Scuba 101 for Gulf Coast Living
We asked Jesse Cancelmo for some suggestions for aspiring scuba divers. Here’s his advice for those interested in learning:
1. Local dive shops usually offer scuba schools. Pick one that is certified by one of the large scuba agencies, such as PADI, NAUI, or SSI.
2. Talk with the personnel in the dive shop. It’s important you are comfortable with your instructor. You’ll have to trust him/her to keep you safe underwater.
3. Some dive shops offer an “Introduction to Scuba” class. These are usually just an afternoon, are held at a swimming pool, and they let you put on a mask and go underwater and breath through a regulator. These classes are excellent if you aren’t sure you really want to scuba or if you don’t know if you will be comfortable enough underwater to complete a full course. It’s better to find out if you are claustrophobic before you pay for a complete dive course!
4. Once you decide scuba is for you, take a full certification course, not some quickie course at a resort. Your life could depend on it.
5. Ask what equipment the scuba school will provide and what equipment you need to buy. At a minimum, you will need to buy a mask, fins and a snorkel. Some schools provide a buoyancy compensator and regulator. You won’t need to buy a tank; one will either be provided, or you can rent one.
6. Courses are part classroom, part in the water training. Your basic in the water training will be done in a swimming pool. Your open water check out dive can either be done nearby, usually a lake, or at a more tropical locale. Some dive shops offer trips to the Caribbean where your instructor will give you your check out dive.
