I had no idea how exciting, fun, and safe scuba diving is until I went to work in the Gulf of mexico as a professional Commercial Diver Apprentice. Some of my fellow divers and I made an excursion to Cozumel and I was Hooked on Scuba! That was thirty years ago and the thrill is still there.To be able to interact, view and learn more about our aquatic environment is genuinely spectacular and rewarding!
Unlike other activities, diving does NOT require Olympic athlete physical ability. Diving can be enjoyed if: one can swim; has good common sense and self-confidence; has reasonable health; and has a desire to observe the splendor of the aquatic realm.
Where to learn to dive-
Private classes--just
for you, your group, employees, association and/or organization--are
arranged in:
Questions about private classes, teaching availability, dive travel accompaniment, fees and costs, a diving question or your comments--kudos or criticism--E-Mail me for a fast response.
If you're not into Scuba, but you have a friend who is,
then Check This Out
Check Course Descriptions for general scuba instruction course information.
Check Advanced Certifications for the Advanced recreational scuba courses I teach.
As a SSI©"Advanced Open Water Instructor , An I.D.E.A.© Master Instructor", and a Platinum Diver with thirty years experience, I have completed significantly more Commercial and Scuba "education" courses than an average diver and this fact places me in a unique position from which to voice my opinions-- I see both sides of the coin.
|
I've answered some of the most common Scuba student questions in the
Q and A Page. There are several misconceptions about the world's oceans.
Some people fear the oceans because of such things as the movie 'JAWS',
but there are actually few things fierce as our imaginations. |
In the early 1960s, diver training organizations assumed one could learn from classroom and pool training alone - all the knowledge and skills he'd need to dive safely, and open-water training was considered unnecessary. As the decade progressed, though, these organizations found that a good way to confirm a student's ability was by giving him an opportunity to apply what he'd learned in a real-world setting. A single open-water "check-out" dive -usually a review of a few basic skills - became a requirement for certification. Today, organizations require that every student complete at least four open-water training dives before certification is granted while everyone understands the need for open-water training, not everyone understands its purpose. You might assume that open-water training is given to teach new skills, but you'll be asked to do very little in open-water that you haven't already done many times in the pool. Most likely the only new skills you'll learn on your training dives are how to descend to a point deeper than the pool bottom and perhaps how to navigate with a compass.
Scuba Instructors must be affiliated with one of the many certification agencies in the United States. All have excellent safety records and their basic certification courses are similar. Look for a patient teacher of diving. For lists of nearby dive centers or instructors,
check Arkansas Shops or your Yellow Pages under 'Diving'. Unlimited Sunshine & Blue Water, Scubabuf What We Could Do Better Go to Home Page |