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There are many questions that you
may have when deciding to enter into the world
of scuba diving. It is a magical world, but it
is unknown. Below is a list of the frequently
asked questions that we’ve answered here
at the centre. This document is intended to help
with your curiosity in taking the first step to
becoming a certified scuba diver! If you have
any other questions, please don’t hesitate
to give us a call at the dive centre.
We’re here to make sure you enjoy yourself
and that you are comfortable
| Is it hard
to learn to scuba dive? |
- As far as active recreational pastimes
go, scuba diving is one of the easiest
to learn. While you’re gliding around
enjoying the underwater sights, you’re
engaged in only three basic skills: floating,
kicking, and breathing. Of course, there’s
more to it than that – becoming
proficient at using the equipment, developing
knowledge of scuba concepts, and learning
safety procedures – but if you breathe
through your mouth, chances are you can
learn to scuba dive.
Learning to scuba dive is mostly a matter
of attitude. If you are motivated to step
through the door into an exciting new
world, then the experience will prove
both energising and confidence-building.
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| Are the skills
for scuba diving difficult to learn? |
- The necessary skills are not tough for
most people to master. During scuba certification
class, you’re taught about safe
diving practices and you rehearse equipment
related skills in a pool until you feel
comfortable, as well as practicing what
to do if things don’t go as planned.
We always have several instructors in
the water with you, and you are unlikely
to ever have more than 4 students per
instructor. This way we can ensure that
you get very close personal attention,
to ensure your safety, enjoyment and success.
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| Isn’t
the equipment heavy and difficult to learn
how to use? |
- The bulky scuba gear worn by many divers
may seem intimidating, but learning to
use it is straightforward. If you’ve
snorkeled, you’re already familiar
with the mask, snorkel and fins. The scuba
unit consists of an air cylinder containing
compressed breathing air, buoyancy compensator
(BCD) jacket to help you float on the
surface or to maintain your desired depth
underwater, and you’ll have a regulator
for you to breathe through. The wetsuit
keeps you warm when diving in cooler water.
Whilst it is a little awkward on the surface
it is practically weightless underwater
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Do I have
to be a strong swimmer?
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- You don’t need to be a strong
swimmer or an athlete to scuba dive, but
some degree of comfort in the water certainly
helps. Even if you enter scuba training
with less than total confidence in your
water skills, by the time you receive
your first certification card, your comfort
level will be greatly increased. After
your certification you will find yourself
being one of the many enthusiasts who
scuba dive for the sheer pleasure of floating
weightless in an environment as close
to outer space as the majority of us will
ever experience
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| Does it hurt
your ears? |
- This question comes from people who
have snorkeled before and tried to swim
beneath the surface – aka free dive.
They swim headfirst down to about 6 –
12 feet (2m) and suddenly develop a stabbing
pain in their ears, sending them shooting
back to the surface. They unknowingly assume
that they have an ear problem that precludes
them from scuba diving. On the contrary,
the problem is due to a lack of knowledge
about the effects of pressure and can
easily be prevented. If you can fly in
a plane without serious ear discomfort,
then your ears should not present an impediment
to scuba diving. The remedy for scuba
diving is to “equalise” the
pressure (caused by going deeper in the
water) by gently pinching your nostrils
shut, lifting your chin and gently try
to blow out through your nose. Some divers
even equalise by simply moving their jaw
or tongue. Unless your ears are blocked
by a cold, or have allergy symptoms, or
you are one of the few people born with
a narrow eustachian tubes, ear pain is
not an issue.
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| What do you
see down there? |
- A whole new world of incredible sights
awaits the scuba diver, no matter what
the underwater environment – fresh
or salt water; tropical or cold water,
ocean, quarry, lake or river. It shouldn’t
be hard to envision your self gliding
effortlessly through a crystal-clear tropical
ocean, marveling at rainbow coloured fish
flitting about a vibrant coral reef. You
have already been treated to underwater
scenes such as this on TV, in movies or
perhaps a friend’s underwater video
or pictures. You may have even caught
a glimpse of this while snorkeling on a Mediterranean holiday. In each underwater
setting there is plenty to see. There are obviously many
fish, but also corals and other water animals such
as crabs, lobsters and shrimp. In warm
water there are many different types of
reef animals such as sea cucumbers. Living
creatures aren’t the only wondrous
things under water, there are many shipwrecks
and this is particularly true in the UK
where we are blessed with literally hundreds
of wrecks to see and explore.
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| How deep
do you go? |
- The industry standard maximum depth
limit for recreational divers is 40m. However most people don't get anywhere
near this depth as there is plenty to
see and do at much shallower depths. During
basic scuba certification, the pool work
(confined water)is typically carried out
in water at about 3m, this obviously helps
in building up confidence. The open water
element of the course is usually carried
out in a local lake at maximum depths
of about 7m. After certification you are
able to dive up to a maximum depth of
18m. To go deeper requires additional
qualifications. For this reason a deep
dive is considered to be below 18m, to
an absolute maximum of 40m.
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| Is there
an age limit to scuba dive? |
- Scuba diving is a nondiscriminatory
activity. Anyone with the physical ability
to handle the equipment and the emotional
maturity to comprehend the rules and take
responsibility for his or her safety and
that of his dive buddy, can scuba dive
safely and enjoyable There is no upper
age limit on learning to scuba dive. Certain
conditions my preclude those of any age
from diving, temporarily or permanently,
especially conditions associated with
lung functions. As long as you maintain
relatively good physical and mental conditioning,
it’s never too late to learn scuba
diving. Many divers continue into their
70’s and 80’s.
Minimum age restrictions do apply.
For children eight and older we offer
a Seal Team programme. This exciting new
programme is built around action-packed
AquaMissions! An AquaMission is an underwater
pool adventure where kids learn scuba
activities. Take AquaMission: Inner Space
Specialist for example, here kids learn
how to float underwater like an Astronaut.
And AquaMission: Snapshot Specialist,
this is where PADI Seal Team members take
pictures of each other scuba diving in
the pool.
To be able to dive in the ocean, children
must be 10 years old to be certified as
“junior” divers. These divers
may dive only under restricted conditions,
such as limited depth and supervision
by a scuba professional or certified adult
diver. At 15, students receive the same
certification as adult divers. For more information about junior courses please follow this link
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| How do I
get certified? |
- You must take an open water certification
course to get certified. The basic scuba
certification course, called the PADI Open Water
Diver, is divided into three sections;
classroom work, confined water and open
water. The classroom portion develops
the knowledge base necessary to understand
the principals behind diving rules and
procedures. You practice dive procedures
and learn to use the equipment in a confined
water section, usually in a pool. The
open water section consists of four or
more supervised dives in a local lake,
during which you will demonstrate your
mastery of scuba skills in an actual dive
setting. Typically this is done in depths
no deeper than 7m
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| How long
does it take? |
- Traditionally this involves one day in the classroom followed by two week
end sessions - one in the pool and one at the lake. Don't be put off by the
the classroom element of the course. This
is carried out in a very informal and
relaxed way and led by our very experienced
instructors. You do not have to be a genius
to complete the work, just interested. If
any aspect does cause a difficulty we
will ensure you understand before you
complete the course. The second week is
usually spent at the lake where we go
through the open water portion of the
course. This gives you another opportunity
to practice all the skills you have learned
in a very controlled environment. We always
have several instructors in the water
with you, and you are unlikely to ever
have more than 4 students per instructor.
This way we can ensure that you get very
close personal attention, to ensure your
safety, enjoyment and success.
Alternatively we can offer you the option
of breaking up the weekends and the pool
work for a schedule that works for your
time. We also offer private classroom
instruction, just check with any member
of the Sussex Scuba team.
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| Isn’t
scuba diving expensive? |
- Like many sports or leisure activity
it can be as expensive or as low cost
as you want. It is not necessary to buy
lots of equipment to enjoy scuba, though
it is probably a good idea to invest in
your own mask, snorkel and fins. If you
dive with Sussex Scuba you can rent the
required equipment at relatively low cost.
Similarly if you dive on holiday you can
chose a package that includes all the
equipment. Purchasing a set of scuba gear
– BCD, regulator, exposure protection
– is no more expensive then getting
started in golf or skiing. For the infrequent
diver, renting equipment may be an attractive
alternative. Of course, as in all worthwhile
pursuits, you may choose to expand your
scuba “must have” list with
items such as a dive computer, underwater
camera and other accessories
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| Where can
we travel once we’re certified? |
- Scuba diving vacations are available
to suit every budget, from weekends in
bunkhouse accommodations with shore diving,
to luxury dive resorts in exotic locations.
The price of airfare is a major factor
in considering vacations to faraway destinations,
whether it’s for sightseeing or
diving, or a combination of both. Live-aboard
dive boats offer the opportunity to visit
remote dive destinations and do as much
or little diving you desire for an all
inclusive price. Check with tour staff
or look at our notice board for a variety
of dive trips and dive weekends already
scheduled! More details of our trips can be found by following this link
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