SCUBA DIVING
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A lot of people have considered learning more about the world of adventure that only SCUBA diving can offer. Others say scuba diving is difficult to learn. Some say scuba lessons are expensive, while a good number of people still think that learning to scuba dive is dangerous. So to satisfy those curious minds, we collated the answers to all those frequently asked questions about scuba diving.
IS SCUBA DIVING A DIFFICULT THING TO LEARN?
The answer is a resounding NO. If you will go about a list of recreational past times, you’ll find out that scuba diving is probably one of the easiest things to learn, especially if you’re already comfortable in the water.
The basic skills you will need include floating, kicking and of course breathing. You don’t have to worry; we’ll make sure that at the end of your training, you’ll turn out to be a safe and proficient diver.
Our beginners’ diving course is divided into three parts—knowledge development, pool training and lastly open water training dives.
These courses are all based on your performance; meaning you will progress as you learn and enrich your level of proficiency on the courses being taught.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ME BEFORE I BECOME A CERTIFIED DIVER?
Our scuba courses typically take 3 sessions which can be done over entire weekend from a Friday to a Sunday.
However, this can be altered depending on the student’s needs. We can schedule the courses in as few as 3 days or it can be spread in a span of weeks or so.
Once the student has mastered all the coursework, then that’s the time that we will schedule the open water dives. Those will be done on 2 weekend days at Dutch Springs in PA.
HOW OLD DO I HAVE TO BE TO GET A SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATION IN NJ?
To be a certified Junior Open Water Scuba Diver, PADI requires for you to be at least 10 years of age.
Children who are 10-11 years old must be accompanied by either a scuba-certified guardian or PADI instructor during dives. Your certification will be upgraded to a regular Open Water certification once you turn 15.
ARE THERE REQUIREMENTS I MUST MEET BEFORE I CAN JOIN YOUR SCUBA TRAINING COURSES?
For safety reasons, we request all our enrollees to fill out a medical questionnaire, but in general, anybody who is fit and in good health should be able to take part in the training. If there is anything in the questionnaire that indicates something for you to be cautious of, you will be asked to see your doctor to assess if you are fit to scuba dive.
I'M NOT A VERY GOOD SWIMMER, CAN I STILL BECOME A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER?
Absolutely. You don’t have to be a very good swimmer to be scuba certified, but you need to be at least proficient in it. You’ll be pleased to know that the swimming requirement for you to be certified is just a mere non-stop swim of 200 yards (done without time limits and using any swimming stroke you are comfortable with).
THEY SAY SCUBA DIVING IS EXPENSIVE. IS THAT TRUE?
Not really. Scuba diving is considered a recreational activity– what you choose to spend in it depends on your level of interest. You don’t really have to buy your own scuba gear, since those can be rented. You can invest a bit more in it once you have fully gauged your interest in diving.
WHAT ITEMS/EQUIPMENT MUST I HAVE BEFORE I START TRAINING?
Your PADI Open Water enrollment will include all the gear you need. We will also provide you with scuba gear during your pool sessions. There is nothing for you to try and figure out.
WHERE DO YOU CONDUCT YOUR TRAINING SESSIONS?
The “confined water training” will be done in a pool, while all other sessions and trainings will be held at Dutch Springs, Pennsylvania.
HOW LONG WILL A TANK OF AIR LAST ME?
The simple answer to this question is “it depends”. You must understand that people’s rate of respiration differ depending on what they are doing at the moment. You breathe faster when you are swimming than while you are at rest. Also, the deeper in the water you go, the more air you consume. All of these factors will be discussed to you during the course of your training. Generally though, actual scuba dives last for about 20 minutes to an hour.
MY EARS TEND TO RING AND HURT WHEN I DIVE IN THE POOL. WILL THEY HURT WHEN I SCUBA DIVE?
There is ringing and ache in your ears when you dive because the water pressure is crushing your eardrums. Once you are in training, you will be taught a technique which will help you get past this problem.
ARE SHARKS, EELS OR OTHER MARINE ANIMALS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM WHEN I SCUBA DIVE?
Shark attacks are pretty rare since divers are not the natural prey for sharks. Plus, all aquatic animals are generally timid in nature. There are some that may sting or bite, but only because those are their natural defenses against enemies. You will not be considered as a threat if you will refrain yourself from aggravating them.
IS SCUBA DIVING DANGEROUS?
Not really. Diving is about as safe as recreational swimming as shown by statistics. There are potential hazards in diving, yes, and that’s the reason why you need to be certified and trained well before you go off by yourself.
WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO SCUBA DIVE EVEN IF I USE CONTACT LENSES/CORRECTION EYEGLASSES?
Definitely. You can still dive even if you’re wearing your contact lenses. However, if you are wearing hard lenses, you’ll need to either have prescription lenses installed in your mask or wear ones that are gas permeable while diving.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE FORMS I NEED TO DOWNLOAD I LOST THE LINK?
You can find all the forms you need on our PADI Forms page here.