So… you’ve decided that you want to try diving for the 1st time… you have all these questions & on top of that your not even sure how to go about booking that 1st dive experience… i’m sure you’ve heard that you need a license to dive & that there is a whole mountain of book-work involved… well here at Superior Dive Sosua we want to explain to you that there is two very easy ways to dive right into that 1st underwater experience & these two options are very accessible…
Superior Dive is an authorized PADI Dive Resort (#26566) that specializes in private PADI Scuba Diver Training Courses which we feel help create better… safer & more confident divers… you as a 1st time diver have the opportunity to sign up for the PADI e-learning program… there is a link on our website www.superiordivesosua.com … this is the first step in becoming a certified diver & your theory portion of the course should be done before you even come on vacation… an hour here and an hour there… take your time & get to understand the concept of scuba diving… study small video clips & answer questions on the different topics ranging from equipment to environment… we’d then ask you to set aside 3 days of your vacation to complete the in water practice combining 5 swimming pool / confined water training sessions & four open water dives… after this you’ll be a brand new PADI Open Water Diver certified to a maximum depth of 18m / 60ft…
For those of you that aren’t quite ready to fully take the plunge then we have the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience… what we ask is that you set aside a day of your vacation come down to our dive center & let us get you fitted for equipment… we then start with a short theory lesson explaining the basics of scuba diving… after that we head to the pool where we will get you swimming around on the surface then take you down for those first few breathes underwater & practice a few basic skills… after you are comfortable we go back to the dive base to do a quick quiz & our dive briefing before heading out for a nice… easy… pretty ocean dive… starting in around 12ft / 3m & normally not going any deeper than 30ft / 10m you get to experience the beauty of the underwater world for the 1st time… you will be surrounded by hundreds of tropical fish & beautiful corals… this is not a certification course rather an introductory into scuba diving…
At Superior Dive Sosua we are here to answer any questions you might have so don’t hesitate to call us… phone / whatsapp (+1 849 284 9494) or send us an email to [email protected] … There is a divers medical questionnaire to be completed for all courses… if you have any queries about your health for diving then we suggest you ask us to email you the required medical & get checked over by your doctor before booking with us…
Whether you book with us or use this as a guide of how to get started with scuba diving then here are our top 5 tips for brand new divers…
- Spend a little time looking for an established & reputable dive center… speak with them or even better speak to the person that will be training you… get a feel for them… true professionals are confident… knowledgeable & ready to answer your questions… you should book with the person / dive center that you have the best rapport with… all dive professionals should have an instructor number that you can look up with their relevant training organisation… for example you can search on padi.com to see if the professional that will be teaching you is in an active teaching status… all responsible instructors should be happy for you to do your research on them…
- Don’t penny pinch… a few dollars cheaper shouldn’t be the reason you book with someone… cheaper in scuba diving terms is definitely not better… there are a lot of people out there that do my job… some of the stories I hear are sketchy to say the least… look at the dive center’s trip advisor & google reviews… people say good things about good dive centers for good reasons…
- If you have chance take a look at the dive shops rental equipment… it should be good quality… if possible get the dive center staff to show you their equipment locker & the type of equipment you shall be using… if the equipment looks like it was made before Jack Cousteau was born then it probably was… all good dive centers will keep their equipment organized.. clean & up to date… if you can’t visit the dive center before booking then ask for a description of their equipment or recent photos…
- A diver’s medical questionnaire is required for all Scuba Diving courses… ask the dive center to send you this form prior to your booking / arrival… if you can answer ‘Yes’ to any of the medical questions then book an appointment with your doctor to get a professional opinion to see whether your considered fit for scuba diving… also ask your dive center if 1st aid & medical equipment is taken on each departure… all top notch dive centers will have emergency oxygen & first aid aboard it’s boats not just in the dive base… it can mean the difference between saving a divers life & not… an absolute must for all reputable dive centers…
- Lastly & importantly don’t just book a scuba diving course because it’s on your bucket list or your wife wants you to dive because she does… go scuba diving because you want to… you don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer to be a good diver but confidence in the water will help a lot… if you know you want to dive but are not confident in the water then take it upon yourself to rectify this before coming to learn to dive… the more comfortable you become in the water then the easier it will be to take those first first few breathes underwater using Scuba equipment…
Thank you for taking your time to read our blog & should you have any questions then don’t hesitate to contact us… Superior Dive Sosua is an authorized PADI Dive Resort based in the beach town of Sosua / Dominican Republic (https://goo.gl/maps/Wt58wZNe5842)… we are just a short drive from the kite surfing capital of the Caribbean, Cabarete… we offer a truly unique & personalized dive experience… please visit www.superiordivesosua.com or email [email protected] with any questions… have a look at our reviews on trip advisor & google people say nice things about us for a good reason… we are a family run business & there is nothing more important to us than our divers safety & enjoyment…
If she honestly thinks that obtaining a scuba diving certificate is so hard than she really should not be homeschooling anyone. I have an advanced scuba diver certificate, which means I have taken three different tests, regular (which is what she has), intermediate, and advanced, and hard is not how I would describe it. The hardest thing I remember having to do is staying at 100 feet for several minutes, but that has nothing to do with the course work. Clifton guest
Hi Clifton… thanks for taking your time to read our blog well at least we think you read it… not sure where you got the part about she thinking obtaining a scuba certification is hard or the part about homeschooling anyone… we are not even sure who she is… also not sure how you did three different tests to obtain an advanced certification with any agency… we were just simply trying to write an entertaining & informative blog including two ways of being able to experience the underwater world for the 1st time in a safe & enjoyable manner (i.e. the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience or the PADI Open Water Course) we were also just trying to give our own 5 Tips for brand new divers & the things that they should consider / look out for before booking with a dive center… anyway Clifton… enjoy your next diving adventures… if you would ever like to broaden your diver knowledge then contact us at Superior Dive Sosua… dive safe… by the way as a closing point none of the scuba diver training agencies that I instruct for make a course hard (by the way we didn’t say it was) they are designed to help teach people to dive safely & prudently…
Kind Regards,
Luke
I wanted to thank you for these scuba diving tips. I’m glad that you mentioned you should try to ask if the dive center has medical equipment and if ti’s taken on each departure. I’m kind of interested to learn if you should also see what condition the medical equipment is in to determine how reliable it will be.
Taylor, thanks for reading our blog post & we are glad you found it useful. All reputable dive centers should send oxygen & first aid on each departure. The oxygen kits are normally clearly marked & transported in a green dry box. As a dive center owner I would not have any hesitation if someone asked to see our medical equipment. Keep diving & dive safely. Please give us a like on Facebook (Superior Dive Sosua) & follow us on Instagram (@superiordive). If your thinking about coming to dive on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic then don’t hesitate to contact us.
Many Thanks,
Luke
its fantastic as your other posts : D, appreciate it for posting.
Noah, thank you so much for your kind words & than you for taking your time to read our blog posts… if your ever in the Sosua or Cabarete area then let us know we’d love to show you our underwater world…
Many Thanks,
Luke
Noah… we appreciate you reading it never mind about us posting it… thank you… we’ve now set up a YouTube channel – Superior Dive Sosua & please check us out on Facebook & Instagram… more blogs are in the making…
Many Thanks,
Luke
I enjoy what you guys are up too. This sort of clever work and coverage! Keep up the amazing works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll.
Eli… we appreciate the kind words & the support for what we are doing…
Your advice to spend the time finding the right center to find a professional instructor that can answer your questions and provide the right scuba diving training would be useful. When choosing one, it might be a good idea to research them online in order to read reviews and check the websites of local options. This could help you learn about their scuba diving services and provide their contact information so you can call to ask questions or set up an appointment.
Hey Tiffany, thanks for your feedback & thanks for reading our blog… checking websites & reviews is of course a great way to gather info on dive centers… we always point people towards our Google Business & Trip Advisor Reviews… after all people say nice things about us for a good reason…
Many Thanks,
Luke
I love what you suggested about asking a diving center to send you a medical questionnaire before learning how to scuba dive. When it comes to something as extreme as scuba diving, it’s important to work with a certification service that can give you the education you require. My friends and I want to get scuba certified, so we’ll make sure to contact a business that offers an affordable certification course.
Sam… do some research & go from there… if you’re interested in learning to dive in the Dominican Republic then look us up…
Thanks for reading our blog…
Luke
I hope that you won’t stop writing such interesting articles. I’m waiting for more of your content. It’s so good that i’m going follow you!