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For how long will I be certified? Your PADI SCUBA certification does not expire. It is highly recommended that you keep in practice. You should dive more than once a year. You may take a SCUBA Tune Up from any PADI instructor. PADI offers continuing education classes which are very informative. Continuing with your SCUBA education is an excellent way to keep in practice and learn more safe diving skills. How old do you have to be to get certified? PADI requires you to be at least 10 years old to become a PADI certified Junior Open Water Scuba Diver. Ten and 11 year olds must dive with a certified parent, guardian or PADI Professional to a maximum depth of 40 feet. Twelve to 14 year olds must dive with a certified adult. At age 15, the Junior certification upgrades to a regular Open Water Diver certification. Back to TopWhy do I have to get certified to dive? In the scuba class, you will learn how to dive safely and correctly. Your PADI SCUBA certification card is proof that you have taken and passed the SCUBA course. No reputable Dive Shop or PADI instructor will rent you gear, fill your tank , or let you dive at their facilities unless you are a certified SCUBA diver. Back to TopPADI is a recreational SCUBA organization. The maximum depth for a recreational SCUBA diver is 130 feet. I do not recommend you ever dive the maximum depth. You should not dive deeper than 60 feet without proper training. In the PADI Advanced Open Water course, divers are shown the correct and safe way to make a deep dive. Back to TopMost fish are afraid of you or will ignore you. It is very exciting to see fish. The larger the better. The prettiest and most abundant fish are in the ocean. The best place to see fish is near shipwrecks and reefs. Some fish will let you get close to them but will stay out of your reach, other fish are curious and will follow you around. I have been diving for a long time and have seen many sharks, eels and barracudas. The sharks and eels are very shy and are difficult to see. Barracudas are curious and might follow you around making it easy to photograph them. Game fish seem to know when you are looking for dinner. Grilled snapper or flounder taste great. Most of the time I just take pictures, but every now and then I get hungry for sea food. You are more likely to be attacked by a cow or a pig than by a fish. Be safe stay off the farm and go diving. Back to TopHow expensive is SCUBA diving? Once you are certified, SCUBA diving costs about as much as 18 holes of golf, or a good ski-lift ticket. Starting out is the most expensive. You have to pay to get SCUBA certified, and buy some gear. Classes cost between $350 and $450. The minimum amount of gear will cost about $150. You should have your own mask, fins, and snorkel for the class. A two-tank dive in the Caribbean will cost about $90, in FL you can expect to pay about $80. Most SCUBA quarries charge about $20 for all day diving. Air fills: Caribbean=$12, FL=$10, Rock quarries=$7. You can rent a tank with air for about the same amount it will cost you to fill your own. You don't have to buy all your gear. Most dive shops rent gear and don't charge students rental during class. A complete set of dive gear rents for $40 to $60. You can buy all of your own gear (BCD, Regulator with SPG and Octo) for as low as $600. I recommend you buy good gear. Don't skimp on your life support gear. Mine cost about $1400. The internet is a great place to find good deals. Please support your local dive shop, give them a chance to match the internet price. I've always wanted to learn to scuba dive. How do I get started? The easiest way to get started is call me (931)-526-4447 or send me an e-mail Marcos@ScubaMarcos.com . I will bring you the Starter kit. The Starter kit contains; an Open Water dive manual, dive tables, and 2 videos. You read the book while you watch the videos at home. We will schedule a convenient time for you to take the short quizzes and the final exam. Then we are off to the pool to practice what you read and watched. Once you have mastered the pool skills we go diving and you are certified after the fourth dive. You can be a PADI Certified SCUBA Diver in three easy steps; class, pool, diving. It's that easy! I believe the best way to learn how to SCUBA dive is by actually diving. I emphasize diving and maximize your time underwater practicing Scuba diving. Is it hard to learn to scuba dive? No, in fact, it's probably easier than you imagine -- especially if you're already comfortable in the water. PADI's entry-level diver course is split into knowledge development, confined water (pool) skill training and four scuba training dives. The course is "performance based," which means that you progress as you learn and demonstrate knowledge and skill. Does it only take three days!? PADI courses are "performance based," which means that you only earn your scuba certification when you demonstrate that you have mastered the required skills and knowledge. Some people learn faster than others, so how long it takes you may vary. The PADI Open Water Diver course (beginning scuba) is typically split into five or six sessions with tremendous flexibility. The course may be scheduled over as little as three or four days, or as much as five or six weeks, or something in between depending upon student needs and logistics. As a rule of thumb, most students complete their initial certification in about twenty-five hours spread over 2 or 3 weekends. The academic session takes about 8 hours, the pool a minimum of 4 hours, usually in three 4 hours sessions. You must master all the pool skills before going on the the 4 Checkout dives. The 4 checkout dives are completed over 2 days with no more than 3 dives completed in one day. So yes, it is rare but you could complete your PADI scuba certification in as little as 3 days. We can do class and pool on Friday and go diving Saturday and Sunday. I teach most scuba lessons over 2 or 3 weekends. Do I have to be a great swimmer to be certified as a PADI Open Water Diver? No. All you need to be is a reasonably proficient swimmer who is comfortable and relaxed in the water. The swimming requirement for certification is an easy 183 meter/200 yard nonstop swim (with no time or specific stroke requirement) and 10 minute tread/float. What's in a scuba tank? Oxygen? Recreational divers breathe air, not oxygen. It's filtered to remove impurities, but otherwise, it's air like you're breathing now. How long does a tank of air last? This is a common question that, unfortunately, doesn't have a single answer. People breathe at different rates, and you breathe faster when you're swimming than when you're resting. Also, the deeper you go, the more you use your air, and, you can get different size tanks. So, the answer is "it depends;" this is why divers have a gauge that tell them how much air they have at all times. As an approximation, a diver sightseeing in calm, warm water at 20 to 30 feet deep can expect the average tank to last about an hour. My ears hurt when I dive to the bottom of a pool. Won't they hurt when I scuba dive? Your ears hurt because water pressure pushes in on your ear drum. In your scuba course, you'll learn a simple technique to equalize your ears to the surrounding pressure, much like you do when you land in an airplane, and they won't hurt at all. Not really. Statistics show that recreational scuba diving is about as safe as swimming. Certainly there are potential hazards -- which is why you need training and certification -- but like driving a car, as long as you follow the rules and use common sense, it's pretty safe. To put it in perspective, the drive in your car to go diving is more dangerous than the diving. No you don't have to buy SCUBA gear. I provide Scuba tanks, buoyancy compensator, regulator, and weight belt. You will have to have a mask, fins and snorkel. Most dive shops rent gear and don't charge students rental during class. A complete set of dive gear rents for $40 to $60. You can buy all of your own gear (BCD, Regulator with SPG and Octo) for as low as $600. I recommend you buy good gear. Don't skimp on your life support gear. Mine cost about $1400. You can always get the best gear at the best prices at Parrot Island Dive Shop Why are some Scuba Instructors so much cheaper than others? Most SCUBA Instructors charge about the same for complete certification, between $350 and $450. The difference is some instructors do not tell you about all the costs. Be careful, if the lessons price sounds very inexpensive it might not include everything. Dive Centers have to pay rent and labor. So they will typically charge more. Find a good Independent or Private Scuba Instructor who will give you better friendlier personal service. Questions to ask your instructor. You might end up paying more than
you expected. A long time ago when the workers were breathing compressed air while working underwater, sometimes they would get decompression sickness or "the Bends". Their joints would hurt and make them bend over. This is caused by staying under water too long and coming up too fast. Tiny bubbles would form in their joints, something like the tiny bubbles form in a soda bottle when you open it. Just like the soda bottle, if you shake it and open it too soon or fast too many bubbles will form. With all the new technology "the bends" is easily avoided. PADI divers are recreational divers. I will teach you how to safely dive within the limits so you will never get the bends. Don't worry diving is fun, easy and safe. I will teach you how to relax and enjoy your dive. Dive Tables help Link I lost my Certification card how can I get it replaced? The best way is to tell you instructor, he can take care of it for you. Any PADI instructor can help you. Most instructors charge between $20 and $25 to replace your card. You may need another passport sized picture. If you forgot your C-Card while on vacation, PADI has a member check on-line or by calling 1-800 -729-7234, 1-800-SAY-PADI. What exactly will I have to do to get PADI certified? Download and print PADI Skills for Open water Dives.
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Email = Marcos@ScubaMarcos.com
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200m/yard
continuous swim (or 400m snorkel swim)