Category Archives: Scuba Diving

Lucky enough to be spending 3 weeks in Thailand over the summer it was the perfect place to complete my learning to scuba dive challenge.  The island of Koh Tao is a renowned diving place and revolves around divers and diving.  The place itself is beautiful and not unlike the set of lost:

To get the PADI Open Water Diver qualification individuals are required to do confined water dives followed by 4 open water dives.  Confined water usually means a swimming pool but we (my better half and I- the only two people doing the course ) got lucky and did the confined bit in the sea near to the shore.

My general fear of being in the water soon became apparent and never having been in water so deep or kitted out with fins and mask I was a little freaked out to say the least. Swimming around the boat and treading water (the test before starting the course) didn’t present any problems but I was definitely unnerved when I had to don the fins and mask.  The snorkel wasn’t for going in and I drank more than my fair share of sea water!  Once I’d got over this bit and into the scuba gear I started to relax a bit.  The instructor I had, Zac from Simple Life Divers, was outstanding and he took the two of us calmly through the basics.  By the end of the first morning (I got up at 6am on holiday to do this!) I was feeling much more confident in the water and actually starting to enjoy it.

The next day we did our first open water dives.  This was in the afternoon so plenty of time in the morning to worry unnecessarily about what was coming up.  In the end all of the things we had practised in shallow water the day before made sense and we got through the afternoon without any issues.  By the third day I was actually looking forward to dives 3 and 4.  By the last dive I felt I’d got a handle on what I was doing and could control my level in the water with much more ease.  I’m still fascinated by how much difference it can make taking a big breath in or giving a big breath out!

After the 4th dive we had completed the course and were issued with our temporary (until the official ones arrive through the post complete with mug shots) Open Water Diver Cards:

By the end of the 3rd day of diving I was ready for a rest but I think I might have contracted the diving bug.  I’m well up for doing the Advanced Open Water course at some point in the future.  Don’t think I’ll be lucky enough to do it in Thailand again though…

This video isn’t of me diving but it does give a good insight to the other world that exists under the water at Koh Tao:

Image via Wikipedia

“Congratulations! You have successfully completed the online portion of the PADI Open Water Diver Course (RDP and Dive Computers) course. What did you think of your PADI eLearning experience? Now you’re ready to learn and master dive skills from a highly-trained PADI Instructor during confined and open water dives. The skills you learn during these dives will prepare you to explore a whole new world! Contact Simple Life Divers to schedule your in-water training today. Their professional staff can also assist you with choosing your own mask, snorkel and fins, as well as any other equipment needed for the course. What you need to bring with you when you visit Simple Life Divers:
1. A printed copy of your eLearning record
2. A Medical Form

Don’t forget to take this brief survey to help continually improve PADI eLearning.
Once again, congratulations on a job well done. The staff at Simple Life Divers is looking forward to meeting you soon.

Best Regards,
The PADI Training Department”

Now that bit is out of the way I just need to get myself in the water

Overall the E-learning theory side of the Open Water Diver course has been much tougher and more comprehensive than I was expecting.  I will still need to go over some of the details before I dive but I feel like I’ve had a really good introduction.

I spent most of today working through the PADI E-learning course as part of my Scuba Diving Challenge.  It was much more hard going than I was expecting it to be and my brain was properly fried by the end of the day!  On the plus side I know now a heck of a lot more about Scuba Diving than I did yesterday. I’d rather be doing the theory side at home rather than being stuck in a classroom when I get to Thailand.  Like lots of the adventure sports that I’ve done the advice as always seems to be trust the equipment, relax and enjoy yourself.  Good advice but always easier said than done!  I’m definitely not a water baby and though this challenge might seem leisurely compared to some of the physical challenges it will certainly push me to my current limits and beyond.

If you’ve been diving before and have some advice for me I’d love to hear it.

I’ve been fortunate enough to do many sports and outdoor pursuits but one thing I’ve never done is learn how to scuba dive. I’m definitely more of a land creature than a water baby (which is why I’m also going to attempt a triathlon as part of challenges 30) so this should prove a good challenge for me. It also looks like really good fun: