1-31-07:

I'm very new to this whole scuba diving thing but I've seen a few things that just make me shake my head in disbelief.

However, with that being said, I must grant a little leniency in my thinking towards a few of these people because *I* had no clue about many things about diving before I actually took the classes and did some dives.

So here are a few tips from a newbie diver. Take with at least 1/2 cup of salt.....

1. If you can't swim: DO NOT try to take a basic open water scuba diving class. It's not like you're going to be wearing a life jacket and swimming in a POOL people. If you can't swim 200 yards, at least, or tread water for 10 minutes, at least, don't pay for diving lessons. Get some swimming lessons first!

I have witnessed people trying to learn to dive when they can't even swim at least 2 lengths of the pool without struggling. No instructor worth anything is going to let someone continue in a class or pass them.

2. Diving is interesting and cool and neat and all those good things but if you don't receive the proper training, aren't wearing the correct and well-maintained equipment, etc., you could be injured and you know, be DEAD in some instances.

Diving is not something to take lightly. You are BREATHING underwater, sometimes tens of feet under water (eventually a LOT of tens of feet), with nothing to depend on but yourself, your skills and your equipment. Please, do not underestimate the value of these vital components of fun and successful diving.

Certifications and tests are in place for a reason. Sure, you could throw on a mask and some tanks and head on out to the ocean and lake and be fine but what happens if things don't go perfectly right?

3. When you sign up for a class and the instructor tells you (and any other students) that you reallyreallyreally should purchase your own equipment, they ARE NOT just trying to make a sales pitch for a dive shop or the shop they work for.

At the VERY least you should purchase your own mask and boots. Seriously. Even for the pool time classes. I can't tell you how aggravating it is to try and learn new skills and have a mask that doesn't fit your face properly and keeps flooding. The boots are also very important because if you don't wear them and end up getting a sore or blister where the fins have rubbed your bare feet (after being in the water for an hour or 4), you will NOT want to put the fins on the next day.

Links:

Capital Scuba

Ncdivers.com