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HOW TO BECOME A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER

STEP:

• Qualify by age. You must be at least 12 years old to begin scuba diver training although those younger than 12 may be able to participate in restricted, junior diver, training programs sponsored by certain training agencies.

• See if you’re fit for diving. Scuba diving is an active sport that requires a reasonable level of good health and physical fitness. Potential divers can help determine if they are fit for training and participation in the sport by reviewing a simple questionnaire that can be downloaded from the World Recreational Scuba Training Council web site (see below). The WRSTC guidelines will serve to familiarize you and, possibly your doctor, with the medical issues involved in scuba diving and help you to make an intelligent decision.

• Find someone to teach you. Locate a scuba instructor either through a referral from a friend or associate, an advertisement or through a local dive store. You should try to find one that is both well qualified (number of years diving and training divers, number of dives made and divers trained, breadth of experience, etc.) and whose instructional methods seem compatible with your way of learning; some people learn well from authority figures while others want hugs or high fives along with their lectures. When you find someone you think you like ask to audit one or two of his or her classes before committing.

• Find a place to learn. Convenience is a big factor when selecting a dive store or instructor to conduct your training. You will be spending days or perhaps even weeks learning to scuba dive depending on how the course is structured so you may want to select a facility convenient to your home or place of work. Ideally, find a dive store with an on-site pool (heated if you’re taking your training in cold weather) with hot showers and changing facilities. Since classroom studies are often combined with pool sessions in a single afternoon or evening not having to travel to go to the pool is a real plus.

• Find out exactly what your training will cost. Some instructors and dive stores charge a flat rate for complete certification while others charge incrementally as training progresses. Some include books and classroom materials in a single price while others charge extra for these usually-required items. Know what the total classroom and pool training will cost and also the charge for the final Open Water training. This may take place at a local lake or quarry or at a resort location and is often priced separately. If you are taking your scuba training with your family or a group of friends ask about a group discount and/or a more flexible schedule. Learn if there is an extra charge for the C-Card processing and the photo needed for it. Some divers will choose to complete their certification (Open Water) dives on a tropical vacation following their classroom and pool training. This is permitted by many training agencies provided it is done within a year of the completion of the pool and classroom training. Instructors and dive stores may charge a fee for completing the paperwork needed to transfer your record of training progress to another instructor - ask if yours does.

• Find out what equipment you will need* and how much it will cost. Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport and divers need a full complement of scuba gear in order to participate. Some or all of this gear may be included in your course fee or you may be able to rent or borrow it*.

• Pass the required watermanship test. The most basic prerequisite to becoming a qualified scuba diver is comfort in the water. In order for you to begin a scuba training course you must first demonstrate to an instructor your ability to swim continuously for 200 yards and float for 10 minutes, both without aids. Alternatively, if you would like to swim using a mask, fins and a snorkel, you must swim continuously for 300 yards and then float for 10 minutes without any aids.

• Register in a class that fits your needs. One of the great luxuries in scuba diver training is finding an instructor and a training facility that will cater to you if you have a challenging schedule or in case you need extra classroom time or, particularly, extra pool time. It takes pool time to learn to dive, the more the better so find out if practice pool sessions are available and if there is any charge.

• Take care of the legal stuff. During class registration you will be asked to fill out and sign a version of the WRSTC medical and fitness guidelines form certifying yourself fit to dive (in the US, a doctor's written approval is required only if you answer YES to any of the questions on the form). You will also be informed of the inherent risks of scuba diving and must sign appropriate forms acknowledging and assuming those risks prior to being allowed to participat in any water activities. These forms may include one of the following which are used by various training agencies, or one similar in purpose and effect: Liability Release; Waiver and Release of Liability; Affirmation and Liability Release; Assumption of Risk; Limitation of Liability; Safe Diving Practices Statement; Standards for Safety; Statement of Understanding; etc. These liability releases, as their names imply, serve to release your instructor, the dive store and the training agency from all liability, including negligence, should you be injured during your training. In court decisions these liability releases have been found to be legally binding contracts and you should understand exactly what rights you are giving up by signing. However, these forms are universally required in the United States and you should also be prepared to be refused lessons if you will not sign or if you demand revisions.

• Learn the academics. Read the book, watch the tape or DVD or do the on-line course and the class work. Scuba diving is one of those activities where safety comes with and depends on a certain amount of specific knowledge. The academic portion of a scuba course teaches you the theory of diving and the procedures necessary to do it safely. Academics are divided into short segments with quizzes generally following each topic and a final exam at the end to assess your understanding of the material. Students must pass with a certain grade to move on to Open Water training - retests are allowed.

• Practice and practice. The Confined Water, or pool, portion of a scuba course is where the heart of the training occurs. This is where you will learn the function of all that equipment and how to use it safely. You will be taught to clear water from a flooded mask, breathe from a regulator, use fins properly and control your buoyancy by adding or venting air from your buoyancy control device, along with a myriad of other skills that may seem foreign and intimidating at first but, with practice, will become second nature.

• Complete your Open Water training and certification dives. The final step toward becoming a certified scuba diver is to complete four open water training dives under the supervision of an instructor. These dives are conducted in a large body of water like the ocean or a lake to depths between 15 and 60 feet over two or more days. On these Open Water dives your instructor will have you demonstrate to him or her that you are capable of doing in open water what you learned to do in the pool, things like flooding and clearing your mask, descending to the bottom, recovering a misplaced regulator, ascending to the surface, etc.

• Once you successfully demonstrate these diving skills and complete the four required dives your instructor will advise the training agency to issue a C-Card in your name. Your C-card vouches for your training and qualifies you to obtain air fills or rental tanks, buy or rent scuba equipment, and engage in recreational open water diving in conditions similar to those under which you trained without further supervision.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Certified-Scuba-Diver

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