Is it possible to have time to take scuba diving lessons while serving the US Air Force?
Monday, November 1st, 2010 at
10:52 am
I’ve always wanted to scuba dive and learn how but I could never afford the lessons or the cost of the equipment so when I get into the military I was hoping maybe that I would have the cash to pay for it and hoping that I could have the time to take scuba diving lessons to learn how while serving active duty.
Yes- you can either book a one week course somewhere during your vacation time, or look and see if there’s a scuba club, either on base or in a nearby town.
Yes- you can either book a one week course somewhere during your vacation time, or look and see if there’s a scuba club, either on base or in a nearby town.
References :
Absolutely! SSI (Scuba Schools International) offers an online course to prep you for diving. In fact, if you go into an SSI dive shop, they can set up a Open Water certification course for you, with home study instead of the tedious classes. Find out more here: http://www.divessi.com/
(Sorry for sounding like a commercial.)
References :
Absolutely you can find time to take scuba lessons. Depending on where you’re stationed, there should be a nearby dive center or MWR facility. Many of the operations are run by or affiliated with a PADI Dive Center. There is an online training program* or you can get a book pack. Once you’ve read the book or completed the online training, you’ll have probably 2-3 pool sessions followed by 2 ocean sessions.
* Beware of the "free" SSI course. It’s only free to get started. Once you sign up for the course, they will charge you.
Depending on where you’re stationed, there are some beautiful places to get certified. I have a friend who was lucky enough to learn to dive in Okinawa. Just about anywhere you go, if there’s diving, there will be a dive shop that caters to military personnel. Pasted below are a couple links from dive shops that are on / affiliated with an AFB.
References :
Okinawa, Japan
http://toriimwr.com/scubalocker.html
Hawaii
http://www.oahuscubadiving.com/index.php?/content/contact/
Guam
http://www.gtds.com/
Korea
http://www.aquaticfrontier.com/index.php