SCUBA Diving for Starters

Not that you need help, but when diving for the first time, we realized that a great number of people run away once they see what is involved!
If you are a diver, you will agree with us (hopefully) and for newbies, this lens should help in getting some of those fears away! Diving is an awesome experience, and one that you should enjoy 100%!

In general, here is what you will be doing on your first day of a PADI dive (also known as Beginners Dive or PADI Explore). And by the way, make sure you only dive with a certified team. PADI is the world's best known organization that certifies divers, and when you go underwater with them, you know you're in good hands.

- Your dive boss will take you out to a dive spot, and explain along the way about the different aspects of diving, the equipment involved, and about the hand signals you will use while diving (as you obviously will not be able to speak under water!)
- If there is time, you will also be informed about the various species of fish and marine life that you might encounter in your sojourn under the sea. For sure, the dive master will tell you about the ones you have to stay away from :)
- Since this is the first time you're diving, the dive master will buddy you (meaning he will not let go of your hand all through the duration of the dive), and hence you won't need to master the controls of the equipment. But in general, he'll explain to you about the stuff you'll be using during the dive
- Once you reach the dive spot, you will be asked to don the diving suit, the BCD (the buoyancy control device which keeps you afloat or takes you down based on which way you operate the controls), a belt with extra weights (if needed - to keep you under water), the cylinder and the mouthpiece, a pair of underwater goggles with a nose block, and the suit - including the fins.

This is where most first timers get worried. As soon as the nose is blocked, we tend to panic. Getting used to bite down on the mouthpiece and breathe is the most crucial learning from the first dive. All dive masters - from around the world - will tell you to breathe normally, and honestly, that's the best piece of advice. Though you are breathing through the apparatus and not through the environment, just breathe normally. Breathing through the mouth is not very difficult - once you get used to it. But make sure you don't let go of the mouthpiece. The equipment is designed in such a way that it virtually seals off the water from outside when you clamp down on the mouthpiece - which is made of rubber and doesn't hurt. Also, understand that the dive master isn't going to let you out on his own. That is not going to happen till you gave your basic divers qualification done - which is quite some time away :) And there is enough oxygen in the tank. If by chance your equipment malfunctions, your buddy has an extra breathing pipe he'll share with you, so you can breathe from his tank till you come up to the surface.

Usually, first timers are asked to dive into the water (just fall backwards from the boat) and float on the surface for a while. Since you have the BCD, you will not go under. Instead, you will be floating on the water naturally, and that is the right time to get used to the apparatus. Just put your head under water and learn to breathe through the mouth. Also learn to get used to staying under water - if you don't know how to swim. (Yes, you can go in for a beginner's dive course even if you don't know how to swim).

The cylinder is usually good for about 40 - 50 minutes (even if you're breathing quite wildly) and your first dive will last close to 30. This is your first opportunity to look under water and experience the water world, and make sure you're ready for it! It is going to be tremendous - seriously, no words do justice to the experience. Once you go down under with your dive buddy (the master, in this case), you actually will let go, as everything will be done by the person guiding you - he'll be holding either the BCD or your hand, and you will literally be dragged along. Since you don't weigh much inside water, your weight on land doesn't matter :)

If you're lucky, you will be diving on a day where there's clear visibility, and there is a lot of marine life on display. Since you're a newbie, your dive will be restricted to around 10 metres (or about 30 feet), and that isn't very deep! You won't be diving on wrecks or into underwater caves yet. That'll have to wait :) Also if your luck holds, the dive team will have an underwater camera to capture your raptures! Ask them for it, and pose away :)

Once again, here are a few little precautions which will make sure you make the most of that first dive

- Don't panic. You're very safe! The SCUBA equipment is an amazing piece of technology, and is pretty much fail safe. If you're diving with a certified PADI team (as you should), they will take all necessary precautions.
- Take time on the surface getting used to the breathing apparatus, and to the BCD. Once that happens automatically, you'll relish the dive better.
- Don't touch anything underwater. Corals are very fragile, and take millions of years to form. Just because you've paid money for the dive, don't break a piece away as a souvenir! And never touch any marine life down there. You never know which fish is poisonous. If you see any debris or plastic during your dive, see if you can pick it up, or ask the dive master to pick it up. Keep the environment clean down there.

That's it! Once you're up to the surface, lounge around and enjoy the amazing memories. For several days you will have marine life coming into your dreams :)

If you have an experience as a first time diver, do share it in the discussion box at the end of this lens. We'll be glad to know :)