| We are always told we should learn sports when we | | | | with it for at least 3 weekends before you become |
| are young, when our bodies are more resilient to the | | | | certified - 1st weekend for classroom and theory, |
| bruises and bumps which can be afflicted on us when | | | | 2nd weekend for pool sessions and a 3rd weekend |
| we learn a new sport. This is true to a certain | | | | for the actual open water tests. Put aside your ego |
| extent.Take for example, my experience learning | | | | and just bear with it, it'll be worth it in the end.Having |
| wind surfing. I learnt the sport when I was 26. If I | | | | said that, that's not to say that there are no good |
| were to learn this sport now at age 42, chances are | | | | and kind scuba diving instructors around. I was |
| I would not go far and would probably give up after | | | | fortunate to receive dive instruction from PC, a very |
| 1 or 2 tries. Learning wind surfing was like battling | | | | kind and patient man, without whom my dive learning |
| with all the forces at the same time! We're talking | | | | experience would not be as smooth and |
| about trying to balance on choppy waves on a | | | | enjoyable.Relatively Good Health |
| slippery wet board, at the same time maneuvering a | | | | It's not necessary to be in peak fitness before you |
| sail which weighs more than you in the correct | | | | can take up scuba diving. However, you would need |
| direction that you want to go.In the process, I | | | | some strength to be able to walk with full scuba |
| contributed blood and flesh from cuts on barnacles | | | | diving gear strapped on you. Once you enter the |
| and bruises from hitting the surf board more than | | | | waters with all your gear, you are almost weightless. |
| once before falling into the waters.But there is a | | | | But it's the few steps you have to make to get into |
| huge difference with scuba diving. YOU ARE NEVER | | | | the boat or to cross the beach into the water that |
| TOO OLD TO LEARN SCUBA DIVING. I can never | | | | may be a challenge for a person who is not used to |
| say this enough. I learnt scuba diving when I was 38. | | | | carrying heavy loads on them.Having said that, some |
| Now I'm not saying that 38 is a ripe old age but still, | | | | scuba diving resorts have fantastic dive staff who |
| the body does feel somewhat less strong and less | | | | can help to overcome this by carrying the tanks and |
| resilient. Added to that, as we get older, we also | | | | gear to the boat for you to suit up inside the boat. |
| seem to have more fears. Perhaps we feel we have | | | | And of course if you are on a live-a-board (live, eat, |
| more to lose if something should happen to us.I say | | | | dive, sleep, on board a boat throughout the dive |
| middle age and beyond should never be a factor in | | | | trip), then this may not be relevant.Time and Money |
| learning scuba diving BUT you do need to have | | | | This is probably the 2 most deciding factors of |
| these:1) an intense love for the sea | | | | whether someone continues to enjoy scuba diving |
| 2) a willingness to learn from someone younger than | | | | after passing the Open Water tests. Getting certified |
| you | | | | through a scuba diving course is very fast, just 3 |
| 3) relatively good health and lastly but very | | | | weekends basically. And not too expensive, probably |
| important | | | | about $300 to $400, including an out-of-the country |
| 4) time and moneyNow I'm assuming that you are | | | | dive trip for the open water tests. But unless you live |
| thinking of learning scuba diving because you want to | | | | near a scuba diving area, you are most likely going to |
| make this a sport that you can enjoy every other | | | | have to travel a distance or even out of the country |
| weekend if time and money permits and not just | | | | to do a good dive.Now just think how much each trip |
| learning for education's sake.An Intense Love for the | | | | is going to cost you and multiply that by how many |
| Sea | | | | times you would love to do scuba diving in a year. |
| To enjoy a scuba diving trip, you will have to love | | | | When you do the sums, it can be staggering. So you |
| the sea and I mean really really love it with all its | | | | cut down the number of dives you want to do in a |
| wonderful creatures large and small. You will know | | | | year, and then calculate and cut down some more.In |
| what I mean on your first ever scuba diving trip | | | | our scuba diving class, my husband and I were the |
| after you have cleared your Open Water tests.It is | | | | only ones who continued to dive after the class was |
| unlikely that your scuba diving buddies on your first | | | | over. Even then, we did not manage to do the |
| dive trip will be the same classmates in your scuba | | | | number of dives we would really have loved to do in |
| diving course. Because of time and money | | | | a year. That's how it finally ends up that we are |
| constraints, you will find that you may be the only | | | | doing an average of 1 dive a year. This more or less |
| one keen enough to join a scuba diving trip soon | | | | ensures that we will always be diving as a "scuba |
| after your certification.More often than not, your dive | | | | diving newbie" (hence the blog's name). A scuba diver |
| buddies will be a dive-crazy bunch who will do at least | | | | gets "rusty" when the interval is too long between |
| 4 dives a day plus another at night. This means that | | | | each dive trip. Ideally, we should dive at least once |
| on a scuba diving trip, most times you will not do | | | | each quarter.I have not even gone on to calculate |
| anything but dive, talk about the sea creatures and | | | | the other "investments" to personalise your gear |
| encounters of each dive, before suiting up for the | | | | such as your own BC (buoyancy control), your own |
| next dive. For someone who only wants to do one | | | | octopus (breathing appartus) and your wet |
| dive a day and then go shopping, he/she may be | | | | suit.Having said all this, I still believe it's never too old |
| disappointed as many great scuba diving spots have | | | | to learn and enjoy scuba diving. Even with our limited |
| few of these shopping and entertainment facilities.In | | | | dives since we were certified and diving as scuba |
| case you are already getting stressed just thinking | | | | diving newbies, we enjoy each and every one of our |
| about this, don't be. Every scuba diving newbie goes | | | | dive trips. Find the right people to dive with, find a |
| through this. Just have an attitude of a newbie, be | | | | fantastic dive spot that suits your preferences |
| humble and you will find that the seasoned divers are | | | | (whether macro, to check out small sea creatures, or |
| more than willing to share tips and may even help | | | | see bigger fish) and nearby spa facilities to sooth |
| you to gear up before a dive.A Willingness to Learn | | | | your body aches after a dive - it's a wonderful |
| from Someone Younger than You | | | | combination that will almost always ensure a great |
| Your scuba diving instructor is likely to be someone | | | | scuba diving experience!A scuba diving newbie can still |
| much younger than you. Some dive instructors have | | | | enjoy happy diving! |
| an attitude and are cocky so you may have to live | | | | |