Diving 101

originally published March 30, 2017

This blog focuses on my personal journey as an older woman who is learning to scuba dive. There is no age cap on diving, but older would-be divers may wish to get the okay from their physician first, just to be on the safe side. Certain health conditions like having high blood pressure or heart disease are risk factors in diving, whatever your age, but that’s not to say these preclude you from getting under the surface. There are even some proven health benefits to diving when you’re older. Check out this blog post for more detailed information.

http://www.leisurepro.com/blog/scuba-guides/health-benefits-scuba-diving-seniors/

Scuba diving certifications have many levels, and start at what is called Open Water. Classroom sessions (or online learning, which is more the norm these days) are combined with in-water training. Students progress through a series of skill tests, first in a confined water environment like a swimming pool or a shallow lake, then through a series of open water tests, conducted at deeper depths. Your final test is an actual scuba dive and, ta da! You’re a certified scuba diver.



During your training, you'll learn vital skills like:
Breathing from a regulator (the mouthpiece that provides you with air)
Regulator recovery (how to get it back in your mouth)
Flooding/clearing, removing/replacing your mask 
Managing your air supply (monitoring how much air you're using)
How to handle running out of air
Underwater navigation

There are many others, all of which are designed to make your diving as safe and pleasant as possible. After all, recreational diving is supposed to be fun. Proper training, taking care of your gear, and planning your dive can go a long way to eliminating potential problems. Bad things can happen underwater and when they do, knowing how to handle them can literally be the difference between life or death. Pair up with a local dive shop that you feel comfortable with in order to complete your training in the manner best suited to your needs. 

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