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FAQs
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN BECOMING A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER? There are three parts to scuba certification… the academic part (with written exam), which you can do with a textbook or the on-line course, the pool sessions where you’ll learn the necessary skills with the gear and do a simple swim test…and your certification dive trip to open water, which could be in a lake, a quarry, a spring, or the ocean. You’ll make four dives, two dives Saturday, two on Sunday…
WHAT ARE THE AGE LIMITS? There is a special scuba course for kids ages 10 and 11 that teaches them to dive with a parent to forty feet of calm, clear, water. From 12 to 15 is the junior diver program which is the same program as the adults…when they turn 16, they get a new dive card with a new photo. There is no upper age limit…Jacques Cousteau was diving into his eighties, and Planet Ocean has several certified divers in their seventies.
AM I IN GOOD ENOUGH SHAPE ? Anyone in reasonably good health can become a diver. Part of the paperwork required is to fill out a student record with medical history and liability release, and there are only a few things that can rule you out from becoming a diver. Most of the time a medical exam is not required, but it could be. You can download the medical history form.
IS IT DIFFICULT TO DO? Not really. Scuba diving is kind of like learning to drive a car…just some fundamentals with the equipment that you learn at your pace, and practice until you’re comfortable. The thing is that there are plenty of great dives that take just about as much energy as a stroll through the park. Some of the most fun and interesting dives you can do can be in ten feet of water. Think of recreational scuba diving as just an underwater nature hike…
ARE ALL SCUBA CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS THE SAME? No. The basic skills and information are similar…but training philosophies and methods can be very different. The Planet Ocean program has been refined since 1972, and there are techniques and tips that are not found elsewhere. And, the training needs of the individual are evaluated to determine the amount of time necessary for that new diver to become safe and comfortable in the water. In addition, as a member of Scuba Schools International, courses can be taught to a higher standard than the minimum requirements.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN? The class/pool course could take a few days, weeks, or in some cases, even months. Everybody doesn’t learn to play other sports at the same pace, and scuba is no different. Comfort levels in water vary with the person, and in about ten minutes on scuba in the shallow end of our pool, we’ll know what yours is and how much time you’ll need to learn safely. Many will move through the scuba skills quickly…we explain and demo a skill, and they do it right the first time. Others, maybe not…that’s why we offer unlimited group pool time. For example, if someone can’t breathe with their mask off in the deep end comfortably after the minimum of three pool lessons, or they’re going to the surface like a missile, we won’t fail them…but we certainly won’t take them diving yet either. At Planet Ocean, after more than 36 years of teaching scuba, we know that one of the keys to being safe and having fun scuba diving is being really comfortable with all the skills in the pool before going to open water. The scuba experience is just WAY too much fun and rewarding to miss it because you didn’t learn it right in the beginning. When you go on your certification dives, it should be easy and a lot of fun. When you’re sixty feet under water, you want to know, that you know, all you need to know…
HOW DO I GET STARTED? The first step is to complete either the home study course or the online course before your pool classes begin. That way, whatever the instructor says makes sense to you. The pool classes are partly a knowledge review …your instructor will ask hypothetical questions to the group, not necessarily expecting an answer. Then, the instructor will answer the question and tell the group how it relates to the skill they are going to learn underwater with the gear. For example, a question might be…”we’re going to work on buoyancy control, which is important when you’re making your safety stop…what’s a safety stop, where do you make it, how long is it, and why do you do it?” The academic reviews in the pool are why the final exam is taken after you’ve finished the pool sessions.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED TO TAKE THE COURSE? The second step is to decide how much of your own gear you are going to buy to take the course. The best way is to learn on all your own gear if you can. You’ll become completely familiar with every component of your equipment, and you’ll get the academic and pool course for free. If you can’t get it all, then if you buy at least your own personal snorkel gear at Planet Ocean, your course fee will be less.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Learning materials $95 including on-line course, log book, dive tables and certification card fee Personal snorkeling gear: $350 or more (mask, snorkel, fins, dive boots, light wetsuit, gear bag) Instruction and use of scuba gear: $150 That’s a total of $595 + tax
Once you’ve completed the pool classes, passed the swim test and the final exam, you’re ready for your open water certification dive trip. Starting at $225, these trips are sold separately, and vary in price depending on the destination and the length of the trip. Planet Ocean instructors conduct weekend dive trips every month, and referrals are also available with affiliate instructors throughout Florida and the Caribbean.
If you have other questions, please call Jerry Holland at 706.325.DIVE (3483) |