Girlfriends...

SCUBA DIVING 101:

A PRIMER ON A SPORT FOR EVERYONE

Just call her Jackie, as in Cousteau. She's an underwater goddess. She's one with the water. She's a certified scuba diver. Jackie wants to tell anyone who will listen (or read this) that they could and should do the same. She's just one of a fast-growing number of lesbian scuba divers.

"More and more lesbians are getting into diving and for a good reason," says Chris Winkle, founder of San Diego-based Undersea Expeditions, a premier gay scuba travel specialist. "Scuba diving is a wonderful sport for the lesbian adventurer." Though no industry figures are available, Chris has seen extraordinary growth in the number of lesbians on their trips as well as those getting certified to dive.

DIVING IN

Jackie is just like any other lesbian. She knows that if she can dive, anyone can dive. It's a simple sport to learn and something that can be pursued for life. Just dive right in.

You enter the world of scuba diving by earning your "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. You'll never leave home without it.

The certification process is interesting and easy. It is divided into three parts, stretched over approximately 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 is ready to hit the pool. The pool time is typically 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 the second time in the pool, however, everyone looks like the Cousteau family exploring the pool for underwater treasure.

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 goddess. Then you need to call Undersea Expeditions.

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.

Undersea Expeditions specializes in all-gay/lesbian scuba diving trips. Owner Chris Winkle says, "I work with a network of gay and lesbian instructors, gay-owned dive shops, and gay-friendly operations worldwide." Some of the upcoming possibilities include: Tahiti; a Belize live-aboard dive boat; Papua New Guinea; Palau; a Club Med in Mexico; a Truk Lagoon live-aboard; and many other adventures near and far. Non-diving companions are welcome. Contact Undersea Adventures at P.O. Box 9455, Pacific Beach, CA 92169, 800/669-0310, UnderseaX@aol.com.