I want to learn to dive

[SolentPhill]

Some interesting comments on here Inc some from experienced people, the guy who said you wouldn't buy a parachute and jump out of a plane hit the nail spot on. The mini b maybe ok to keep as emergencies but there is an issue when you buy something and stick it in a locker until you need it, you can do this to a tender and water skies but not dive equipment. It needs to be kept damp free and checked on a regular basis and as stated never dive alone, now if your keeping the equipment in case a rope around prop then not a problem but keeping it in case you want to dive is not good. Tanks need servicing as do other moving parts yearly bi annual etc there is a routine.

Then there is the how often will I do it question, if you don't dive yrly refreshers should be done.

Then right at the beginning is your question about learning don't do cheap do it right, I would suggest a one to one course your local club or dive centre should offer it and in this you will learn several exercises in a pool, then you take a holiday go somewhere like Tenerife for few days cheap holiday but standards are good and complete your course. You will do 4 dives and do the same exercises you were taught in the pool, I would suggest padi. That way you will be a high standard and can go deeper than 9 m if you want to.

Most divers have seen someone or someone panic or something go wrong, its rare an experienced diver has a problem but it does happen. In a group dive i was on I saw a lady go from 20 m straight up as her mask came off. I wanted to help but the dive guys went up, It's training that kept me down and when my tank failed at 25m the training kicked in again, as did experience.

 

[KevO]

In that case, you need to change your avatar to Flag ALPHA !

I will never change my (national) flag... or my blue ensign!!

p.s. While I was away in a sh*tty dusty place for a year courtesy of HM (gawd bless her!) my son did the PADI Open Water course with a certain well-known cornish dive company followed by the Advanced OW a few months later. When I came home I taught him how to dive.

 

[William_H]

Learning to dive

Back to the OP's question. IMHO it is good to be very familiar with snorkeling and free diving first. You can learn/ teach yourself but in UK you will want a decent wet suit mask snorkel fins and weight belt.
The dangers will be tidal flow and sudden bad weather. Plus of course your own nervousness if any.
I am not at all keen on the idea of diving with a buddy. You spend too much effort worrying where he is and or keeping up with him. I like to dive alone and so at my own pace. (especially when descending.) But that is more about SCUBA diving.
In any case it is vital that you have a person nearby on the surface who is there to keep a look out for you. This person should be able to move the boat to pick you up and or to summon help.
Once you are comfortable and familiar with snorkeling on the surface you can try free diving down a few metres. This skill of course is very useful for boat maintenance. The weight belt making it easier to dive. Experiment with how much weight you need. A good wet suit might need 6 or 8 kgs but make sure you can release the belt if needed. Once you are proficient with snorkel you will find SCUBA diving really easy. Although far more cumbersome on the surface due to all the gear. Departing and returning to a beach makes it so much easier.
If you were here I would put a tank on your back for a familiarity trial.There is a kind of freedom with a tank in a harness no wet suit no weights but then you can't do that in UK. IMHO much of SCUBA diving is about confidence which comes with practice. I confess I havn't used my tanks for a while. They are there for mooring maintenance (3metres) but inspections I can do by free diving. so much less hassle.
All non PC I am afraid but you get like that when you get old.... olewill

 

[cliff]

I will never change my (national) flag... or my blue ensign!!

p.s. While I was away in a sh*tty dusty place for a year courtesy of HM (gawd bless her!) my son did the PADI Open Water course with a certain well-known cornish dive company followed by the Advanced OW a few months later. When I came home I taught him how to dive.

Oh so familiar a scenario. People go on thse "zero to hero" 5 day courses, get a piece of paper and think they know how to dive. Learn some basic theory, complete a few basic tasks in the pool and here is your ticket. Yea very good idea - NOT.

IMHO the best training (civilian) is provided by either the BSAC or the SSAC. Not only will you receive comprehensive theory and lots of pool training (usually on a one to one basis) but also open water training in a controlled progression over several months. There are two things to develop, one is confidence in your ability and the second, but probably most inportant is respect for the water be it inland or open sea.

I know equipment has changed over the years (when I started we still used twin hose DV's and home made wet suits - ahh the nights cutting out the pattern from a neoprene sheet and glueing, stitching and finally taping the seams not to mention there were no ABLJ's only SSLJ's) but not enough emphisis is placed on self reliance these days

 

[Graham_Wright]

:

I know equipment has changed over the years (when I started we still used twin hose DV's and home made wet suits - ahh the nights cutting out the pattern from a neoprene sheet and glueing, stitching and finally taping the seams not to mention there were no ABLJ's only SSLJ's) but not enough emphisis is placed on self reliance these days

I thought I was the only one!

Twin hoses………and all the fun and panic when you pick the wrong one to raise.

My respect for Evostick started in my university digs bedroom. The suit NEVER came apart.

 

[SolentPhill]

Back to the OP's question. IMHO it is good to be very familiar with snorkeling and free diving first. You can learn/ teach yourself but in UK you will want a decent wet suit mask snorkel fins and weight belt.
The dangers will be tidal flow and sudden bad weather. Plus of course your own nervousness if any.
I am not at all keen on the idea of diving with a buddy. You spend too much effort worrying where he is and or keeping up with him. I like to dive alone and so at my own pace. (especially when descending.) But that is more about SCUBA diving.
In any case it is vital that you have a person nearby on the surface who is there to keep a look out for you. This person should be able to move the boat to pick you up and or to summon help.
Once you are comfortable and familiar with snorkeling on the surface you can try free diving down a few metres. This skill of course is very useful for boat maintenance. The weight belt making it easier to dive. Experiment with how much weight you need. A good wet suit might need 6 or 8 kgs but make sure you can release the belt if needed. Once you are proficient with snorkel you will find SCUBA diving really easy. Although far more cumbersome on the surface due to all the gear. Departing and returning to a beach makes it so much easier.
If you were here I would put a tank on your back for a familiarity trial.There is a kind of freedom with a tank in a harness no wet suit no weights but then you can't do that in UK. IMHO much of SCUBA diving is about confidence which comes with practice. I confess I havn't used my tanks for a while. They are there for mooring maintenance (3metres) but inspections I can do by free diving. so much less hassle.
All non PC I am afraid but you get like that when you get old.... olewill

There you go on here you will get good advice and when you read some stuff on here you should decide what to take seriously and what to bin,

Back to parachuting again why do they carry a spare? because IF something goes wrong its there. your buddy is the same. diving alone or solo diving (as its called) is a no no, it is done more by people who have been doing it for years and mainly photographers. There is a big difference between diving in clear caribbean waters and UK coffee waters. it could be argued an instructor dives alone as the student would not be able to assist but experience is the key. There are many things that can go wrong why do we have house insurance why do we have many things, its always the same reply in case something goes wrong. but if an experienced diver does it he should carry a complete spare kit. in clear water if your not happy and panic you come up you can see the surface and you go up(slowly) in UK waters remind me which way is up?

scuba diving is not about confidence, if you’re not confident dont do it, its about training, good training will give you confidence, and both will give you experience.

so out of all the advice you get unless you have many years and blue books filled in if your going down more than 3 m DO NOT DO IT ALONE...

 

[Skylark]

But the interesting bit Is to find some training for my diving buddy who has lost the use of her legs.

There's already a wealth of information posted within this thread. I'd really, really encourage you to pick up the phone and call BSAC HQ. I posted contact details earlier.

You will probably speak to a member of the (full time) coaching team or they'll direct you to an appropriate (volunteer) regional or an area coach.

Many BSAC instructors will have done a diving for the disabled training and awareness course.

Good luck with your training, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Sailfree]

I did 2 pleasure dives in St Lucia with on the beach briefing. Really enjoyed them. After getting anchor stuck in Potland Habour and having to pay a diver and after I later freed an other boats anchor in Aldernay with a free dive I realised I would be better with the kit. I bought the kit in Guernsey.

Before I needed to use it in anger (clearing prop or anchors) I reflected on the number of helicopters bringing injured divers to Poole hospital (they land adjacent to Parkstone YC) and the number of maydays from diving boats I heard on the VHF. I decided that if this is happening to trained/experienced divers then diving is dangerous.

I booked a PADDY open water course at Andark - great tuition. Some years later I followed this up with an advanced course in the red sea as a 2 wk holiday (course is only 1wk).

SWMBO has dived off the great barrier reef and St Lucia with only the beach briefings but when she tried iit with me and a group in Dominican Republic she was terrified and immediately went back to the surface.

Diving is not for everyone and I think those that can keep a cool head in emergencies and do not suffer from claustrophobia are best suited.

I would strongly recommend a try dive and preferably on holiday in the sea not in a pool.

If you complete a try dive and like it and intend to dive definately do the course PADDY or BSAC. If anything goes wrong and you panic at depth you are a serious liability to your dive buddies.

I did not find diving in the UK, in cold merky water a pleasure, but really enjoyed the 2 weeks diving holiday (where I also did the advanced course) in the Red Sea. Only problem was exactly 12 months later sharks were eating people in the same place. As the song goes "What a difference a year makes!"

Since buying the gear I have had to free the prop about 5 times in 12yrs but 3 of those time was in one year but different places!

 

[stuartwineberg]

Be careful

Thanks, that sounds like what I want, now I need to find a course

Maybe only short and shallow dives but some compounding risk factors will be - cold water, tide/current, lack of visibility. I would be happier doing the full course and then "underusing" the skills gained. The skills relate to bouyancy which is more difficult in shallow waters plus safety around breathing techniques and mask clearances and the like. All of these apply equally the moment you enter the water - however briefly. A PADI course followed by dry suit speciality diver course or training at a local club in dry suit techniques would be a good mix

 

[stuartwineberg]

Sharm

The most straightforward way of learning to dive is to book a cheap 2 week holiday in Sharm el Sheikh, do the PADI Open Water Course in 4 or 5 days then, if you are enjoying it and feel comfortable and confident, do the Advanced Course. IIRC the Advanced Course requires you to choose a number of specialised modules, and takes another 4 or 5 days.

Emperor Divers are good..... As are some of the others. Several are bad.

After the above, you won't be an expert, but you will know how things work, and what not to do... All in a couple of weeks in the sun.

If you want to dive in the cold and poorer vis. UK waters, you can get involved in a club, knowing a bit about the sport, and ahead of the game.

Oonas Dive Club and Red Sea Dive College also good

 

[Sailfree]

Oonas Dive Club and Red Sea Dive College also good

When I was in Red Sea (forget resort name but not sharm) some 2yrs ago the Eygptian authorities did a purge on inspecting dive schools and many lost their Eygptian licence. Providing you go to an authorised PADDY training centre (check them out with PADDY first) I don't think you can go far wrong. I went with Red Sea Diving.

 

[KevO]

+1 Red Sea Diving College,oh and Emperor Divers, and the Camel Dive Club and Oonas and ...

gawd there are loads of good schools in Sharm!

Actually, booking through Olympic Holidays (?) from the UK has always given very good rates on dive courses particularly with the RSDC. They could offer courses at rates that the RSDC couldn't give if booking directly with them. I've used Olympic several times and they have been very reliable at arranging everything needed at good rates. No connection, just a satisfied repeat customer who will be using them again later this year.

 

[longjohnsilver]

UK waters remind me which way is up?

.

Follow your bubbles, has always worked for me!

 

[lenseman]

Follow your bubbles, has always worked for me!

or drop your lead weights (belt).

 

[prv]

or drop your lead weights (belt).

...assuming you don't mind arriving at the surface with your lungs hanging out of your nostrils.

Pete

 

[lenseman]

...assuming you don't mind arriving at the surface with your lungs hanging out of your nostrils. . . . .

Well at least you will overtake the rising bubbles.

 

[ean_p]

Oh so familiar a scenario. People go on thse "zero to hero" 5 day courses, get a piece of paper and think they know how to dive. Learn some basic theory, complete a few basic tasks in the pool and here is your ticket. Yea very good idea - NOT.

IMHO the best training (civilian) is provided by either the BSAC or the SSAC. Not only will you receive comprehensive theory and lots of pool training (usually on a one to one basis) but also open water training in a controlled progression over several months. There are two things to develop, one is confidence in your ability and the second, but probably most inportant is respect for the water be it inland or open sea.

Back to the OP's question. IMHO it is good to be very familiar with snorkeling and free diving first. You can learn/ teach yourself but in UK you will want a decent wet suit mask snorkel fins and weight belt.
The dangers will be tidal flow and sudden bad weather. Plus of course your own nervousness if any.
I am not at all keen on the idea of diving with a buddy. You spend too much effort worrying where he is and or keeping up with him. I like to dive alone and so at my own pace. (especially when descending.) But that is more about SCUBA diving.
In any case it is vital that you have a person nearby on the surface who is there to keep a look out for you. This person should be able to move the boat to pick you up and or to summon help.
Once you are comfortable and familiar with snorkeling on the surface you can try free diving down a few metres. This skill of course is very useful for boat maintenance. The weight belt making it easier to dive. Experiment with how much weight you need. A good wet suit might need 6 or 8 kgs but make sure you can release the belt if needed. Once you are proficient with snorkel you will find SCUBA diving really easy. Although far more cumbersome on the surface due to all the gear. Departing and returning to a beach makes it so much easier.
If you were here I would put a tank on your back for a familiarity trial.There is a kind of freedom with a tank in a harness no wet suit no weights but then you can't do that in UK. IMHO much of SCUBA diving is about confidence which comes with practice. I confess I havn't used my tanks for a while. They are there for mooring maintenance (3metres) but inspections I can do by free diving. so much less hassle.
All non PC I am afraid but you get like that when you get old.... olewill

+a very big one to both these..... listen and learn!... except that I would also add that the SAA ( I think still the the internationally recognised national body) also does excellent totally non commercially based training too!...Google them for a club near you!

 

[Monique]

I am a PADI instructor and can vouch for the excellent structure of the program.

Find a good instructor

 

[KevO]

Personally I have no probs with PADI training... it fits a niche in the market for those who wanna turn up somewhere warm, pay up and pass. Some students will never dive again after the holiday course is done and dusted, many will never return to the same diving school in the future so if they are borderline students it becomes some else's problem once they leave with their shiny certificate in hand.

I do have some reservations when the driver behind the business is to make money; someone is depending on it for their living which means that there will ALWAYS be a commercial interest in passing the student through whichever particular evolution is in hand. If a course is 5 days bought and paid for then the student expects to pass at the end of it, and the business is based upon them doing so. Not many training businesses would remain viable if a significant percentage of students didn't pass. Can you imagine a driving school saying "Learn to drive with us... 72% of our students pass successfully!"

The beauty of training within a dive club environment is that they have a vested interest in making sure a student (fellow club member that they may end up diving with in the future!) genuinely demonstrates 'competence and confidence' in each drill before moving on to the next.... there is no limit to the number of times an evolution can be completed until the instructor is convinced the student has really got it squared away. If a student has to spend a couple of goes at something they are struggling with it then so be it. They will not hold up or hold back the rest of the course or the other students on it.

It's difficult to hold back a student who is only with you for 5 days before their flight back home to wherever they came from at the end of their holiday. Oh and it's NEVER the student's fault when they fail to make the grade so it must be the instructor's fault... "Don't go to them mate..I did and I was brilliant but the stupid instructor still wouldn't pass me because of x, y or z... I would go to this other school 'cos my friends went there and they all passed etc etc etc." Every commercial training outfit (and no... I don't mean Oil Industry commercial or similar) will always ultimately have the interests of the business ahead of the students even if they swear blind they don't. When the bank manager is knocking on the door, perspectives can be flexible. I don't mean in cases where a student is just a diving accident waiting to happen, but where a demonstrated skill is borderline, there will always be pressure to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them move on with a course. "They will be alright with more practice" syndrome.

I don't mean to throw stones at any PADI instructor, or school, or anyone else... but I have dived with many, many, many, long-term instructors at resorts all over the world and over a beer I believe every single one would admit they have given the benefit of the doubt to paying students when if time and money was not an issue they would not have done so. For me, I suppose that's the beauty of being in the military... the freedom to say "Sorry Jones, get your kit on, we're doing that all over again!"

 

[longjohnsilver]

For me, I suppose that's the beauty of being in the military... the freedom to say "Sorry Jones, get your kit on, we're doing that all over again!"

That's almost word for word what I'd say to the girlfriend