10 things you should know before booking your first Scuba Diving Course

So you have decided you want to take the plunge and learn how to Scuba Dive? That’s great!!! But before you book yourself into a course here’s some tips about what you should know about before signing up.

1. Is Scuba Diving something you want to try or to commit to? If you want to give it a go and see if you like it before taking the plunge then we recommend signing up to the half day Introduction to Scuba Dive. It is not a course, but will give you a good idea if it’s something you wish to do. If you’ve already decided to do the Open Water course, that’s fantastic!

2. You don’t need to be a fantastic swimmer but you will be required to swim continuously for 200m and float for 10min.

3. A Dive Medical form is a requirement. Read this form carefully and complete it. If you answer yes to anything, take it to a dive doctor to get it signed before signing up to the course.

4. The minimum age to learn how to Dive in Western Australia is 14 years of age. Find out what the minimum age is in the country/state you wish to learn to dive in

5. The PADI Open Water course is in 3 parts. Theory, pool practice and ocean training and normally runs over 3 full days.

6. The smaller the group the better! Diving is fun especially when you do it with a partner, friend or a group of people, but learning with too many people can be an issue as you wont have as much personal time with your Instructor. With big groups you will spend a long time waiting in between skills. Make sure your instructor is not taking more than 4 students.

7. Being nervous is normal. Diving is something you may know very little about, but during the course we will take you through step by step and at the end of the 3 days you should feel confident and relaxed

8. Once you have your Open Water Course you have it for life! Once you have it you can travel anywhere around the world, diving with your new certification

9. Getting your dive gear is important, but you do not need to invest straight away. Try different gear so you get a feel for what you like and don’t like. A good starting point if you want to buy, is to invest in a good mask, fins and wetsuit first

10. Be aware, Scuba Diving is highly addictive