beginner scuba diving

Question
Dear Mr. Scott

I live in Serbia and i would like to go for some scuba diving in Cyprus and Greece. I found on internet a Zenobia dive site located in Larnaca, Cyprus which i would love to visit. The ship that sunk on this location is at depth of 30 meters. Since I know very little about scuba diving i want to ask you what kind of training should i undergo to be allowed to dive there. How much time would it take to get an appropriate license and where should i go (in Serbia if it is possible) to see if i am fit to dive. Best regards

Answer
Hello Branko:  I will answer your questions with some general information but I do not know enough to give you specific locations in Serbia for training.  If you visit the PADI web site or the SSI web site (two major training agencies) they can provide you with information about training in Serbia.

Typically about one calendar month is enough time to receive your training certification (assuming you use online courses and weekends to perform the actual dive training).  This can be much faster if you opt for private lessons.  That training level is insufficient however to dive at depths of 30 meters on ship wrecks.  There are additional courses available that will teach you to dive those depths and on shipwrecks.  We typically recommend a diver have at least 20 to 25 SCUBA dives before diving on ship wrecks.

Once you locate a dive shop, they can help you create a customized education package that will meet your budget and time constraints.  Good luck and I hope you learn to SCUBA dive soon.  It is a great deal of fun.  Jesse