Recreational Scuba Diver Training

By Natalie Gibb, About.com Guide

If you can't wait to jump in the water and start blowing bubbles you have come to the right place! Whether you are an experienced diver seeking to advance your training or a novice who is merely curious about scuba, this page will help you to educate yourself as to the courses and information you need to dive safely.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scuba
Scuba Courses
Essential Concepts
Skills and Techniques
Tips for Easier Diving

Risks and Risk Management
Dive Medicine and Safety
Advanced Diving/ Scuba Specialities
Dive Tables and Dive Planning

Frequently Asked Questions About Scuba

a female scuba diver makes an okay sign on the surface

Before signing up for a scuba class or buying dive gear, you probably have some questions about scuba diving. Here is an overview of some of the most frequently asked questions I hear as a scuba diving instructor. If you have a question that is not answered below, feel free to email it to scuba@aboutguide.com and I will make every effort to answer it!

Scuba Courses

Photo of a scuba diver student removing his mask underwater.

Scuba diving certification organizations offer variety of recreational courses to fit almost any diver's needs. Experience courses provide a chance for non-certified divers to experience the underwater world with an easy half-day course. Open water certification courses offer a life-long scuba certification that allows participants to dive anywhere in the world. Learn about fitness requirements, training options and scuba certification agencies here.

Essential Concepts

Underwater photo of a gorgonian fan coral.

Most divers know that they shouldn't hold their breath underwater and that they need to equalize their ears as they descend. Fewer scuba divers understand why they need to follow these rules. A working knowledge of the physics and physiology of diving is essential for safe diving - it encourages divers to follow safety rules and enables them to handle unexpected situations. Here are articles on basic concepts that every scuba diver should understand.

Skills and Techniques

Photo of a scuba diver clearing her mask of water.

Student divers practice scuba skills and techniques in a shallow, controlled environment before diving in a more realistic setting. Mastering basic skills is important because it helps divers to gain confidence with their equipment and its use. Even experienced divers can benefit from reviewing these techniques periodically to stay proficient with emergency management skills.

Tips for Easier Diving

A happy scuba diver float on a tropical ocean surface.

After years as a full time scuba diving instructor, I have learned many tricks to make scuba diving more enjoyable for both my students and certified divers. Here are some articles aimed at making scuba diving easier!

Risks and Risk Management

Photo of a scuba diver checking his dive computer.

Like most adventure sports, scuba diving has minimal risks. Learning to manage those risks is one of the things that makes diving fun and exciting! Diving continues to be a safe activity because of quality diver education - divers who understand potential hazards will be safer underwater because they take precautions to minimize those hazards. This section is not intended to frighten divers, but to teach them how to avoid dangerous situations and behaviors.

Dive Medicine and Safety

Photo of a scuba diver in a pink wetsuit

Can you scuba dive with asthma? How old should a child be before he can safely learn to dive? This section is dedicated to ensuring that scuba divers understand what is required to be physically fit to dive.

Advanced Diving/ Scuba Specialities

Are you already open water certified and ready to take your diving to the next level? Here is information on advanced diving topics and speciality diving courses, as well as hints and tips to help you safely venture into new environments.

Dive Tables and Dive Planning

A female diver plans her dive using dive tables on a tropical beach.

Planning a recreational scuba dive using the dive tables is daunting to many divers. At first glance, the dive tables look like a confusing mess of grids and numbers. This section contains explanations of the terminology used on dive tables, as well as simple directions for using the dive tables to determine no-decompression limits, pressure groups, residual nitrogen times and the like. Browse through this section to clarify your understanding of dive tables, and to learn about the concepts behind many of the terms listed on them.