| Is learning to dive difficult? |
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| No, it's probably easier than you imagine -- especially if you're already comfortable in the water. PADI's entry-level course consists of pool diving, knowledge development and open water dives. The course is performance based, meaning that you progress as you learn and demonstrate knowledge and skill. |
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| How long does it take to become a certified scuba diver? |
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| PADI courses are performance based, which means that you earn your certification when you demonstrate that you've mastered the required skills and knowledge. Because some learn faster than others, course duration varies. For example, the PADI Open Water Diver course takes between 3-4 days. |
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| How old do I have to be to become a certified diver? |
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| You must be at least ten years old to receive a Junior Open Water Diver Certification. Ten and 11 year old Junior Open Water Divers must dive with a certified parent, guardian or PADI Professional to a maximum depth of 12 metres/40 feet. 12 to 14 year olds must dive with a certified adult. At age 15, the junior certification upgrades to a regular Open Water Diver certification. |
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| Are there any special qualifications or considerations to participate in a scuba class? |
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| No. Generally speaking, anyone in good average health and at least 10 years old can participate. You will, however, complete a medical questionnaire. If anything on the questionnaire indicates a reason to be cautious about diving, you'll need check with a physician to make sure you can dive. |
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| Do I have to be a great swimmer to be certified as a PADI Open Water Diver? |
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| No. You need to be a reasonably proficient swimmer and comfortable in the water. You must swim 200 metres/200 yards nonstop, without a time or specific stroke requirement or a 300 meter/yard swim with mask, fins and snorkel. You'll also perform a 10 minute tread/float |
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| Is scuba diving expensive? |
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| No. Like any hobby or recreation, you can invest however much you want, depending upon your interest level. Because most dive centers and resorts rent equipment, you can invest in equipment over time, renting what you don't have. There's probably good diving not far from where you live, so travel costs can be flexible enough to accommodate even the tightest budget. Most people find the costs of scuba diving similar to the cost associated with snow skiing or mountain biking. |
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| What equipment do I need before I take scuba lessons? |
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| For all entry level scuba diving courses all of your equipment is included. With specialty courses and technical dive courses there some extra equipment costs. If you have your own equipment, there will be a discount on the course costs. |
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| What's in a scuba tank? Oxygen? |
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| Recreational divers breathe air, not oxygen. The air in a scuba tank is like the air you're breathing but is also filtered to remove impurities. |
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| How long does a tank of air last? |
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| Since people breathe at different rates and as you go deeper you consume air faster, there isn't any one answer. Because of this, divers carry a gauge that lets them know how much air is in the tank. However, divers in calm, warm water from 5-10 metres/15-30 feet can spend about one hour underwater with an average tank. |
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| My ears hurt when I dive to the bottom of a pool. Won't they hurt when I scuba dive? |
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| Your ears hurt because of the water pressure on your eardrum. In your scuba course, you'll learn simple techniques to equalize your ears to the surrounding pressure, much like you do when you land in an airplane. |
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| In the movies and on TV, divers are always running into sharks or eels. Should I be concerned about marine animals? |
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| Most aquatic animals are passive or timid. A few do bite or sting, but you can avoid these by not touching them. Thailand isn’t home for any large dangerous sharks, and there has never been a recorded shark attack on a diver or swimmer in Thai waters, so there is nothing to worry about. |
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| Is SCUBA diving safe? |
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This is a common and natural question. It cannot be answered appropriately or honestly with a yes or no answer. Safe means no appreciable risk and diving has some risks, though they can be low. A better question to ask is "Are the risks in scuba diving low, acceptable, and can I minimize them?" Your attitude, practices and abilities are as much a part of the answer as the activity itself.
Often, statistics from totally unrelated activities are used as "proof" of the safety of scuba diving. While they give some idea of the mathematical probability of injury or risk, statistics often fail to address the very real concerns for personal safety. The only fair comparison of the safety of scuba diving is to other outdoor activities with an element of risk. Mountain climbing and sky diving are two of these. Diving is much safer.
Consider this:
Gravity works against you in most outdoor activities. Not so in diving where you are weightless. If you make a mistake while mountain climbing or just slip, or your equipment fails, your life may be over. If your parachute doesn't open or it becomes tangled, same thing. Sky divers usually have back-up parachutes, but can't use those if they are still tangled in their primary one.
Let's compare scuba diving. If your regulator malfunctions, you likely have a safe second/octopus, pony tank, or other alternate air source. If none of those are available or function, you probably have a buddy nearby. If you have no buddy and are out of air, all you have to do is ascend. The lower ambient pressure means you will have more air available to you. The air in your own lungs expands, lowering your need for air and letting you make a free ascent to the surface in most cases. Everything could fail and you could still survive if you use your head.
Scuba diving can be very low risk when good judgment is exercised and important safety guidelines are strictly adhered to. It can also be an activity that can contribute to ending your life if you don't. You determine the level of risk by the practices and preparation you exhibit as a diver. We have a great deal of information on site to help you in that preparation. You will learn more elsewhere if you care to. Choose wisely.
To prepare you for the confusing answers you may get when asking others if scuba diving is safe, consider their reasoning and motivation.
Dive shops (and certification agencies) may tell you that is perfectly safe and quote you all kinds of statistics to prove it. New divers are the lifeblood of the industry and some do everything they can to make it easy for you to become a diver and buy equipment. They may gloss over the risks, though they will probably mention that certification prepares you for diving. Not quite.
Doctors, especially if not familiar with hyperbaric (diving) medicine, may say no. They may not want to risk the possibility of a malpractice suit if you should suffer an injury. This is especially true if you have any kind of medical condition that might prevent you from diving. "No" is a safer answer for them.
Even hyperbaric doctors disagree on some conditions, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and others. Once, all sufferers of these diseases or symptoms were automatically excluded from diving. However, as we've learned more, some people with such conditions may be approved by some doctors on a case by case basis. When a definite answer is not known, as is the case for many things in diving due to a lack of evidence, many say "No" as a routine precaution.
There are deaths and accidents every year among divers, and there are organizations that track these fatalities in an effort to learn more. Some of them are not accidents at all, merely the predictable outcome of a poor attitude towards safety and planning.
Visit the web sites that list dive accidents and their causes and you will see some of the many reasons divers die. Heart attacks, poor planning, stupid choices and human error account for many of them, as they do in other activities.
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| I need vision correction. Is that a problem? |
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| No. Wearing soft contact lenses shouldn't be a problem while you dive. However, if you wear hard contacts, you'll want to dive with gas permeable lenses. See your eye doctor for more information. Another option is to have prescription lenses put into your mask. See a PADI Professional about this service. |
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| If I have been diving, how long should I wait before flying? |
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The dive medical community offers the following recommendations for flying after diving, whether you’re using the RDP, another table or a dive computer:
For Dives within the No-Decompression Limits
- Single Dives - A minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.
- Repetitive Dives and/or Multiday Dives - A minimum preflight surface interval of
18 hours is suggested.
For Dives Requiring Decompression Stops
- A minimum preflight surface interval greater than 18 hours is suggested.
With all dive tables and computers, no flying after diving recommendation can guarantee that decompression sickness will never occur. These guidelines represent the best estimate presently known for a conservative, safe surface interval for the vast majority of divers. There may always be an occasional diver whose physiological makeup or special dive circumstances result in decompression sickness despite following the recommendations. |
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| Scuba diving sounds exciting, but I'm not sure if it's for me. Can I try it without signing up for a course? |
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| Absolutely. The PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience allows you to make a shallow scuba dive supervised by a PADI Professional after a short pool session. This usually takes a few hours. Or, you can try the PADI Discover Scuba experience that lets you try scuba in a swimming pool. |
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| I want to learn about PADI; what is PADI? |
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| PADI is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the largest scuba certification organization in the world. PADI develops scuba programs and diver training products, monitors scuba training conducted by more than 100,000 PADI Professionals worldwide, maintains diver certification records and issues your diver certification credentials. In addition, PADI maintains various support services for PADI Dive Centers and Resorts. Since its inception in 1966 PADI has grown to have members in more than 175 countries and territories and international service offices in nine countries. Approximately seven out of ten North American divers are certified by PADI, and approximately 55 percent of all divers worldwide are certified by PADI. |
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| What is Project AWARE Foundation? |
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| Project AWARE Foundation, established in 1992, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment and its resources. Project AWARE programs included beach cleanups, environmental presentations, research, campaigns and other efforts to help preserve and protect the underwater world. |
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| I'm already a scuba diver and I've lost my certification card. Can I get another one and how long does it take? |
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| To replace a lost card you can go to your local PADI Dive Center or Resort, or you can go to the replacement card area at padi.com. It takes about two weeks to replace a certification card so if you are diving sooner than that, have the PADI Dive Center or Resort you're diving with call PADI. PADI will transmit your certification information. If you were certified after 1984 in PADI Asia Pacific, PADI Americas, PADI Canada, PADI International Limited or PADI Europe territory, PADI Dive Centers or Resorts can usually verify your certification through the computerized Dive-Check system at any time. |
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| I'm a certified diver through another training organization. How can I become a PADI diver? |
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Start by visiting an authorized PADI Dive Center or Resort and present your certification card. After an assessment of dive skills and knowledge, a PADI Instructor will guide you to the appropriate course. Here are some general course prerequisites:
- PADI Adventures in Diving program and most PADI Specialty courses - An entry level scuba certification and documentation of at least four open water scuba training dives as part of the certification course completed.
- PADI Rescue Diver course - Certification beyond entry level and documentation of at least 20 open water scuba dives demonstrating experience in deep diving and navigation.
- PADI Divemaster course - Certification from a recognized training agency specific to scuba rescue and documentation of at least 20 logged open water scuba dives demonstrating experience in deep diving and navigation. Additionally, you'll you need a CPR and first aid certification within the past 24 months and need to be at least 18 years of age.
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