Before you can strap on a tank and jump into the ocean, you need a certification card, commonly referred to as a C-card. SCUBA certification courses provide aspiring divers with all the necessary knowledge, safety information and skills training they need to start diving. You can take SCUBA certification courses over a period of several weeks at a local dive shop, or complete classroom training at home in preparation for final confined and open water sessions at a vacation destination.
Certifying Organizations
Several SCUBA associations grant certification cards. Most local dive shops have instructors trained by these organizations. The dive shop instructor's training will dictate which organization's certification card you will earn. Some of the most popular certifying associations include PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), YMCA and Scuba Schools International (SSI).
Prerequisites
Before you can qualify to begin your SCUBA certification training, you need to meet certain requirements. You must be at least 10 years old to earn SCUBA certification. You must also prove with a physical or medical questionnaire that you have no medical conditions, such as asthma, that might put you in danger while diving. Once you enter a certification program, your instructor will ask you to complete certain tasks to test your basic swimming skills and level of comfort in the water. These tasks will include swimming a certain distance, probably at least 200 meters, and treading water for a certain amount of time.
Classroom Training
Before you begin your confined water or swimming pool dive training, you will need to learn certain basic information about diving. All SCUBA certification courses include some kind of classroom or online training to teach students the basic principles of diving, diving safety and diving gear. Your instructor will probably warn you about the risks involved in diving, and will describe in detail how best to avoid any accidents or injury. You will learn about how pressure affects the body and how to safely decompress after long dives.
Confined Water Training
The confined water training portion of SCUBA certification classes allows students to learn and practice certain basic diving skills in a controlled and safe environment. These sessions typically take place in a shallow swimming pool. You will learn important safety skills such as "buddy breathing" and breathing through the safety second regulator. You will learn how to control your buoyancy and how to make a controlled, safe ascent to the surface. You will also have to practice recovering and clearing your regulator if it gets knocked out of your mouth, as well as clearing a flooded mask.
Open Water Dives
SCUBA certification classes finish with open water dives in a lake, a spring or the ocean. Instructors closely supervise these dives and ask students to perform certain tasks to prove they have mastered the skills covered in the classroom and confined water training sessions. You will probably be asked to demonstrate buddy breathing, controlled ascents, successful clearing of a flooded mask and other safety skills.
Gear
If you plan to dive only infrequently, you can rent most of your SCUBA gear. Most divers do not own their own tanks, but simply rent from dive shops for each dive. You can also rent a Buoyancy Compensator vest, regulator, weight belt, dive computer and wetsuit from the dive shop. You'll probably want to buy your own mask, however, so that you can be sure you'll have a well-fitting, comfortable mask to dive with. A snorkel and a good, well-fitting pair of fins also make good investments.
Advanced Certifications
Once you've earned your basic open water certification, you can take additional courses to earn more advanced certifications. You can earn certification to become a cave diver, advanced diver, master diver, rescue diver or dive instructor.
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