As you may or may not know, certification is required to participate in scuba diving and this is controlled most commonly by the dive centre checking 'c-cards' before letting you go on a diving trip. Because training is required, the sport has remained extremely safe.
Perhaps you have seen the t-shirt around town with the slogan 'Remember when diving was dangerous and sex was safe' printed on it. Despite the cuteness of it, the diving part, at least, is very true. Many years ago, dive training was rigorous and equipment was poor making it unappealing to many people.
These days, and especially with the new teaching methods, training is largely done without a lot of boring lectures given by dive instructors who love to hear themselves talk. With training materials that are more thorough and even interactive (books, videos, and CD-ROMs), much of the theory can be learned in the privacy of your own home before you come to the program. This makes the whole process much more fun, less time consuming, and much easier.
Early 1999, PADI introduced a program that allows people to get a partial certification quite quickly & easily. A student receives credit each and every time they have a session with a PADI Instructor and these credits can be added together over any period of time letting you get certified at your own pace and schedule. Due to the changes, after only three classroom sessions, two pool or 'confined water' dives and two ocean or 'open water' dives, you can be qualified as a PADI Scuba Diver. This can be done in very little time (as quickly as a day and a half) as long as the student comes to class having read and studied the course materials.
Certain restrictions apply to this certification. The PADI Scuba Diver is only allowed to go to a depth of 12 meters/40 feet and he or she must be accompanied by a certified PADI Professional. This level of pre-certification actually is quite popular with people who have limited disabilities, or no desire to dive to depths deeper than 12 metres. If these restrictions cramp your style, you simply go back to your instructor--or to another instructor in almost any country around the world--and upgrade your certification to PADI Open Water Diver. This requires attending two more classroom sessions; two more pool dives and two more dives in open water. When you've achieved this certification, you'll be trained to dive up to 18 meters and the requirement to dive with a PADI Professional is dropped.
This new program is sure to encourage a lot more people to get involved with diving, as the course schedule can be extremely flexible.
Contact one of our dive centre advertisers for more information.
