Interline Adventures....

SCUBA DIVING 101:

A PRIMER ON A SPORT FOR EVERYONE

Just call me Jacques, as in Cousteau. I'm now one with the water. I'm now an underwater god. I'm now a certified scuba diver. I now want to tell anyone who will listen (or read this) that they could and should do the same.

If I can dive, anyone can dive. It's a simple sport to learn and something that can be pursued for life. Just dive right in.

Business and pleasure have often taken me to many lands and seas. But, until recently, I've only enjoyed the land and very little of the sea. Thus, the desire to dive.

DIVING IN

This desire culminated in recently earning my "C-card," the certification card for open water divers. The two largest certifying organizations are the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). A piece of plastic from one of them means you can rent or buy scuba equipment, obtain air for tanks, and participate in other exciting diving activities throughout the world. I'll never leave home without it.

The certification process is interesting and easy. It is divided into three parts, stretched over the mandatory thirty hours: classroom (using a book and visual aids), pool (confined water), and open water instruction. The classroom and pool sessions generally take place at the same time, while the open water dives (at least four of them) serve as the final test. The entire process can be completed over many weeks or packed into a few days at a sunny vacation scuba school.

The basics of scuba diving are surprisingly simple. Divers use specialized modern equipment that adapts to the aquatic environment. Scuba equipment provides a portable air supply that allows divers to spend an extended time underwater (from a few minutes to several hours, depending on factors like depth and breathing efficiency).

The tank is a high-pressure cylinder that stores plain old compressed air--never oxygen--that is released with a valve. This passes through a regulator to deliver a controlled amount of air when you inhale. A gauge lets you monitor the air supply.

The tank and regulator are typically held in place by a buoyancy control device (BCD), an expandable bladder that can be inflated or deflated to control a diver's buoyancy. The mask is the window to the underwater world, creating an air space which allows divers to see. A snorkel is attached to the mask and allows divers to breathe at the surface without having to lift their heads. Fins allow you to move through the water with far less effort and far greater efficiency. A weight belt is also worn to allow you to sink.

The classroom time demystifies much of the stuff that tends to scare people about diving. You learn that diving is far less risky than skiing and that sunburn, and not a shark, is usually the greatest danger facing divers.

By the end of our first class, everyone was ready to hit the pool. The pool time was filled with a bunch of awkward underwater virgins banging into each other. That first time underwater (even at three feet) can be an awkward and claustrophobic feeling.

By our second time in the pool, however, we looked like the Cousteau family exploring the pool for underwater treasure. During the pool sessions, we practiced breathing efficiently, removing and replacing our masks, buddy breathing (using another diver's breathing apparatus), removing and replacing our tanks, and much more.

The only thing you need to jump right in is good health, desire, and a reasonable comfort level with water. The pool sessions even turn out to be fun, as you learn new skills and develop confidence in your ability to have fun while getting all wet.

The open water dives are usually completed at a popular local dive site, where all scuba skills are reviewed and tested. After passing a final written exam, you, too, can become an underwater god.

JUST DO IT

There are three general ways of getting certified. Everything can be completed locally. Another method is to complete the classroom and pool sessions locally and then finish the open water part on a warm-weather vacation. Or you can do everything at a vacation scuba school at some exotic destination.

I must admit to some sticker shock when I purchased the bare necessities for learning to dive. Most instructors recommend that you buy these for the course: booties ($25 to $60); fins ($40 to $125); mask ($40 to $90); snorkel ($15 to $45); and weight belt ($10 to $60). Renting tanks of air usually runs from $5 to $20. The cost of getting certified can range from $150 to $400. These costs, however, compare quite well to other sports like skiing. Diving equipment is now considered quite fashionable, whether you're in the water or on the street.

But, for me, getting certified was far from fashionable. It was a way to enjoy a part of this world that few get to experience. I got my C-card and so should you.

RESOURCES

The top two certifying bodies are PADI and NAUI. Contact PADI at 1251 East Dyer Rd., #100, Santa Ana, CA 92705, 714/540-7234. Contact NAUI at P.O. Box 17067, Long Beach, CA 91763, 714/621-5801. There are dive shops in almost every area of the country, offering full-certification courses or contacts at exotic dive resorts throughout the world.

DIVE DESTINATIONS

We've come up with some of the top dive destinations in the world, where divers are heading underwater in record numbers. These are also great places to get certified.

AUSTRALIA'S GREAT BARRIER REEF--Say "G'day, mate" to the mother lode of scuba diving. The Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 1,200 miles along the Queensland coast of Australia. Along the way, there are more than 1,400 species of fish and an incredible variety of coral formations. The world's longest barrier reef has become known as a haven for sharks. It's the perfect place to see great whites and other toothy fish from the deep.

BAHAMAS--About 700 landmasses over 90,000 square miles of the Caribbean and Atlantic make for plenty of uncrowded dives in the Bahamas. The closeness to Florida, along with many dive operators, mean it truly can be better in the Bahamas. Grand Bahama features the legendary Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) and unique diving with sharks, dolphins, and Theo's Wreck. New Providence, known for busy Nassau, also offers some great diving off the southwest side (the site of many James Bond underwater scenes). The quieter Out Islands also feature fantastic dive sites.

BERMUDA--This popular Atlantic Ocean island destination also has some fine diving (with a British flair). A wide range of historic wrecks, clear conditions, and unusual Atlantic Ocean marine life make Bermuda a surprisingly good place for divers.

BONAIRE--Part of the Dutch ABCs (the other two are Aruba and Curacao, which also offer great diving), Bonaire attracts divers from around the world for the consistently perfect conditions. The marine park surrounds the entire island and offers more than 100 documented dive sites. Bonaire is dedicated to dive tourism and offers one of the best overall diving experiences in the world. There's lots of shore diving, short boat trips, and incredible underwater life.

CAYMAN ISLANDS--The Caymans still reign as a major mecca for divers. From big-time operators to small and quiet places, divers flock to these islands for some of the most-renowned diving in the Caribbean. Grand Cayman is the granddaddy of Caribbean diving. From Stingray City, where friendly stingrays often congregate, to some of the best wall diving in the world, Grand Cayman means grand diving. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are much more subdued on the surface, but every bit as colorful below.

COZUMEL--Si, Cozumel is Mexico's most popular diving destination for good reason. The dive operators are much-improved and have shed their reputation as being non-professional. A dive trip to Cozumel today brings few hassles and lots of Mexican flavor. Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is the Mexican Caribbean for divers, with consistently Caribbean-like conditions. Cozumel features legendary sites, like Palancar, Punta Sur, and the airplane wreck. Most of the trips are drift dives, making a dive like watching a movie as you drift by the reefs and marine life.

FIJI--Fiji may be pretty far afield, but it's worth the trip. Though it's an exotic dive destination, the services and dive operations are typically modern. The main attraction for divers is the soft coral, making for incredibly colorful and lush landscapes. The most popular spot is Beqa Lagoon, on the southern coast of Viti Levu. Even further out-of-the-way islands include Taveuni and Matagi.

FLORIDA KEYS--According to all reports, the Florida Keys are the most-visited dive destination in the world. The Keys offer great diving, excellent operators, and convenience. Famous dive sites include Christ of the Abyss, Dry Tortugas, and The Elbow. Along with protected marine parks at Key Largo and Looe Key, the Keys have been designated as a national marine sanctuary. This should save the reefs for centuries of divers to enjoy, all the way from Key Largo to Key West.

HAWAII--Diving in the Hawaiian Islands is different. Colorful coral and marine life is generally replaced by craggy outcroppings from volcanic eruptions, lava tubes and caverns, and lots of strange underwater formations. Dive operations abound on the Big Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu. Due to the isolated location of the islands, divers often find unusual fish and other marine life.

RED SEA--Moses may have been the first to part the Red Sea, but modern divers are discovering it as well. The unusual marine environment between Arabia and the continent of Africa offers unique diving and underwater life. Still relatively undiscovered, the most popular diving is in the north, around the Gulf of Aqaba (out of the resort city of Eilat). From Egypt, Ras Muhammad's reefs are reached from Sharm El Sheikh.

Some other great diving and cruise ship destinations include: Belize; the British Virgin Islands; parts of the California coast; the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines of Florida; the Galapagos Islands; Honduras; Puerto Rico; the Turks & Caicos; and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

W. Lynn Seldon Jr. is a full-time freelance travel writer and photographer based in Miami Beach. He specializes in adventure travel and the Caribbean. His work has appeared in many national magazines.