Have you got the diving bug yet? If you have, where can you learn to dive?
The team at ThingsMenBuy.com all have different passions, mine happens to be scuba diving! Recently I’ve posted about:
- where can you dive with sharks?
- where can you dive with dolphins?
- where can you dive with rays?
- where can you find Nemo?
It occurred to me though, that some of you guys might not have learnt to dive yet, so here’s some help finding some cool places to get the scuba diving bug!
Where Can You Learn To Dive?
If you are starting from scratch, I’d recommend that you look for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Courses. PADI are the most internationally known qualification and are based in the US. Once you are PADI certified you will be able to take this with you and dive around the world.
PADI has several levels of diving courses, the basic one is called Open Water Diver and this will include pool and open water training. After this initial certification, it’s a matter of choice as to whether you want to progress further with extra qualifications.
#1. Your Hometown
Even if you live in the middle of the US, nowhere near the sea, you can still learn to dive. The initial PADI qualification starts out with pool training and the theory can be completed online. Once you are ready for your first open water experience, the course leaders will take you to a local lake. This often means that you get to know a group of new divers and then you can plan holidays and dive weekends with them.
#2. Pick A US Coastal Resort
If you prefer to complete the PADI course intensively, this option could be for you. The full course can be done in 3 to 4 days if you are focussed on it. The best place to do this is via a dive center on the coast, then you will get experience of open water sea diving.
#3. Choose a Dream Dive Destination
If you decide that you want to learn as part of a diving holiday, have a look through our posts above on diving and choose your dream location.
Once you’ve done this, look online and find a local dive center at that destination to train you up. As with all qualifications, there are various levels you can get certified to and this will depend on how much diving you want to do and what sort of depths you want to dive to.