My work schedule is hectic and unpredictable - how can I arrange for scuba training?
As a private instructor, I have the flexibility to arrange training sessions to suit your schedule, including weekends and evenings. Typically, training dates and times are agreed upon about a week in advance.
How long does the home study portion of the course take?
In total, expect to spend 8-12 hours on home study, which includes watching a training video or DVD and reading a 5-chapter text.
Where will my training be conducted?
I have several pools at my access, in Ft Lauderdale and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Or we can do it in your own backyard, as long as your pool has an area too deep to stand up in. Academics are reviewed poolside, and prior to boat dives we'll do two dives off the beach just north of the Commercial Blvd Pier.
Is the equipment heavy? How strong do I have to be?
While tanks weigh about 40 lbs on land, they weigh nothing in the water -- which is where we spend most of our time. I've found the average 12-year-old can easily handle the gear used in diving. If you're in average shape, you shouldn't have any problems handling the gear.
Are there any medical conditions that might prevent me from diving?
Yes -- any type of heart or lung disease, epilepsy or uncontrolled hypertension are considered absolute counter-indications to diving. Also, if you're taking medication that controls heart rate or adversely effects blood pressure, you may not be able to dive. You also cannot dive if you're pregnant, or if you've had ear injuries that now prevent you from equalizing your middle ears.
My ears hurt when I swim to the bottom of my pool, which is just 6 feet deep. How can I dive deeper, in the ocean?
When you're diving on scuba (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), you're breathing compressed air that's being delivered at "ambient" pressure -- that meaning, the air you're breathing is always at the same pressure as the water all around. This allows you to maintain equal pressure inside and outside your ears. When you equalize your ears properly, there is no discomfort diving to depth.
If I don't have a friend to do my scuba training with, who will I go diving with once I'm certified?
There's no shortage of certified divers in south Florida -- or anyplace else in the world where there are reefs and wrecks! When you go on a charter dive boat, there are always others with whom to buddy-up.
What kind of diving is available in south Florida?
Scores of reefs and wrecks, ranging in depth from 15' to over 200'. And most are in water shallower than 70', making them accessible to even the newest divers.
Isn't it awfully dark "down there?" How deep does sunlight penetrate?
Dark though looks from the surface, it's surprisingly bright and colorful on the reefs. Even on the deeper wrecks, sunlight penetrates all the way to the bottom, making it easy to see everything all around.
What about sharks?
They are beautiful animals that have been terribly demonized by Hollywood and the press. Most divers consider themselves extremely lucky to encounter one of these elusive creatures. You are more likely to be struck by lightening that bitten by a shark; more likely to be killed by an elephant than killed by a shark; more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a shark!
