The Process Of Getting A Scuba Diving Certification
If you want to go scuba diving, you must get certified. To do this, there are certain steps you must take. If you're not certified, you won't be allowed to rent or purchase scuba diving equipment at reputable dive shops. This is for your own good, as the certification process teaches you what you need to know in order to survive an open-water dive.
Requirements
In order to get a scuba diving certification, you must be healthy enough to dive. People with certain health conditions will not be able to attain certification. You must also know how to swim. Most organizations that offer scuba certifications will require that you be at least 10 years old.
Paperwork
When you're ready to begin the process of becoming scuba-certified, you will need to fill out the appropriate paperwork. This will typically include liability forms and medical questionnaires.
Equipment fitting
Before you can get started with the certification process, you will need to be fitted for your scuba diving equipment. It's very important that all of your equipment fits you correctly, or it can cause dangerous issues during your dive training. Luckily, reputable scuba certification programs will have professionals available to help you get fitted for your equipment.
Studying
Before you can begin physically practicing scuba diving, you'll need to do some studying. During this process, you will learn what scuba diving entails and all of the safety protocols that are involved. This step will make you feel much more comfortable when it comes time to actually practice diving.
Practice dive
The first diving you will do will be in a controlled environment. A diving instructor will take you and your group to a pool to practice all of the things you'll be doing on an actual open-water dive. It's important to do these things in a safe environment where making a mistake will not mean drowning. Your instructor will go over all of the things that can potentially go wrong and teach you what to do in worst-case scenarios.
Open-water dive
The open-water phase of your training will involve multiple dives in an open-water setting. Your instructor will take you down in the water where you will practice what you learned during your practice dives at the pool. Open water dives can take place in the ocean, a lake, a pond, or any other large body of water. After completing the required number of open-water dives, you'll officially be certified!
To learn more, contact a resource like Scuba Haven.