Scuba Diving Courses

A word about Scuba Diving Courses - PADI and the like

When you are attempting any dangerous activity, training is key, as is the case with scuba diving. Scuba diving courses are offered all over the world and for anyone who wants to make scuba diving a constant hobby, or even a career, then courses and the training they offer is essential.

One of the best places to take courses on diving is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), which was the first organization to offer scuba diving instruction in the world, and continues to be a world leader in training scuba divers. Since they are the world leader in terms of training, we will focus on their program and courses.

To begin training with PADI in the Open Water Diver course, which is the first level course available, you need to supply your own mask, fins and snorkel. Prices vary depending on the PADI office available near you, but it is comparable to most training programs for other sports, and in some respects, cheaper.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is performance based, which means that the schedule adjusts to you and depending on your level of skill, you can move as fast or as slow as you want through the program. Some divers have completed their open water dives part of the course in as little as three days.

The course is split into three levels: Knowledge development, confined water dives and open water dives. The knowledge development portion of the course goes over the basic principles and procedures of scuba diving. In the course students will learn how pressure affects the body, what gear should be used and what to consider when thinking about scuba diving trips.

This part of the course is done on the student’s own time, by reading the PADI Open Water Diver Manual and watching the PADI Open Water Diver Video. Both of these course materials are available on CD to view on your computer.
Each section has a quiz, which you take with your instructor, and an exam at the end of the course.

The Confined Water Dives portion of the course helps students develop basic scuba skills in a pool, or pool-like conditions. In this portion of the course, students learn how to set up their gear, get into the water, get water out of their mask while underwater, emergency skills and other skills needed when scuba diving. This portion of the course is made up of five confined water dives, each of which build upon the previous dive to improve the diver’s skill level.
The last portion of the course is the open water dives, in which you will go with a PADI instructor to a designated dive site. The knowledge base and closed-water dives will at that point be applied to the open water, giving new divers the ability to try what they know in the ocean, or other bodies of water near where they live or vacation.
Overall, it takes between four days and six weeks to complete the open water diving program, depending on how fast the student wants to move, their skill level and their commitment to learning the basics and fundamentals of diving.

To take part in the course, a diver must be no less than 10 years old. If younger than 15, the student will take the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course, which they can then use to upgrade to the PADI Open Water Diver course when they turn 15.

A diver’s medical condition is taken into account before starting the course and all students have to fill out a questionnaire about their medical conditions that could arise while diving. If there is a problem with a potential medical hazard underwater, a physician must asses the conditions relating to the diving and sign a medical form to allow the diver to dive.

As well, before completing the Open Water Diver course, a student will have to demonstrate basic water-skill comfort by swimming 200 metres. There is no time limit, and any type of swimming stroke can be used. The student will also have to float and tread water for 10 minutes.

Learning to scuba dive properly, though organizations like PADI, will not only enhance the experience for a diver, but it will mean that each dive will be done safely, with all considerations looked at, thanks to the training the scuba diver received in a scuba diving course.