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How old do I have to be to dive?
The minimum age is 10 years old. Students younger than 15 years of age, who successfully complete the course, qualify for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, which they may upgrade to PADI Open Water Diver certification upon reaching 15 years old.
What kind of Physical requirements are there?
For safety, all students complete a brief scuba medical questionnaire that asks about medical conditions that could be a problem while diving. If none of these apply, you sign the form and you’re ready to start. If any of these apply to you, as a safety precaution your physician must assess the condition as it relates to diving and sign a medical form that confirms that you’re fit to dive. In some areas, local laws require all scuba students to consult with a physician before entering the course.
Who is the licensing body?
All scuba diving certifciation offered through ScubaLessonsJax are PADI Certifications.
How much knowledge is involved?
You will be learning from the official PADI certified course. There is a little bit of lingo to learn, but no worries, we make it easy for you. We will begin with the basics and build from there, you will develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You will know how to plan a dive, act in an emergency and learn how pressure and water affects your body at depth.
There are a few quizzes but trust us when we say that you will know the material well before you take the tests. As always with any good instruction, we will review what you got wrong (if anything) because the key is for you to really understand the information, not just memorize it.
Where will we start?
Instruction will begin out of the water but before you know it we will be in shallow water to make sure you feel good about what you’re doing. After all, it is all about diving right? In the early stages of the PADI certified course, you will learn to set up and check you and your buddy’s gear, emergency procedures, and many more of the scuba diving basics.
Once you get in the water you won’t be able to stop scuba diving. You will be doing what’s called “confined dives”, these are dives in a controlled environment. There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives, you attain the skills you need to dive in open water.
After you have mastered your new skills in a confined environment, you will move to “open water dives”. These are done in a more open body of water. This will be the first dive where you really get to explore the underwater world and enjoy scuba diving, at the beginners level of course.
How long does it take to get PADI certified?
Contrary to most programs, with Scuba Lessons Jax we certify you in one weekend. We also have the option to offer a course during the week, spread out over several weeks to accommodate those that do not have weekends off. Our well planned course outline is performance based and will require a little bit of homework; as long as you are understanding the curriculum we will go through the course in the time planned.
We make the material easy to understand and the lesson plans are executed efficiently. We will waste no time but rest assured you will learn everything you need to know to go scuba diving on your own and come home safe. As long as you demonstrate that you can scuba dive safely, the course will move along as planned.
How much does it cost to take scuba lessons?
People often ask how much does a scuba certification cost?
Compared to other popular adventure sports and outdoor activities, learning to scuba dive isn’t expensive. Once you get certified and buy the gear you need, all you have to do is find water.
For example, you can expect to pay about the same as you would for:
- a full day of surfing lessons
- a weekend of rock climbing lessons
- a weekend of kayaking lessons
- a weekend of fly-fishing lessons
- about three hours of private golf lessons
- about three hours of private water skiing lessons
- one amazing night out at the pub!
What scuba gear do I need to learn to scuba dive?
Don’t rush out and buy all your gear yet, we will provide everything you need during training. We will cover the gear that we recommend you buy and where to buy it in the class. If you really want to, you can buy a mask, snorkel, and fins, but again, you don’t have to.
Do I have to be a great swimmer?
Not really. Before becoming PADI certified, your instructor will have you demonstrate basic water skills.
Such as:
- swim 300 yards in mask, fins and snorkel. There is no time limit for this, and you may use any swimming strokes you want.
- float and tread water for 10 minutes, again using any methods that you want.
What materials do I have to buy?
None, we will provide everything, it’s all included in the course.
My ears hurt when I go to the bottom of a swimming pool or when I dive down snorkeling. Will that keep me from becoming a scuba diver?
No, that is assuming you have no medical irregularities in your ears and sinuses. This is actually a common problem, that most people feel will hinder them, you just have never learned to “decompress”. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ears. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you'll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving.
Does a history of ear troubles, diabetes, asthma, allergies or smoking preclude someone from diving?
Not necessarily. Any condition that affects the ears, sinuses, respiratory function, heart function or may alter consciousness is a concern, but only a physician can assess a person’s individual risk. Physicians can consult with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) as necessary when assessing a scuba candidate. This is why it is important to be accurate on your medical form.
What are the most common injuries or sicknesses associated with diving?
- Sun burn
- Seasickness
- Having too much fun
- In rare cases some injuries are caused by marine life such as scrapes and stings
- We will cover a few others in class
What about sharks?
Part of diving is seeing marine life. When you’re lucky, you get to see a shark. Although incidents with sharks occur, they are very, very rare and, primarily involve spear fishing or feeding sharks, both of which trigger feeding behavior. Most of the time, if you see a shark it’s just passing through and a relatively rare sight to enjoy.
Do women have any special concerns regarding diving?
Aside from pregnancy, no. Because physiologists know little about the effects of diving on the fetus, the recommendation is that women avoid diving while pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Menstruation is not normally a concern.
How deep do you go?
Well, that depends on the level of certification. With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 meters/130 feet. Up to that limit you can dive as deep as you feel comfortable.
Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 meters/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres/40 feet where the water’s warmer and the colors are brighter.
What happens if I use up all my air?
That’s not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have at all times. If you apply the knowledge we teach you, your dives should be planned well enough that this should never happen. In the rare event it does, you will be prepared to deal with it. This is one of the reasons it is important to have a buddy with a second mouthpiece close by.
What if I feel claustrophobic?
People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba diving masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer if a mask makes you feel closed in. During your scuba diving training your instructor gives you plenty of time and coaching to become comfortable with each stage of learning. Your scuba instructor works with you at your own pace to ensure you master each skill necessary to become a capable scuba diver who dives regularly.
Where can I find dive buddy?
One of the first rules of open water diving is to never dive alone. Besides the fact that it isn’t safe, it’s not as much fun either. Divers love what they do and love sharing the adventure with others. CharterHunt.ning.com is a great place to find dive buddies from all over Florida, who like to dive as much as you do. It is also great place a share your photos, videos, learn about new dive spots, and talk about your dives.
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