The First Step: Online Scuba Diving Certification

For anyone who is at least thirteen years of age or older (the scuba diving certification age) there are online scuba diving certification courses that are convenient ways to obtain the book learning part of scuba diving. These online scuba diving certification courses can often count for college credit, which is a convenient aspect of the courses for college students who need some physical education classes. The classes usually cost a little over one hundred dollars to participate in, allow individuals to learn at their own pace, and gives them access to a diver's manual of information that they can study for their exam. These online scuba diving certification courses are offered by a variety of different companies and individuals should check to be sure that they meet the standards given by international diving associations so that the credit is good anywhere in the world.

Classes

The online scuba diving certification classes help people to learn the basics about diving lingo so that they are aware of what their in-water instructors are talking about when they move to that stage of the training. They also learn some safety information that will help them in the water as well as how to choose the best scuba gear for the next stage of the class. These online scuba diving certification classes help individuals learn what to expect in their bodies as the water pressure squeezes in on them during the dives. It will also take them through planning the various dives that they might want to go on in the future. The in-water instructors will review the online scuba diving certification information to make sure the individuals have retained it, giving a quiz and then going over any information that was missed before moving into the in-water training part of the certification.

Once the online scuba diving certification has been completed, then the students begin to participate in confined water dives, meaning dives that are held in a local pool. This way they can learn the basic diving skills and practice them in a safe environment before going into the open water. The person will learn how to use all of the scuba diving equipment and certain skills that are essential for diving, such as sharing air, getting water out of the scuba mask, and others. Once this part is completed, then the person will be able to go on the first of four open water dives to become fully certified.