Options for starting Scuba Diving?
Discussion
There are two main schemes PADI and BSAC.
PADI is known literally everywhere. BSAC not so much.
I did all the theory learning at home, flew to dive centre and motored through Open Water and Advanced Open Water in a couple of days.
Another couple didn't bother doing the theory and tests in the UK and had to spend time in a classroom and pay a bit more..... Your choice! It isn't hard theory.
I've since done Rescue Diver, which handily maps across to BSAC Sports Diver should I want to change schemes.
PADI is known literally everywhere. BSAC not so much.
I did all the theory learning at home, flew to dive centre and motored through Open Water and Advanced Open Water in a couple of days.
Another couple didn't bother doing the theory and tests in the UK and had to spend time in a classroom and pay a bit more..... Your choice! It isn't hard theory.
I've since done Rescue Diver, which handily maps across to BSAC Sports Diver should I want to change schemes.
Yup you can do all the 'closed water' dives in the UK if you want OP.
TBF I just did the theory and did the closed water / shallow sea stuff each day in the morning, then the longer deeper dives in the afternoon. I think it was 3 (maybe 4) days for OW and another 2-3 for Advanced Open
TBF I just did the theory and did the closed water / shallow sea stuff each day in the morning, then the longer deeper dives in the afternoon. I think it was 3 (maybe 4) days for OW and another 2-3 for Advanced Open
I'd recommend doing your whole open water course in the UK. Then when you're abroad at your exotic location, you can then just sign up for day dives as an when, without spending your submerged time doing skills tests. I enjoyed the learning and classroom element, and also got to try drysuits for the open water bit.
After you've accumulated a little experience I'd recommend doing your advanced open water - again I did this in the UK, but perhaps it may also be fun to do abroad. In fact my only UK diving that I've ever done was gaining my qualifications. All my experience has been racked up whilst on summer holidays. Although you can consecutively go straight to the advanced qualification, there's a lot to learn from actually doing it. In particular getting to the stage where your buoyancy control is second nature. I'd feel foolish rocking up at the dive shop with an advanced quali, to then be bobbing up and down all the time and guzzling air.
As said, the advanced qualification has the main advantage of going deeper to 30m, but also starts to open up specialities such as wreck diving & drift dives. Going deeper just lets you reach stuff that's located down there, such as a wreck or cave. But I do get a more exciting experience when the surface is a significant distance away.
After you've accumulated a little experience I'd recommend doing your advanced open water - again I did this in the UK, but perhaps it may also be fun to do abroad. In fact my only UK diving that I've ever done was gaining my qualifications. All my experience has been racked up whilst on summer holidays. Although you can consecutively go straight to the advanced qualification, there's a lot to learn from actually doing it. In particular getting to the stage where your buoyancy control is second nature. I'd feel foolish rocking up at the dive shop with an advanced quali, to then be bobbing up and down all the time and guzzling air.
As said, the advanced qualification has the main advantage of going deeper to 30m, but also starts to open up specialities such as wreck diving & drift dives. Going deeper just lets you reach stuff that's located down there, such as a wreck or cave. But I do get a more exciting experience when the surface is a significant distance away.
, if this changes the advice that anyone has/is giving?Having done both, I have to say I preferred the BSAC way of teaching and student learning. Now this was back in the late 90's beginning of the 2000's so a lot may have changed since then. The lasting memories I have were BSAC taught you to be a lot more self reliant, and if you wanted to learn something new, you just asked an instructor to help (eg dry suit diving). The club had a method of you paid for the instructors entrance fee (usually Guildenburgh), and that was it, where as Padi was a 3 figure sum when I last looked. The trade off was time. BSAC usually take a lot longer to get qualified because its based around the club system, ie a couple of hours a week.
I only ever got as far as sports and BSAC is about finding a good club to start with, which could be a problem, I'll admit. My old BSAC club started off as a university club, and went from there. Most of the long term divers were trimix / advanced Nitrox/ re-breather users.
I only ever got as far as sports and BSAC is about finding a good club to start with, which could be a problem, I'll admit. My old BSAC club started off as a university club, and went from there. Most of the long term divers were trimix / advanced Nitrox/ re-breather users.
As has been said OP, do your theory and confined water training in the UK in a pool. Ask them to give you a referral and go and do your open water dives somewhere nice and warm with great visibility and stuff to see, other wise you'll have to do your open water dives in the UK, and that will generally mean cold dark gravel pits or cold sea water.
I did this, and did my open water and advanced in Thailand while on a 'liveaboard'. It was absolutely fantastic.
'Advanced' certifies you to dive to 30m, and gives you a bit of extra training/experience over Open Water, but you will not really be an Advanced Diver..that can only come with bottom time. The advanced course is fun though.
Depending on your aversion to risk, you can get some amazing deals to dive in the Red Sea at the moment, it wouldn't worry me personally if you stay away from the hot spots.
PS. Worth getting yourself a decent mask and snorkel in advance. Go to a dive shop and get one fitted properly. All the other equipment you can hire cheaply when you go diving.
I did this, and did my open water and advanced in Thailand while on a 'liveaboard'. It was absolutely fantastic.
'Advanced' certifies you to dive to 30m, and gives you a bit of extra training/experience over Open Water, but you will not really be an Advanced Diver..that can only come with bottom time. The advanced course is fun though.
Depending on your aversion to risk, you can get some amazing deals to dive in the Red Sea at the moment, it wouldn't worry me personally if you stay away from the hot spots.
PS. Worth getting yourself a decent mask and snorkel in advance. Go to a dive shop and get one fitted properly. All the other equipment you can hire cheaply when you go diving.
Groupon quite often have cheap UK packages.
I did UK based study and pool work and the qualifying open water dives in the Caribbean. Worked well for me.
Not to put you off because its a great thing to do but worth noting that its an expensive thing to do if you get the bug. Even shopping around a two tank dive (one boat trip) will be £70 in the Caribbean. If its you and your Mrs it soon mounts up to a lot of money.
I did UK based study and pool work and the qualifying open water dives in the Caribbean. Worked well for me.
Not to put you off because its a great thing to do but worth noting that its an expensive thing to do if you get the bug. Even shopping around a two tank dive (one boat trip) will be £70 in the Caribbean. If its you and your Mrs it soon mounts up to a lot of money.
I'll give you an example of some PADI dive schools.
Traveller dude decides he likes it on a island and does a dive course or 3 and becomes a dive master. Woo. With this qualification he can take people out and about as a dive guide. This is with 30 dives under their belt. Might be more now but depends on the shop. Some of the people he might be taking out could have done the 4 dives that open water requires. What an experienced bunch they are. These are the same DMs that will also be assisting a trained instructor. I say trained but chances are they have just past their very own instructor course and have zero experience apart from what they learned over a period of a week or 2 and are working as freebies just for the experience.
Think about that when you book a course somewhere.
Do it right and do a GUE course.
A battle hardened, 1000+ dives DM.
Got to add, it's brilliant fun and gets very addictive but as someone else mentioned get your own mask (very important as a leaky shop mask ruins the fun) and fins.
Traveller dude decides he likes it on a island and does a dive course or 3 and becomes a dive master. Woo. With this qualification he can take people out and about as a dive guide. This is with 30 dives under their belt. Might be more now but depends on the shop. Some of the people he might be taking out could have done the 4 dives that open water requires. What an experienced bunch they are. These are the same DMs that will also be assisting a trained instructor. I say trained but chances are they have just past their very own instructor course and have zero experience apart from what they learned over a period of a week or 2 and are working as freebies just for the experience.
Think about that when you book a course somewhere.
Do it right and do a GUE course.
A battle hardened, 1000+ dives DM.
Got to add, it's brilliant fun and gets very addictive but as someone else mentioned get your own mask (very important as a leaky shop mask ruins the fun) and fins.
Edited by Never you mind on Tuesday 17th April 16:51
I did my open water course through a dive centre in Glasgow. Got it cheaper as it was an itison deal which was a nice saving.
Did the pool work in a school pool and then did the proper dives near Faslane in 3m visibility.
3 of our group freaked out and couldn’t cope with the lack of visibility.
I’ve since got all my diving kit, and done several more dives in the uk, both shore and boat dives.
God bless sea sickness bands as otherwise I’m like the Guy from Team America after the bar...
Also, if getting diving kit, you can pick up good bargains used but in good condition.
I’ll be doing my advanced training in the uk.
Purely so I can learn to do it in the worst conditions and cope. If you learn where it’s superb conditions, you may get a shock coming to do uk dives.
Did the pool work in a school pool and then did the proper dives near Faslane in 3m visibility.
3 of our group freaked out and couldn’t cope with the lack of visibility.
I’ve since got all my diving kit, and done several more dives in the uk, both shore and boat dives.
God bless sea sickness bands as otherwise I’m like the Guy from Team America after the bar...
Also, if getting diving kit, you can pick up good bargains used but in good condition.
I’ll be doing my advanced training in the uk.
Purely so I can learn to do it in the worst conditions and cope. If you learn where it’s superb conditions, you may get a shock coming to do uk dives.
OP
Dive centre is everything. Try for referrals from here maybe? I did mine in Malta so can help there.
PADI has the nickname of Put Another Dollar In / Pay And Die Instantly as it is possible to build up qualifications very quickly without the experience.
Eg on paper I am a rescue diver under PADI but consider myself a HUGE novice. As with most things, experience trumps all.
Dive centre is everything. Try for referrals from here maybe? I did mine in Malta so can help there.
PADI has the nickname of Put Another Dollar In / Pay And Die Instantly as it is possible to build up qualifications very quickly without the experience.
Eg on paper I am a rescue diver under PADI but consider myself a HUGE novice. As with most things, experience trumps all.
Never you mind said:
I'll give you an example of some PADI dive schools.
Traveller dude decides he likes it on a island and does a dive course or 3 and becomes a dive master. Woo. This is with 30 dives via the PADI scheme. With this qualification he can take people out and about as a dive guide. This is with 30 dives. Some of the people he might be taking out could have done the 4 dives that open water requires. What an experienced bunch they are. These are the same DMs that will also be assisting a trained instructor. I say trained but chances are they have just past their very own instructor course and have zero experience apart from what they learned over a period of a week or 2 and are working as freebies just for the experience.
Think about that when you book a course somewhere.
Do it right and do a GUE course.
A battle hardened, 1000+ dives DM.
Sorry, you're talking tosh. A DM will need at least 40 dives to start the course and at least 60 to qualify. I'm not saying this is anywhere near enough, but those are the facts. Traveller dude decides he likes it on a island and does a dive course or 3 and becomes a dive master. Woo. This is with 30 dives via the PADI scheme. With this qualification he can take people out and about as a dive guide. This is with 30 dives. Some of the people he might be taking out could have done the 4 dives that open water requires. What an experienced bunch they are. These are the same DMs that will also be assisting a trained instructor. I say trained but chances are they have just past their very own instructor course and have zero experience apart from what they learned over a period of a week or 2 and are working as freebies just for the experience.
Think about that when you book a course somewhere.
Do it right and do a GUE course.
A battle hardened, 1000+ dives DM.
Anyway, I agree, pick your Dive School carefully, and don't be afraid to ask questions about your DM/Instructor. There are some really good schools out there.
All the DM's and Instructors I have come across through the Dive Centres I carefully selected have been brilliant, knowledgeable, fun yet safe.
Edited by cbmotorsport on Tuesday 17th April 16:53
Edited by cbmotorsport on Tuesday 17th April 16:56
cbmotorsport said:
Sorry, you're talking tosh. A DM will need at least 40 dives to start the course and at least 60 to qualify. I'm not saying this is anywhere near enough, but those are the facts.
Anyway, I agree, pick your Dive School carefully, and don't be afraid to ask questions about your DM/Instructor. There are some really good schools out there.
Must have changed then, used to be 25 (or maybe just pass the rescue diver one?) to start the DM course, 30 to lead/assist and 40 maybe 50 to qualify. But agreed, nowhere near enough.Anyway, I agree, pick your Dive School carefully, and don't be afraid to ask questions about your DM/Instructor. There are some really good schools out there.
Edited by cbmotorsport on Tuesday 17th April 16:53
You're welcome. 
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff