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PADI Deep Diver
by bee-bee-m
This is a four dive minimum 2 day course that gives you a speciality.
specialities can be used to count towards other qualifications for example the master diver or just to expand your skills and knowledge.
The deep diver gives you more practice at depth which is a very important skill as if something were to gowrong you ... would need to calmness and knowledge to know what to do as it isnt as simple as just getting out when your at 30m or something similar.
The four dives have different skills which are all basic enough but give you good practice and help your instructor see how you deal with the situation. The dives build up to your last one which is a 40m dive, by building up you have a gentle increase in depth instead of just throwing you in at the deep end literally!
On the 40m a task such as inflating as empty water bottle by breathing into it and doing it up when at the bottom then opening it on the surface to demonstrate the pressure difference may be done.
The course is one more for people that want the experience than those thinking they will from then on be diving at 40m every day because in reality few centres will do dives that deep except for during the course so although it gives you valuable experience and is good to see how you react is if the narks hit you (this is not the benz its where you basically feel drunk for nitrogen build up in your system and is relieved by going shallower and leaves no permenant damage, but is unsafe underwater because some dont act safely and rationally which is why narked divers are taken up) to know if you do get narked is good to know and also if you do it helps to know how it feels so yoou can react yourself to early signs. The reason it is good to know this is because, for some reason one day you may over exceed your depth, or you may get narked at a shallower depth, it is not set but varies depending on your physical and mental state each day.
so in summary the deep diver is great for experience but wont neccesarily open up a whole realm of new dives for you.
Try it if you want but please dont until yoou are competant in the water, you must be 100% happy you knwo your gear, and your self. I have assisted on deep courses where people couldnt get s good swimming posture and therefore could not decend quickly meaning the times down there were limited more than usual and also one diver who did not check his air once until he hit 30bar whilst at 40m! this was not good all worked out fine but could of been serious. It was immediate ascend time with my alternate air source waiting.
Although it is great when anyone wants to do these courses dont try the harder ones until your ready.
And please check your air a lot when deep you will be surprised how quickly it goes.
Also descents are usually quick to get the most time at depth before your ascend times and also to get as much air as possible and if in a current if yoou take too long you will miss your point. So if you are not comfortable with fast descents possible in the blue again dont do it until youve had more experience.
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PADI Advanced Open Water Diving
by bee-bee-m
This is the course that is the follow on from open water diver with Padi and gives you your next level of qualification.
Which in essence extends your allowable depth (this is reccomended there is nothing physically stopping you going deeper but you will not be covered by insurance if you do and I doubt you will be in the good ... books of those with you. )
After completing your advanced course you will be able to makes dives up to 30m. This is almost the limit of recreational diving which only goes to 40m, there is a speciality to get you to that deep but 40m dives are hard to come by. Although interesting to try to see how you react. And if you are thinking of techincal or commercial diving its recommended to see if you get narked easily as if you do at 20m every time you would not realistically be able to go deep.
Anyway im trailing a litte now so ill get back to the point.
During your advanced course you will be required to do 5 dives and some theory work, the theory isnt that bad and there is the usual padi video.
The 5 dives are 2 compulsory which include navigation and deep. And three of your choice, with many to choose from which you peak depends on what you want to learn more about. If your not good with bouyany peak performance bouyancy is a good one, if you want to improve you photos there is underwater photographer, easier dives for a bit of fun diving (often with courses you dont get to look around) are boat and drift, these are useful to get used to these techniques as they are covered a lot in the diving world.
There are many to choose from and you will be given the whole list and tips when doing the course. Any that involve specialist equipment will need generally to be supplied by yourself. Ie camera.
The navigation dive, covers natural nav and compass work. Your instructor will cover it all but you basically learn and demonstrate compass navigation and then natural which uses depth, temp, static life and rock formations, sand ripples etc to find your way around. One thing they may do is take you off for a swim and tell you to get back to the start. Keep your eyes open and youll be ok.
The deep dive introduces you to the 30m depth. It will be shorter than shallower ones as you use more air at depth especially your first time so keep an eye on your air, your instructor will too. You will be taken down and shown a set of colours and how they change at depth (hint red loses its colouring first and blue last) hence why underwater pictures look blue. You may be asked to do some simply tasks.
Overall the course is great fun and well worth doing it gives you those extra valuable skills to boost experience and confidence and introduces you to 5 potential specialities.
The 5 dives can at instructors disgression be counted towards the respective specialities.
THE QUALIFICATION IS ALSO A REQUIREMENT OF CERTAIN DIVE SITES SO THIS OPENS YOU UP TO A LOT MORE AND ALSO MORE DIVE BUDDIES, MANY DIVERS DONT LIKE THE RESTRICTION OF AN 18M LIMIT
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Padi Open Water Diver
by bee-bee-m
I completed my Padi open water diver course with Red Sea Diving College about 2 years ago now. And couldnt be more pleased that I did.
The course is available worldwide and through many different options, I went for the online theory which meant I studied through padis website before I left the UK so when I could spend all my time ... away diving and not in the classroom this was a great choice for this course. There are also other options such as a straight course from start to end with your centre, or a refferal which means you do all the theory and the pool work in the UK then just the seawork abroad. The course takes around 5 days but obvisouly varies depending on where you do it and via what method.
The course itself is great fun and very informative. There are a lot of skills involved but these are obvisouly important and should not be thought of as scary. everything is done in confined water first and you are only ever taken out of this when the instructors are happy. Sometimes this is a pool sometime a safe part in the sea.
My course with RSDC was good, the instructor very helpful and relaxed and would not let you proceed to the next step until he was happy, this might sound like a hassle but it means you are safe when out in open/deep water.
Now I started in the red sea which is clear warm water and was lovely because of that but there is no reason not to start in the uk. I would advice beginning in the summer simply because it eases you in the the temperatures and visibilities, best to start when it is good and then let your body get used to the declining temps etc over time as winter comes in rather than jumping in the 8 degrees and finding it such a shock you never do it again.
The course is well worth a go, if you like adventure, challenge, the underwater world. Do it.
And once you have started there is so much choice to carry on with and so many places to go.
The open water entitles you upon completion to dive without an instrutor or guide up to 18metres deep. although there is nothing saying you cant have a guide etc.
The next level is the advanced, which is also worth doing as it opens you up to many more dive sites are some are either too deep for open water or a little more tricky and need more experience.
A wonderful course, worth doing 100 times over. Padi is a worldwide company that is recognised anywhere and they have good standards and are a good company to go with.
Also very flexible for those not 100% able. I have known a disabled man who cant walk learn to dive, a blind women who did it for the feeling of floating underwater and many more, it can be worked around almost any problem.
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