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How to choose a scuba diving school that suits your needs?

Scuba diving is an incredibly enjoyable and safe sport to participate in and one that can be enjoyed no matter where you are in the world. The worlds dive sites offer a myriad of opportunities for underwater exploration with colorful reefs, ship wrecks and fascinating marine life to be enjoyed.

Learning to dive is relatively easy and with PADI (Professional Association of Dive instructors) you can achieve your Open Water Diver qualification in as little as three days. The world over you will find Scuba Diving Schools that all teach the same basic principals but in real terms are as varied as the dive sites you can enjoy.

It is important to pick a dive school that suits your needs and one that will guide you on a safe and enjoyable journey to the underwater world.

When it comes to choosing who to learn to dive with, safety should always be your first consideration. We highly recommend visiting several dive schools before you make your choice and see how you feel around the staff and instructors. Any reputable dive school will be more than happy to talk you through the course and show you their equipment before you book up and it is very wise to have a good look around before you make your choice. Always ask to look at the schools hire equipment, you may not understand how it all works on your first trip to a dive shop or school but you will immediately be able to tell if its in good condition, knowing how well a dive shop looks after its equipment will give you an excellent insight into how well you will be looked after. Don’t be fooled however by sun faded gear, this is quite normal as the sun, sand and sea has a bleaching effect on even the most up to date and high quality dive equipment.

Another important consideration is group size, especially if you are learning to dive in an area with limited visibility. If you are in a large group of students with only a couple of meters of visibility it is going to be very hard for your instructor to keep an eye on you. Quite a lot of dive schools these days understand the importance of a small group, which may make less economical sense for the school but in terms of safety and quality instruction, is a very important consideration. A group of four is an ideal number as this will give you far more one on one instruction and the opportunity to spend more time practicing in confined water and you will also spend a lot less time hanging around while you are waiting for other students to master their skills.

Find out how large the group you are going to be in will be before you book up and make sure you feel comfortable with your instructor. Every dive site is different and offers different diving conditions. Find out how long your instructor has been teaching in the location you will be learning in so you can be sure of getting the very best care and enjoyment possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions both before, during and after your course. Every instructor remembers the first day they entered the fascinating underwater world and should be more than happy to give you the time you need to feel comfortable in this wonderful aquatic world, if they don’t then you need to choose a different place to make your first steps into the deep, before going on to enjoy a lifetime of underwater exploration.