Learning the PADI way (Padi Open Water Diver)

Member Name: scuba_angel

Product:	Padi Open Water Diver
Date:	20/04/08 (448 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: step by step process, can be done anywhere and is recgonised the world over

Disadvantages: if its not for you loads,

First things first, SCUBA is not any more dangerous than any other activity you might care to do on your time off work, as long as you have been trained and take care to follow the things you learn training there is no reason you should suffer any injury greater than the odd broken toe (dont drop weightbelts on your toes!) or bruises (try not to fall over the rocks when hopping around on one foot having just dropped a weightbelt on your toe).

For many people the lure of the ocean is great and a large number of people will take those first steps abroad somewhere nice and warm, others will choose to learn back home, where they can take their time and not spend their holidays learning. As with anything thats personal choice.

Once you know you want to learn to dive there seems a myriad of options towards how you learn, which of the training organisations do you go with, PADI, and BSAC are the more common ones in the UK - yes there are others but these are the two I know best. BSAC employs a club system which to be frank I dont really understand, so I can only describe the PADI method of training the newbie to recieve their first Certifiation which is Open Water.

On your first tentative visit to the dive shop there will seem a frightening array of platic and metallic 'things' ignore them, we keep them there to put off the unwary (honest - there are things in my local divestore I dont understand the purpose of after 9 years of diving). Concentrate on that slightly unfit looking guy behind the counter, you'll come to revere him as the 'dive god' he so cleary is, like a walrus what looks ungainly and ugly on the surface will be sleek and streamlined in the water, you'll see.

The Open water course is likely to set you back around £300, most good dive schools will tell you this includes everything from kit hire to air fills, but not any site fees (and if a school wants to charge you extra that divegods smile really is comparable to that of a dogey carsales man not the zeal of one who knows he is about to convert another unbeliever).

Obviously you need to be able to swim and be comfortable in the water, you shouldnt suffer from any serious heart or lung complaints - if there is any doubt about this then you'll be asked to get your GP to fill assess you before you can train.

As it is 9 years since I qualified it is worth mentioning that the age limits for training are anyone over the age of 10, with no upper age limit, though many UK dive sites will not allow divers under the age of 12 in to the water under any circustances so for me Id be happy to quote 12 in the UK, and 10 anywhere warm (as long as you go to a repuatable centre). If you are under the age of 10 then there is an entirely pool based course you can do but wont allow you to dive out of a pool environment.

After handing over your course fees you will be given a pack of training materials, a book and/or CDrom, your initial log book pages (youll need to buy the binder separately), and a plastic slate with a complicated looking table printed on to it (sometimes there'll be other stuff in there but these are the essentials).

The book is broken down in to short chapters these correspond to the 'tests' you will be asked to do after the 'lectures' at the dive school, these are really quite simple, more often than not they are taught in a couple of mornings with the video presentation and a chance to ask your instructor to explain better anything you didnt get the first time around. Throughout the book are 'knowledge reviews' some are multiple choice questions which are on or near the page on which youll find the answer, others wanting a line or two writing at to explain the answer - these are usually at the end of the chapters. The theory sections at this point are nothing to worry about, if you read the book and understand it then you should have no problem with the tests which simply serve as a longer lasting record that you do 'get it'.
Different dive schools structure things different ways when I learned we did the theory in the mornings then went to the pool to do the practical session now, the same school teaches all the theory before you go anywhere near the water, but any good school will explain the course format and time constraints before asking you to part with your cash.

The 'practical' sessions are 9 sessions/dives, five are done in a pool or other safe confined water which is generally no deeper than 3m, the other four are done in 'open water' the sea or a quarry are favourite options.

The first one I can guarantee will be the one that you get scared on if at all, the theory will have gone through the basics of the kit and how it all works and I dont know of any instructor who doesnt let students handle the kit during theory lectures. So while your on the poolside you'll find that you have the building of your kit demonstated usually by a divemaster(or mistress but for simplicity from now on I'll call them a DM) and your instructor. After that in you get, the shallow end that is. Putting your facew under water for the first time using scuba gear feels odd, and is quite a scary moment but as long as you have done the things youve been asked to you will be fine!

Throughout the course you'll be given chances to do various skills, some are fun and seem somewhat silly but have serious reasons (hovering in the pool is one, you might feel daft trying to make like a genie but bouyancy control is a hard skill to master but an important one), others like dropping a regulator and retrieving it are both frightening the first time you do them yet it is clear why you have to learn to do it.

Once your instructor is happy that you are comfortable proforming the basic skills you will be introduced to the world of outdoor diving, in the UK this usually involves at the very least a semi dry suit or dry suit, as the water is too cold for a wet suit, whereas those of you choosing to learn on holiday are more likely to be diving in a wetsuit (or if you are somewhere really warm just your cossie). In the open water dives you will repeat the same skills you did in the pool but in water which is generally colder, and deeper (take warm clothes for after you get out).

At any time if you arent happy or think you want more time to practise a skill ask the instructor or DM, they'll be happy to let you do so. Be it at another time or on the same day if you arent happy they shouldnt be happy.

Dive schools are not allowed to do all four open water dives in one day, nor are they allowed to to all five confined water/pool dives on the same day so expect the course to take a minimum of 4 days, most UK schools will do the training at weekends so around 4 consecutive weeks is to be expected.

Things you need to learn to dive are; an ability to swim - you will be asked to swim a short distance (around 200m is common) in the pool and to tread water for a few minutes.
A swimming costume - we dont much like people trying to learn to dive in the nude, and the kit might chafe.
I recommend wearing a t-shirt in the pool, not for warmth but I found the kit was a bit uncomfortable without it.
A big flask for tea/coffee/hot chocolate if you are doing open water dives where there are no facilities.
GSOH, most divers are good fun to be around but if you cant take a joke, then after you qualify you might struggle on trips.

There are recommended limits set by PADI for depths an Open Water diver should stick to, for a Junior OW diver (anyone between 10 and 15) it is 12m and you should be diving with either a parent or a PADI professional (DM or above) who is willing to take responsibility for you, any one who is over the age of 15 the recommended depth is 18m. Obviously the sea doesnt just stop at these points which is why further training is recommended though not mandatory.

There are two main ways of doing the OW course, the first is to do it all with one dive school, the second and a common option is to do the theory and confined/pool dives with one school then complete it with another school usually when you dont have the time to do the full course before a holiday, paying the first school for the theory and pool sessions and a second for the rest, so the cost of this option should be investigated.

Personally I look at the Open Water course as being very much like passing a driving test, you learn the skills and have the knowledge but it doesnt make you a diver, what makes a diver is how you use what you learn. I know divers who have never bothered to do further training people I look up to and respect for their abilities as divers, and others who have done all the qualifications in the world and yet in the water I wouldnt want anything to do with them. It really is up to you what you do with it.

Summary: If you want to play with fish give it a try