How to SCUBA Dive Certify get Certification

Member

By Wasatch
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(17 Ratings)

Island Travel

To scuba dive or rent dive equipment you will need to be certified. It is not hard to do.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Nearly every dive shop, dive trip or dive equipment rental place will require a dive certification certificate in order to dive, rent equipment, or fill air tanks. Any major city will have dive training available, even a thousand miles from the ocean.
Step 2

Basic equipment to train costs about $150 but can also be rented. When you buy your own buy the best quality you can and it will last a long time and be safest. The course typically costs between $300 to $600. Some more expensive courses include dive vacations so ask what is included when comparing.
Step 3

Scuba diving certification is similar to getting a driving license. The courses are all teaching the same standards and methods. It is a course on safety and techniques. The first portion is academic. You read the text book material about the effects on the body and what to do in different situations. The book portion can be studied on line in many cases.
Step 4

Boat Dive Tour

Next is swimming pool instruction with a licensed instructor. This can also take place on a special dive trip course. You will need 4 dives to be certified. You can do everything from start to finish in as little as several days or over weeks. Once you are certified it is a lifetime dive certification. It will not expire. It is a good idea to go once a year to keep your skills up.
Step 5

Deep water dive

Kids can certify with parents. Generally they must be 10 years old and accompanied by a parent to certify and to go on dive trips. After 15 they can dive without a parent or guardian present.
Step 6

Reef Diving

When you are certified as a recreational diver you can dive up to 130 feet deep, although you should not go beyond 60 feet without getting some needed dive experience first. There are other types of certification you can obtain for deep water diving and to become a dive instructor.
Step 7

Get certified. It will open a lifetime of fun vacation opportunities. I live in a desert and even here there are areas you can dive into a warm water crater or artificial reef. I have friends who dive into their favorite fishing spots to see what the place looks like from under the water. Enjoy.