Bucket List Item – Scuba diving?
On my bucket list I have "go scuba diving." I decided I want to scuba at Epcot DiveQuest when I go on vacation. I have a few questions.
~How long does it take to get a certificate?
~Also I wear glasses so can you wear them with your goggles on?
~How hard is it to scuba dive 🙂
I would love any scuba diving advice to. Thanks 🙂
The time it takes to complete a certification course varies depending on how the dive center or instructor wants to schedule the class. A common way to schedule the course is over two weekends with the first weekend consisting of classroom & pool training and the second weekend consisting of open water dives. However, the dive center may choose to run the class during evenings and spread it out over several weeks, or may try to accelerate it through self-study. The average course typically includes somewhere around 30 hours of instruction, with the more hours the better.
You cannot wear glasses under your mask. If you are nearsighted and your vision isn’t terrible without glasses you may be able to get by without any correction while diving since there is a slight magnifying effect that occurs when light passes from water into the air space inside your mask. Another option would be to wear contact lenses instead of glasses while diving. A third option would be to get corrective lenses installed onto the mask itself, which means you need to purchase the mask and have the lenses installed before starting the course.
Scuba diving is not hard, but you do have to learn a number of things including some basic physics and physiology in order to be a safe diver. You should also be comfortable being in & under water, and need to possess basic swimming skills. A lot depends upon you…some students are very comfortable and relaxed underwater from the start while others may struggle and find it stressful or scary. Most people fall somewhere in between.
Before you even start learning how to dive you must be free of certain health conditions that can make scuba too risky for you to do safely. Healthy respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems are all necessary to avoid injury underwater so conditions like asthma, heart disease, or epilepsy could prohibit you from being a diver. Before starting any water training you will need to fill out a medical history form that will help identify any potential problems which require a medical exam and doctor’s approval before continuing.
You may find the following link useful http://www.dtmag.com/faqs.html . It addresses a number of questions that potential dive students frequently ask.
The best thing for you to do is to locate dive centers near you and talk to some instructors about training. You can use this link http://www.dtmag.com/dcsearch.html to find the 7 dive centers nearest you by entering your zip code. If you can, shop around a little before selecting a dive center and/or instructor. This is a link to an article with some good tips on choosing an instructor that will be right for you: http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/tips-and-advice-for-choosing-a-scuba-instructor-1156643.html
Good luck.
You can learn over 2 weekends.
Dunno about glasses, call a local dive shop and ask.
It’s easier than swimming and snorkeling. The hard part for me is getting in and out Iof the water.
If you can do it, go for it.
References :
The time it takes to complete a certification course varies depending on how the dive center or instructor wants to schedule the class. A common way to schedule the course is over two weekends with the first weekend consisting of classroom & pool training and the second weekend consisting of open water dives. However, the dive center may choose to run the class during evenings and spread it out over several weeks, or may try to accelerate it through self-study. The average course typically includes somewhere around 30 hours of instruction, with the more hours the better.
You cannot wear glasses under your mask. If you are nearsighted and your vision isn’t terrible without glasses you may be able to get by without any correction while diving since there is a slight magnifying effect that occurs when light passes from water into the air space inside your mask. Another option would be to wear contact lenses instead of glasses while diving. A third option would be to get corrective lenses installed onto the mask itself, which means you need to purchase the mask and have the lenses installed before starting the course.
Scuba diving is not hard, but you do have to learn a number of things including some basic physics and physiology in order to be a safe diver. You should also be comfortable being in & under water, and need to possess basic swimming skills. A lot depends upon you…some students are very comfortable and relaxed underwater from the start while others may struggle and find it stressful or scary. Most people fall somewhere in between.
Before you even start learning how to dive you must be free of certain health conditions that can make scuba too risky for you to do safely. Healthy respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems are all necessary to avoid injury underwater so conditions like asthma, heart disease, or epilepsy could prohibit you from being a diver. Before starting any water training you will need to fill out a medical history form that will help identify any potential problems which require a medical exam and doctor’s approval before continuing.
You may find the following link useful http://www.dtmag.com/faqs.html . It addresses a number of questions that potential dive students frequently ask.
The best thing for you to do is to locate dive centers near you and talk to some instructors about training. You can use this link http://www.dtmag.com/dcsearch.html to find the 7 dive centers nearest you by entering your zip code. If you can, shop around a little before selecting a dive center and/or instructor. This is a link to an article with some good tips on choosing an instructor that will be right for you: http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/tips-and-advice-for-choosing-a-scuba-instructor-1156643.html
Good luck.
References :
NAUI Instructor