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For many years, I've been snorkelling and diving without scuba up to ~5 meters. Now I am thinking of getting some kind of beginner's diving certificate, for very basic 10-15m scuba dives. What kind of courses, and sertificate, would you recommend ? I got totally confused about the prerequisites: some websites say it is 500 yards swim w/out any equipment (I can't do that), bot others say it is 300 meters swim with snorkel and fins (can do it easily ). Which ones are correct ? Thanks.

For many years, I've been snorkelling and diving without scuba up to ~5 meters. Now I am thinking of getting some kind of beginner's diving certificate, for very basic 10-15m scuba dives. What kind of courses, and sertificate, would you recommend ? I got totally confused about the prerequisites: some websites say it is 500 yards swim w/out any equipment (I can't do that), bot others say it is 300 meters swim with snorkel and fins (can do it easily ). Which ones are correct ? Thanks. First, It helps to know where you are located so that we can recommed a beginning point.  There are many different agencies that offer basic SCUBA (or what they'll refer to as Open Water or OW courses).  Each have their own standards but most are fairly standardized. What you really want to do is find the best instructor, no matter which agency it is. It's the instructor that makes the difference.   Most Open Water courses deal with basic gear preparation, proper wearing of the gear (mask etc.)., how to breathe underwater, how to equalize - meaning how to keep your ears clear of pressure as you descend, and basic buoyancy control' - how to keep at a certain depth underwater and not sink or rise unintendedly. There area some other safety skills you need to learn (how to flood & clear your mask while underwater, how to breath from your buddy's spare regulator while the two of you surface slowly, how to do safe ascents and do the safety stop af 5m.   There are some communication hand signals to learn so you can communicate with your dive buddy as to what you're doing and if there's a problem. By the time your're done, you should be able to dive with a buddy to depths of 60' (20m). I don't recall having to do any pre-qualification swim for an OW class but each instructor and agency may be different. That's why it's important to know where you are to point you in the right direction. Where do you expect to take this course? ____________________________________________ Regards, Arnold

For many years, I've been snorkelling and diving without scuba up to ~5 meters. Now I am thinking of getting some kind of beginner's diving certificate, for very basic 10-15m scuba dives. What kind of courses, and sertificate, would you recommend ? I got totally confused about the prerequisites: some websites say it is 500 yards swim w/out any equipment (I can't do that), bot others say it is 300 meters swim with snorkel and fins (can do it easily ). Which ones are correct ? Thanks. PADI requires you do 200m swim without equipment (8 lengths of average pool) plus 10 minute tread water/float.

For many years, I've been snorkelling and diving without scuba up to ~5 meters. Now I am thinking of getting some kind of beginner's diving certificate, for very basic 10-15m scuba dives. What kind of courses, and sertificate, would you recommend ? I got totally confused about the prerequisites: some websites say it is 500 yards swim w/out any equipment (I can't do that), bot others say it is 300 meters swim with snorkel and fins (can do it easily ). Which ones are correct ? Thanks. Depends on the agency. At least with NAUI or YMCA programs, the swim test isn't timed. Consider why you could not do a 500 yard swim. After all, you could be 500 yards offshore, lose your mask & fins (ok, unlikely...) you'll then have to get back to shore. If you can do that, then you can do the swim test. Dennis

For many years, I've been snorkelling and diving without scuba up to ~5 meters. Now I am thinking of getting some kind of beginner's diving certificate, for very basic 10-15m scuba dives. What kind of courses, and sertificate, would you recommend ? I got totally confused about the prerequisites: some websites say it is 500 yards swim w/out any equipment (I can't do that), bot others say it is 300 meters swim with snorkel and fins (can do it easily ). Which ones are correct ? Thanks. The risks and knowledge requirements for shallow water scuba diving are exactly the same as the risks and knowledge requirements for deeper recreational diving, at least up to about 30 meters. You need the same training and certification for both. There are some basic training requirements share by all certification agencies. There are probably some different requirements depending on the agency you choose for your training and still others imposed by the shop or individual that provides the training.  More us usually better, up to a point. To be honest, I'm a bit concerned about someone that can't swim 500 yards without equipment, that wants to scuba dive. My personal opinion is that comfort in the water is a prerequisite to diving and that being able to swim competently is necessary for what I'd call comfortable. Not everyone agrees. There are several certification agencies around the world. NAUI, PADI and SSI tend to be available all over the world. BSAC, CMAS and YMCA tend to be more popular in some parts of the world.  There are probably others I've forgotten to mention.  Any of them will be recognized pretty much anywhere you'll dive.  The instructor tends to be more important than the agency. Talk to some in your area and get their input on requirements, etc. Lee

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