those who have never set a foot into the ocean, we highly recommend not counting pennies but taking a snorkelling lesson before giving scuba a try.
Alternatively, you should look for a dive centre that takes you on an extended try dive session, where you are given ample time to practice breathing through a regulator, using a mask and fins on the surface in shallow water first, before attempting to descend.
What drives me to try scuba?
Another good question to ponder about before signing up for a first dive is your intentions, ask yourself: Why do I want to dive, what do I want to achieve?
The answers to these questions can be manifold. Some people are just curious to see what the hype of the underwater world is all about, others might have previous snorkel experience and see scuba diving as a natural progression.
There might be people who are terrified of water or fish and want to conquer their fears, and some only do it because it is something to cross off the bucket list when travelling!
In short, whatever your reasons are, they will help determine what type of programme to enrol in.
No plans – not sure if it’s for me!
Should you not have put any further thoughts into where your first diving adventure may lead you, you are only curious, follow your buddies or have never set a foot in the ocean before, a basic ‘Try Dive’ is what you are looking for.
Depending on the instructor/dive centre you are going with and the dive agency they are using, the program may also be called Resort Dive (SSI dive centre) or Discover Scuba Dive (PADI dive centre) or similar.
For more info about one-time dive programs, check out our blog post “The 3 best programs to choose for novice divers.”
Want to become a pro?
If, however, you are making a conscious decision of gaining a certification because you would want to do more diving down the line, you are looking at gaining an Open Water certification, such as a German couple I certified a few years back.
Both had watched countless ocean documentaries, which impressed them so much that they now wanted to learn how to dive to be able to seek out these wonderful locations they had seen on TV. If this is not a great reason to take up diving, what else could there be?
Now, what is your diving story? Why do you want to try scuba? Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic with us, you can leave a comment or send us a message.