Diving Certifications

As I was walking down the streets of Venezuela, I met a diving instructor in Bonaire who inquired of my present diving activities. I was glad that he regarded my education as satisfactory and said that all I needed to do was to practice my skills. Later, I became interested on Bonaire because I found out that aside from providing certifications, the company offers other services like shore or boat diving and nitrox refilling. These are bonuses since divers are not only given the chance to experience first hand diving experience, but save money from buying new tanks as well.

In Bonaire, most of the students do their pool works and classroom studies at the comfort of their homes and the only time they meet with their instructors are during open water scuba diving sessions. This curriculum is practically applicable to busy people who treat diving as a hobby. On the other hand, the instructors adjust to the students' needs while Bonaire allows them to rent diving equipments like rebreathers, snorkeling gears, strobes, and cameras. These are just some of the 'extraordinary' features of Boniare, and students will also find it very reliable because the certifications represented in Bonaire are NAUI, PADI, CMAS, IDD, and SSI.

My friends still ask me why I chose scuba diving as my sport. I do not see the significance of the inquiry, but I guess they just find my sport a bit unique. They know that at first I was hesitant to enroll in diving classes, but I believe that I was really meant to be a diver so I shifted to diving.

From the day I received my certification, I began looking for other schools that offer other types of diving courses. I thought that in doing so I will be able to enhance my skills. Fortunately, these days there as many diving schools which are diving hot spots, and I found yet another reliable British diving institution. It is called Andark.

Andark teaches commercial diving. Included in the course are survival lessons, lifesaving drills, and safety instructions. As we all know, commercial scuba diving is a serious matter because this type requires divers to fix things under water. Andark has the latest equipment while its instructors are professional divers, skiers, sailors, and canoeists. I remember a friend who joined me on the British seaside holiday. He was adept in commercial diving that the holiday turned out to be a diving session. That was cool because we got to enjoy the event and learn serious diving.

These days, it will be practically easy for a diver wannabe to find a diving school that does not only teach the basics, but lets its students tour the famous diving sites. I feel very lucky that the diving institutions are just around my neighborhood. But, I also tried to enroll to other schools that offer different diving lessons like reef and wreck diving. Although the lessons last for two weeks, I am just happy to learn more about my favorite hobby.

A few days ago, I learned of a British diving school called BSAC. It is based in Britain, but they already have expanded and put up learning centers in Africa, North America, and even in the spectacular South Australia. Just like other schools, BSAC is offering its students exclusive access to the company. This is very important since issuing a certification is a two-way traffic. Once the school has already granted a student his license, any one would immediately acknowledge that recognition, thus trust is given to the licensee. On the other hand, the licensee is carrying the name of the school, so whenever trouble arises, it is usually the school that is blamed because, anyway, the student learned from it.

According to its website, BSAC is giving the students enough time to familiarize themselves to diving. Unless the student has decided to commit himself to the lessons, he will not be included in the open-water diving. Also, they have activities and diving tours, and any member could participate in these activities. I guess, BSAC is the most sophisticated school since it treats its students.

All this time, my principles in diving are confined with taking underwater photos, exploring the coral reefs, swimming with the rare fish species, or simply diving in clear ocean waters. But, it never crossed my mind to dive into wrecks. I mean, there are various incidents of shipwrecks all over the world. But, the cases where most of these accidents are reported are located in Asia. As we all know, the Pacific Ocean encompasses a very wide area, thus, almost all ships had to pass through this body of water in order to cross the other continents, or at least, travel halfway round the globe.

A friend of mine introduced me to Aquanauts. This diving school specializes in wreck diving. Recently, they have a program that offers wreck diving in Thailand. Aquanauts is based in UK. In an attempt to learn the art of wreck diving, and since I am already in Britain, I took the chance to inquire on the lessons the school has to offer.

Although there are very few diving areas in the British tourist spots, Aquanauts managed to expand its wings to Asia. As what has been mentioned before, it selected Thailand. I do not know, maybe it was interested with exploring the shipwrecks, which is usual in Thailand particularly in Pattaya. The actual lessons require 2 days of diving. I found that very convenient. The lessons require organizing skills and a very keen observation. Well, I guess I am trained enough to undergo the lessons.

From the day I received my NAUI diving certification, I never stopped looking for other reliable diving schools that does not only teach diving lessons and issue certificates for the sake of the business, but are actually exploring the art of diving. I mean, as a diver, I believe that we cannot just limit our knowledge of the basics of diving. There are other disciplines that we can learn while diving like photography, film making, and even zoology.

Thanks to present technology, I was able to look up for diving institutions via the Internet. Just recently, I learned about SSI. Just what is so special about it? Well, just like any other schools, it promises quality diving education. The lessons are given by professional divers while the available programs provide the students with various selections, thus making the diving lesson a personalized one. I find this feature exciting since if I were the student, I would be able to choose the nearest diving site where I can undergo training, and choose my teacher. In any case, the lessons are given on the spot. Meaning, right then and there at the diving site, students are immediately given the basic lessons and apply them. That is what I call fast learning.

SSI is not limited to diving lessons. Almost all aspects of diving are touched by the programs. Just recently, SSI opened a lesson on film making. You know what? Some of the Hollywood film makers actually enrolled in the program. What is good about it is that even amateurs can join. If I have time, I will join the lectures. Anyway, I can do amateur movie making with my JVC video recorder with me. I already practiced my photography skills. Maybe, through the program, I will be able to discover if I can shoot short films.

It is just amazing that there are diving schools that are not after money. I mean, enrolling in these institutions could really hurt our budget. But, the bottom line is, we get to be educated about diving. Although diving lessons interfere the with the natural environment of the ocean world, there are schools that took the opportunity to teach diving while preserving the natural resources. This environmental concerns are included in the diving certification lessons of a school in the great Hawaii Islands.

What is there to expect in a diving lesson? Of course, students learn to swim, use the necessary equipments, learn basic first-aid lessons, and learn about the ocean as a whole. The Octopus Reef in Hawaii teaches divers the preservation of the coral reefs, specifically in Maui Island. Not only is Maui a place to surf and game fishing, it also possesses one of the most amazing reefs in the world. This became the inspiration of the school. It has for its mission educating divers of the proper care for reefs.

The experience of being one with the ocean and its creatures is the vision of Octopus Reef. The certification it awards to its students guarantees that they are knowledgeable of the ecology underwater. This, I guess, is a bonus for those who are nature lovers. Most of the time, our agenda is to dive. We almost forget the significance of the diving site, of our responsibility of taking care of the diving spots, of promoting diving sport, and of knowing our role as divers. These and more will Octopus Reef help us understand.

There are various reasons why one should learn diving. Aside from improving the health, diving also opens our minds to the wonders of the underwater world. But, I confess, getting certified is the hardest part. Although I know how to swim, and have been thought how to dive by my uncles, I still cannot enter professional diving sites all because I do not have a certification.

So, there I was, surfing the Internet, looking for web sites or schools that offers diving certification. I found www.naui.org. Since, I live in the city of Washington it was not hard for me to locate the school. For all of you to know, the institution is one of the pioneers of diving lessons. At first, I was hesitant to enrol. But, after discussing the matter with a friend of mine we were convinced that there is no harm in trying. Besides we already know diving, all we needed was certification.

Thinking that it will be easy, I was wrong. Diving is a serious matter, I can assure you of that. It was only at NAUI that I was made to use state-of-the-art diving equipments. Before, I used to wear the same apparels for different diving feats like whenever I go for a summer holiday. But I learned at NAUI that certain types of diving require specific equipments for safety purposes. Thanks to the professional teachers who willingly answered my inquiries and inspired me to teach other aspiring divers what I have learned from them. Lastly, it was in the school that I developed camaraderie with fellow divers. I was given the opportunity to explore professional diving sites as part of the lessons. At long last, I am a certified diver.

If you are wondering the length of a certification course in scuba diving, you need not worry. Unlike other certifications, scuba certification may be quite easy to obtain. After about three or four days, you may already have certification.

How can this be possible? Although there is really no standard number of hours necessary for scuba courses, most certification programs only take around three days to complete. This means that the person's performance is what counts; the faster you can learn and advance to course levels, the earlier it may be for you to be certified.

Most people consider scuba diving not only as a fun activity but, as the ultimate underwater adventure. Before plunging yourself in the Barrier Reefs get yourself certified. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) recommends that you enroll at the nearest scuba diving certification agencies and school nearest you.

Every scuba diving agency has professional trainers whos has an extensive resume as a scuba instructor will be there to guide you every step of the way. On the average, a novice only needs 4 days to get certified, though some finish earlier because the certification is performance based. The certification you earn is internationally recognized, will never expire and allows you rent diving equipments. Take the wise step and get certified.

There are so many reasons why you should learn to scuba dive. It's not everyday that anyone gets to swim around underwater and be with the fish, and everything else underwater. Diving offers so many possibilities. You can actually be certified to hunt and collect from the underwater realm.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you can be destructive and careless down there. You can hunt for your own fish food while diving, and you can collect shellfish, like scallops, mussels, lobster and abalone. There's a class especially for those who want to hunt and dive underwater. So, think of your dish recipe and hunt for your big fish!