Learning to Dive – On Line or In The Northern Virginia Dive Center?

Once you make the decision to learn to scuba dive then you have to decide where to take these lessons?  There are a lot of reputable Dive Centers in Northern, Virginia, where my Dive Center is located.   How do you find them and once you find them how do you decide which to patronize?  Last week we discussed selecting your Dive Center now we will add to that selecting the type of course to take: On Line Training vs In The Classroom Scuba Training.

SELECTING THE DIVE CENTER:
Your On Line Search: Just as we discussed last week we need to start by selecting which Dive Center to associate with.  I live in Alexandria, Virginia so I would start by doing an on line search for any of the following: Dive Center, Alexandria, VA, Dive Lessons Alexandria, Virginia, Dive Classes Alexandria, Virginia, Dive Shop, Alexandria VA or even Scuba Certification Alexandria, VA.  Any of these should show several local Dive Centers.  Since PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors is the largest of the many certification agencies I would start by looking for the various PADI Dive Centers.  PADI ranks their Dive Centers by the depth (no pun intended) of the services that each Dive Center offers.  The PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center is the highest rating so I would look to see if any of these are listed.

Evaluating the various Dive Centers: Once you find a few start by looking at their webpages.  Don’t go by how flashy the webpage is but by how informative it is.  Everything should be spelled out in an easy to navigate and an easy to understand format.  Look to see if the prices for the Open Water or Beginner Certification are listed.  No one can list all of their prices but since the Open Water Course is the most common one, the prices and schedule for that should be clear.  They should be very clear on what is involved in getting certified to Scuba Dive.  Everything that is included and all prices for not included items should also be listed.  Does their schedule and location fit your needs?

The Complete Dive Center: The last thing to look for is whether or not the dive center is complete.  Do they offer all levels of scuba diving education?  Do they offer Scuba Equipment.  Do they have major lines of equipment.  Do they offer service for what they sell?  Does the Dive Center have a Scuba Diving Travel Program?  Do they have both group trips and do they offer to assist you in booking your own trips should your schedule not match the Dive Centers.  These are all things that you would want from your local dive center.

ON LINE or IN THE DIVE CENTER CLASSES:
Once you select the Dive Center that you want to affiliate with you need to decide what format of course to take.  Today, in this modern world, many people like to do things on line whenever they can.  In fact you did just that to help select the Dive Center.  There are advantages to this and there are definitely disadvantages as well.

On Line Scuba Courses:  The advantages are that they are more convenient.  You can take them when ever you want and where ever you want.  They are great to do if you are traveling as they help fill those long hours when you are not working.  However, there are some drawbacks as well.  Even though you can complete your classroom on line you still need to affiliate with a Dive Center to complete the pool sessions and the four open water dives.  On Line Scuba Courses tend to be more expensive then in the classroom Scuba Courses.  On Line courses are written for a wide range of divers and a very wide range of diving locations.  Therefore they tend to be very general in their course content.  Since you take them on your own they are far less social then the traditional classroom Scuba Classes.

Traditional Classroom Scuba Courses: The traditional course is most often less expensive then the On Line Course and while perhaps less convenient, (you take them when they are offered) the traditional course is much more personal.  The Instructors will work with you directly and answer any questions that you might have.  The traditional Classroom Scuba Course also has you specifically in mind.  While you cover the same material that is covered in the On Line Scuba Course, your Scuba Instructor will personalize the course material to fit you.  He or she will talk specifically about you, where you plan to dive and how it relates to you. The Instructor you have in the classroom is usually the same one you have in the pool and again in Open Water.  It is very nice to know each other and it makes for a more enjoyable course.

Your Scuba Instructor can also help you select any scuba diving equipment that you might want or need.  Your Instructor knows much more about Scuba Equipment and Scuba Travel opportunities.  You Instructor can help steer you in the right direction on these.  The traditional Scuba Course is also a great social opportunity.  You will meet several other new divers with whom you have much in common.  In fact that is how I met my wife – in the Open Water Scuba Course.

ON LINE CONTINUING DIVER EDUCATION COURSES:
There are a number of different Continuing Education Scuba Courses that are also available On Line.  Like the Open Water course the big advantage to taking the classroom on line is the convenience.  The down side is that it is more expensive.  Some courses like the Advanced Open Water course have several options.  Before taking it on line be sure and speak to the local dive center and find out what dives they want you to sign up for on line.  Otherwise you may still have to repeat part of the course in the traditional manner.

Now that you are familiar with what is involved in getting started.  It is time to take the plunge.  Sign up for that Scuba Course, get certified, and go on that next great Aquatic Adventure

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Selecting A Dive Center:
Selecting just the right Dive Center involves more then just finding the one that is closest to you.  Just like an auto mechanic or someone to repair your home, you want someone who is qualified to do the job, takes pride in their work, is willing to work with you if there are problems and whose charges are reasonable.

What To Look For?
One of the best places to start is with friends who are divers.  They may already have a relationship with a local Dive Center that they would recommend.  Even if they do you might want to do some checking on your own.  I live in Alexandria which is in Northern Virginia so I might want to conduct an internet search for: Scuba Lessons, Northern Virginia or Scuba Classes, Northern Virginia or even Dive Center Northern Virginia or Scuba Certification, Northern Virginia.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Training:
Once I have received the list of Dive Centers that comes up under these searches I would try to narrow the list down.  In an earlier post I talked about the different Scuba Certifications (March 2, 2011).  I personally prefer the courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI.  Consequently, I would look to see which ones from the initial list are a PADI Dive Center, preferably a PADI 5 Star or PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center in Northern Virginia.  A PADI 5 Star Dive Center offers more courses and services then a regular Dive Center.  IDC stands for Instructor Development Course which is the training program required to train Scuba Instructors.  Therefore a PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center would offer the highest level of certifications as well.

At this point you would want to look on their webpage to see what courses they offer.  Does the course list match the areas of diving that you are interested in; such as underwater photography, Deep Diving or Divemaster or Scuba Instructor Training.

In addition to regular Scuba Courses there are many related Dive Courses such as those offered by the Diver’s Alert Network or DAN.  DAN specializes in research and training related to medical issued that influence scuba diving protocol.  Many Dive Centers offer a variety of DAN courses and the more experienced ones are designated as a DAN Training Center.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Equipment:
Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport.  It is most helpful if your Dive Center sells and services scuba equipment.  Look to see that what lines of equipment that they carry.  No Dive Center can carry all of the lines available nor would you want them to do so.  Check to see if they carry some of the major ones, if they have a good inventory of items on hand and if the sales people in the Dive Center are knowledgeable about the products that they carry.  A few phone calls or emails can help establish this part.  Some of the major lines of scuba equipment are Zeagle Scuba Equipment, Sherwood Scuba, Aeris Scuba, Henderson Wetsuits and DUI Dry Suits.

Narrowing The List – Dive Travel:
While I really enjoy teaching scuba diving I must admit that I enjoy leading the Dive Center sponsored Dive Trips even more.  There is a big advantage to diving on trips that are led and sponsored by a Dive Center.  Most of the hard work and research are done for you.  These trips should be led by one of the staff at the Dive Center.  Preferably by a Scuba Instructor so that continuing education scuba courses can be conducted on these trips.  Going on a scuba diving vacation when all the work, the research, reservations and bookings are all done for you makes it so much easier and so much more enjoyable.  You also have a group to socialize with after the dives and usually never have to worry about finding a dive buddy for the dives since you are in a group.

Take a look at the Scuba Dive Travel section of the various Dive Center’s webpages.  Look to see if they offer Dive Travel?  Is it throughout the year?  Do they go to a variety of different resorts and locations?  Will they help you book your own trip (Individual Dive Travel) if your schedule does not match that of the Dive Center?

Adding It All Up – Making Your Selection:
Once you have looked over all of the above options you are then pretty well informed.  You should be able to see what each Dive Center offers and most often one will stand out as being able to provide everything that you are looking for.  This will probably become your own favorite Dive Center.   The next step is easy.  Go in take some classes, go on a trip, maybe add to your collection of scuba equipment and just have fun, and enjoy your Aquatic Adventure!

Aquatic Adventures:
At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy we specialize in Aquatic Adventures or Scuba Dive Travel Vacations.  Next May we have a live-a-board dive trip scheduled to the Bahamas.  Let take a moment and look at what we might see and experience.

The Bahamas Islands:
“The Islands of The Bahamas offer an array of dive experiences like no other destination in the world. There are sunken Spanish galleons, inland blue holes, caves and forest-like coral reefs, teeming with marine life. We offer 25 different dive destinations in our country. Some of the most exciting experiences allow enthusiasts to swim and feed reef sharks, an experience offered nowhere in the world except The Bahamas. More importantly, the people of The Bahamas are as committed to the art of hospitality as they are committed to preserving the unique ecology of our island home.”  Says Neil Watson, President of the Bahamas Diving Association.  This is what dive travel is all about.

Live-A-Board Diving on the Aqua Cat – May 19-26, 2012
Live-a-board scuba diving and snorkeling in the Bahamas on the Aqua Cat offers a large variety of dives: shark feeding dives, blue holes, high speed drift dives, walls and shallow patch reefs.  Each week we will cruise Nassau, Bahamas to the remote islands of the Exumas, and especially the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.  This is the ultimate escape aboard our own private luxury yacht.  Fine sand beaches, snorkeling or diving among lemon sharks and sting rays, or hiking the trails of pirates and bootleggers of years gone by.  No crowds, nor set itineraries, nothing to do but sit back, relax, and choose from an incredible variety of live-a-board activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, sunbathing, and island exploring.

What will we see?
Due to its great diversity and diving we have made several land based trips to the Bahamas over the years.  On these trips the amount and variety of sea life is incredible.  An underwater photographer’s dream.  Below are a few of the underwater photographs that I have taken with my Sea Life Underwater Camera on previous dive trips.

Beautiful sand beaches mean there is usually pretty sandy bottoms at many of the dive sites.  Sandy bottoms are where you will usually find Hermit Crabs walking about.  The prolific sea life means lots of fish swimming around the coral formations.  Lion fish are from the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  Until recently that was the only place to find them while diving.  Now they are common place on most dive sites in the Caribbean since they do not have any predators locally to keep their numbers in check.

During the day squirrel fish can be seen near holes in the coral.  At night they are found roaming free.  Algae grows wildly in the warm clear waters of the Caribbean and if not kept in check they would literally cover the corals, keeping the sunlight from reaching them.  Thus the corals would die out.  Pin Cushion Urchins each the algae thus keeping it in check.   The underwater digital photograph below shows the trail that the Pin Cushion carved in the algae while grazing along.  You will also notice the bits of coral and sponge that stick to its spines – these provide camouflage that helps hide it from its predators.

Everyone talks about the fish and even take Fish Identification courses but the corals are often overlooked.  The soft corals are very pretty like the rope sponges and sea whips that sway in the current.  Many small critters hide in the reef.  Christmas Tree worms are small worms that bury themselves into the coral.  They stick their tales out to filter feed off the plankton that floats through the water.  Barrel sponges are another prolific and popular soft coral.  They feed by taking water in through their porous sides.  The water then flows through their spongy body allowing it to filter out the food, again plankton, and expelling the water out through it center tube.

One of my favorite reef critters is the Flamingo Tongue.  This snail feeds on the Gargonia or other soft corals.  It is a very plain white or off white shell but the animal has a very pretty spotted mantel that covers the shell when it is out feeding.  Spiny Lobster are cousins of the American Lobster that we see in restaurants.  These lobster do not have claws and are scavengers on the reef.  During the day they are found near holes in the coral or under ledges.  At night they roam free to feed.

The Southern Stingray swims over the sandy portions of the reef searching for food.  It eyes are on the top of its head and the mouth on the bottom.  It uses smell to ferret out small worms and crustaceans in the sand.  Stingrays are related to sharks in that they are both cartilaginous – they have skeletons of cartilage not bone.  Caribbean Reef sharks are just one of the many sharks that are plentiful throughout the Bahamas.  These beautiful creatures are majestic and fun to see cruising by.

Our trip to the Bahamas is May 19-26, 20012

.  It will not only be a great diving vacation but an opportunity to work on that diving continuing education like underwater photography course, Aware Fish Identification or Boat Diver.  Since there are so many night dives conducted while on a live-a-board dive vacation the PADI Night Diver Specialty is also a good one to work on.

With our upcoming dive trip to La Paz, Mexico and the Sea of Cortez it is only natural to want to become familiar with many of the fish that are endemic to that area.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center has sponsored dive trips there a few times in the past and the fantastic sea life is always amazing.  Lets take a few minutes and look at some of the incredible sea life that we might see on our Dive Trip there this October.

The Crown of Thorns is an eater of coral.  Its job is to keep the amount of coral on a reef in check.  The reef itself is made up of many types of animals.  Starfish and both soft and hard corals can be found on many reefs.  Fish come in all sizes and shapes.  The Fanged Blenny is a very small fish found almost walking on the bottom.  Barber Fish are in the Butterfly Fish family.  They are often seen in small schools or pairs as they tend to mate for life.  You will notice that while the fish are very familiar they are different then their Caribbean cousins.  The PADI Aware Fish ID Course is great in learning how to identify these species.

One of the unique aspects of the Sea of Cortez is how diverse the sea life is.  Besides fish and corals many mammals can be seen like the playful Sea Lion.  Those who dive in the Caribbean are used to seeing Parrot Fish.  Here we see the bumphead Parrot Fish, which is larger then the average Caribbean Parrot Fish.

There are several shipwrecks in the Sea of Cortez, making this an area conducive to wreck diving and taking the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course as well as the PADI Underwater Digital Photography Course.  Here we see a picture taken with a Sealife Digital Camera of the Mast of a Ship Wreck with thousands of small bait fish swimming around it.  On the reef if one looks closely you can spot golden moray eels hiding during the day in cracks and crevices.  Some fish like do not mind being out in the open like the Balloon Puffer Fish seen her on a ship wreck.

If you are in the Sea of Cortez at the right time of the year and if you are very lucky you might be in for a real treat.  To see whale sharks and hammerhead sharks can be a once in a lifetime treat.  We have been lucky and seen them each time we have been there.  Other treats is to see a seahorse or an octopus.  They are fascinating subjects and can make a great underwater photo to help you remember your trip.

Sea Urchins feed on top of the corals.  They eat the algae that grows on the coral and keep the algae in check and keep the corals from being smothered by the algae.  The Sea Urchin seen here has camouflaged itself with small shells for protection.  The Angel Fish seen on the side of the reef is a Panama Graysby, common in the Pacific Ocean area.  Puffers are not uncommon in the Sea of Cortez.  Here is a Spotted Sharpnose Puffer.

Scorpion Fish can be found world wide.  They camouflage themselves and prey on small unsuspecting fish.  Tarpon are a predator fish that feeds near the surface.  Here we see a school of Tarpon feeding on small bait fish.  The last slide shows a Sea Anemone and an Arrow Crab.  These creatures can be seen around the world if you take the time to just look.

The Sea of Cortez is an area that is not as commonly dived as other areas.  It is somewhat out of the way but not inaccessible.  You can book a trip there through many Dive Centers that have Travel Programs like Aquatic Adventures Dive Center in Alexandria, Virginia.  Prior to a trip like this it is recommended that you have your scuba diving equipment serviced and perhaps take a scuba refresher course like the PADI Scuba Review Course to make sure that your dive skills are up to date and that you remember the proper care and use of your scuba diving equipment.

Having said all of that the next step is to get out and dive and enjoy the world.