10 Tips for Beginner Scuba Divers
1. Get used to being in the water
You might be excited to learn to dive but if you aren’t 100% comfortable in the water you can land in trouble quickly.
During a PADI Discover Scuba Diving or PADI Scuba Diver Course you will have to tread water for 10 minutes and swim 200 metres. Your dive instructors will assess your ease and comfort in thedive cGili dive water during these tests.
If you’re not sure how comfortable you are in the water, head to your local pool and get used to spending some time in the water.
2. Choose the right dive centre to do your training
You may assume all dive centres are the same but this couldn’t be further from the truth. You should be looking for a reputable dive centre with plenty of testimonials and high-standard certifications. You should also be looking for a centre where the dive sites, currents and weather conditions are suitable for new divers.
Gangga Divers at Villa Almarik is fantastic for beginner divers thanks to their professional service and location on Gili Trawangan. There are tons of easier dive sites around the island that are ideal for your first dives.
3. Do a test run in a pool
If you’ve never tried out diving at all and want to take a PADI Scuba Diver Course you will get to try out all your gear and techniques in the pool.
Villa Almarik has a pool deep enough for dive practice and this is where your very first scuba experience will take place.
If you aren’t 100% sure diving is for you, you can also get in touch with a dive centre closer to home and see if they do test session in a pool. There are opportunities like this all over the world, not just in tropical climates.
4. Ask lots of questions
Before you start your course start asking questions. Gangga Divers will answer any questions you have even before you have a course booked.
Once you’re on Gili Trawangan and are doing your PADI dive training you should ask as many questions as you can. A 3 or 4 day course can go very quickly and you want to make sure you are confident every step of the way.
No question is silly when it comes to diving, so make sure to raise your hand and ask anything you need to.
5. Study the material
Scuba diving is great fun but it’s also very serious. While you are training you are going to need to pay attention and complete all the course work and theory that is part of the course.
PADI Dive Courses offer the option of completing your coursework online with PADI e-learning. This is included in the price of your course and can ensure you have more diving time and less time in the classroom. It can also make you more confident with diving before you even get in the water.
6. Stay hydrated
Speaking of water, it’s important that you stay hydrated while you are diving. Our bodies actually lose a lot of water while we are diving so drinking extra water should be high on your list of priorities.
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, lack of concentration, and muscle cramps.
7. Don’t drink too much alcohol
You also have to be careful not to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. Gili Trawangan has a reputation as a party island but apart from being very unpleasant to have a hangover on a boat, alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration, sickness, lack of concentration, and can also make you more susceptible to decompression sickness.
8. Relax & breathe
Relaxation and rhythmic breathing is key to scuba diving. The more relaxed you are and the longer and deeper your breaths are, the more at ease you will be underwater.
Learning some simple breathing and meditation techniques can be really useful before you learn to dive. The more even your breaths are the easier it is to stay calm and focused.
9. Follow your instructor’s instructions
This is very important and as much so for long-time divers as beginners. Your dive instructor or guide is there to support you and keep you safe. During your training and even afterwards you should always be listening and watching for instructions or warnings.
10. Don’t fly for 24 hours after you dive
After diving you need to rest for at least 24 hours before flying. The air pressure in an aircraft increases as it ascends and increases your risk of decompression sickness if you have been diving.
Divers who have been diving multiple times over a period of a few days, for example when they are on a dive course, should wait between 1 and 3 days before flying. The more dives you’ve been on, the higher your risk of decompression sickness is if you fly too soon.
Gangga Divers are ready to start you on your dive journey!
There are lots more things to learn about diving but these 10 things should get you ready to figure out if diving is for you. If you have any more specific questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment in the box below. We’d love to get you closer to your diving dreams!
11 Comments
Good day, I wish to know how much you train divers. I have the dream of becoming a diver. I will like to also know your based country.
Hi Forkus, please check our diving page http://www.almarik-lombok.com/diving where you can see all information related with our dive courses.
If you have more questions, please send an email to info@almarik-lombok.com
Hey there! Yeah, I am also a beginner scuba diver and thanks to you for sharing tips with us. Your post is really amazing and informative. The tips you have shared will help me a lot. Thanks again and keep sharing such kind of posts of diving.
My children want to go scuba diving. I like how you mention taking a PADI scuba diver course and doing a test run in a pool to get to know the gear and techniques of scuba diving. Thank you for the advice. I’ll have my children take the PADI scuba diver course before we go scuba diving.
I loved your tips about scuba diving for beginners, especially the part about getting used to being in the water. My husband and I are planning to take scuba dive lessons on our next vacation trip, and we are looking for information. I will make sure to follow your advice to make my first experience worth it.
I liked that you mentioned you need to feel 100% comfortable in the water before you learn to dive. My husband and I are thinking about learning to dive, and we are looking for advice. I will make sure to be comfortable in the water before learning to dive.
Scuba is a very strenuous sport. Scuba fatalities from heart or circulatory problems account for about a quarter of all scuba diving deaths. Although you do not need to be a world class athlete, You should be healthy enough to take on the physical stresses associated to scuba diving. If you are in doubt of your physical capabilities, it would be wise to undertake a physical exam before a dive.
These are some great tips for the beginner scuba diver. I’m heading off on a scuba diving trip to Koh Tao Thailand later this year. Although I’ve dived many times before I always find it useful to read articles like this to refresh my memory on the basics!
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I’m going to San Diego with my friends this March, and I want to be ready for the trip since we are adding scuba diving to our list of things to do while we are in the area for a month. It’s good that you highlighted the importance of choosing the right dive center for our lessons by making sure they have good testimonials and high-standard certifications to guarantee their services. I’ll take note of this while I look for where I can get scuba diving lessons with my friends in San Diego soon.