I was interested in taking my university’s diving program but they no longer offered the beginner’s class and only offered intermediate diving (advanced certification) and intro to scientific diving. I spoke with the dive master and he suggested I get my basic certification off-campus and then enroll in the intermediate course. In the summer of 2014, I began my basic certification. As I was taking summer courses at my university, I decided to pop by the city and visit my local dive shop. They were incredibly welcoming and supportive and I signed up to be certified. Below I will be discussing my experience with the certification as well as mentioning things to know about getting certified.
Things to Consider
There are many different diving certification agencies. The most common I found in my area were: NAUI, SSI, and PADI. My basic certification was under SSI, as my dive shop only offers SSI.
Course + Gear
Undergoing certification isn’t cheap. Not everyone has that kind of money lying around, especially college students.
The course cost was about $400, this included the materials and a guaranteed spot in the course. The pricing for a basic course can vary, I’ve found that they all hover around the $500 mark, give or take some. While the price seems pretty steep, your basic certification is pretty much for life. If you spend more than 12+ months without a dive before you dive again you will have to take a refresher course. I find that if you’re a casual diver 1-3 dives a year will keep you from having to go through a refresher. I do recommend a refresher if you feel like you need some brushing up on your SCUBA knowledge. Safety is always most important. You can avoid a refresher fee and putting that money towards a dive weekend. I found that when I only owned my basic kit I would pay around $100 for rentals for 2 days, that included 4 air fills.
Aside from course material costs, you must also purchase your basic gear: mask, snorkel, fins, gloves (colder water/California) and boots. Depending on what you select for each item this will run you about $200 – $400+. I spent a lot of time researching fit and color choice and paid about $350 on my basic gear. For some of these items you can go with used gear, I suggest closely inspecting them and making sure they fit properly. For used gear, make sure that seams on booties are not torn and that the soles are in good condition. Fins last a long time, but make sure to check the fin straps. I purchased all of my gear new, so I don’t have much experience with used gear, I would just recommend being weary and critical of the items.
For a more detailed guide on choosing the appropriate starter gear: Basic Kit
My Experience
My dive instructor was a hilarious and knowledgeable divemaster who walked us through every aspect of our training. My class group was about 8 people, it was a slightly larger class but we all got pointers and tips on our individual techniques to make sure that we were trained properly. My dive shop offered two options for the course both of which were over 2 weeks: weekday nights or weekends.
I opted for the weekday nights, just because I wanted to spread out my schedule. Each week had 2 class meetings each lasting 4 hours, the first part was classroom-based and the second part was pool time. We reviewed the course material which was part of our homework and asked all kinds of questions, mostly about possible scenarios.
Then we had about 15 minutes to get decked out in the hottest fashions (read: don a wetsuit) and head to the pool. We were buddied up and taught to properly set up our equipment. My instructors have always pushed for a thorough personal check and buddy check to mitigate any problems. The last 2 hours were spent watching and personally going through every drill ourselves. Going through the exercises is very helpful with learning to deal with timing and new environment. I recommend trying every drill yourself, so that you familiarize yourself with the equipment and procedures. The emergency drills are especially important, you want to be prepared for any eventuality.
Exit Dives
I was incredibly nervous about completing my ocean dives. How could the pool even compare to the ocean? I had never really been more than a hundred feet from the shore, so I was nervous. I had also dabbled in a free diving session but the lack of external aid really freaked me out. I’m not completely confident with my body’s abilities to free diving seriously. The BC I used really provided that element of comfort and reassurance that I needed because in the end if I ran out of compressed gas, I could manually inflate it. That calmed my nerves and the fact that we were in 4 person group with 2 instructors made me relax. It was a single weekend, where my buddy and I drove down and stayed overnight near the beach.
Day 1:
Dive 1: descent, mask clearings, air-sharing
Dive 2: emergency skills, neutral buoyancy
Day 2:
Dive 1: navigation (w/ instructor), navigation (w/o instructor)
Dive 2: fun dive (almost fell on a crab as I descended)
The exit dives were manageable and fun as well as great exposure and preparation for dives I would later lead.
Overall, getting certified was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Nothing compares to the immense joy I feel when I’m underwater. Joining the SCUBA community has allowed me to connect with so many amazing individuals that share the same passions that I do. I got to meet people that would have never crossed my path otherwise. I met people with day jobs in medicine, finance, engineering, and biotechnology. Most of my best friends dive as well, so for me it was like finding a new home.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love talking to individuals interested in getting certified.
Diving Into Oceanography 