The Best Scuba Training Courses – Part 1 – Continuing Scuba Education Courses

Go Diving or Take More Courses?

One of the most common questions that I hear from recently certified scuba divers is: Now that I know how to dive should I go diving or take more scuba courses?  That is a great question and there is no easy answer.  Of course if you go diving you acquire experience and that helps make you a more accomplished scuba diver.  However, when we do things on our own how do we know we are doing them the correct way?  We really do not.  In this case it is through trial and error and we learn what works and what does not work.

The Advanced Open Water Course:  Day 1:

While I am a firm believer in getting out and doing, I really do see the benefits of scuba continuing education courses.  While it has a misleading name, the Advanced Open Water course is not just for advanced scuba divers.  It picks up exactly where the Open Water Scuba Course leaves off and adds some very valuable skills for the newer diver.  At my dive center, Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy,  a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center in Northern Virginia,  we recommend that the new diver continue as soon as possible with the Advanced Open Water Course.  This course includes five dives done over one weekend more then doubling the experience level of the newer diver and goes a long way in adding to their experience and safety.

Peak Performance Buoyancy:

At Aquatic Adventures we always start the Advanced Open Water Course with a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive.  During this dive we concentrate on proper fin kicks and body positioning.  We also emphasize proper weighting.  This makes us much more streamlined and means that we do not have to work as hard during the dive.  Consequently, we use less air and our dives last longer.  

Underwater Navigation:

On land we use maps and GPS units to find our way.  While Scuba Diving we use an underwater compass, an important piece of Dive Equipment.  Proper use of the underwater compass, not only makes us a better diver, but is a safety issue as well.  It means we are less likely to get lost underwater, which could cause problems in returning to the boat or shore safely.  The second dive is our Advanced Open Water course is the first Underwater Navigation Dive and deals with both compass navigation and natural navigation as well.  I, personally, will not dive without an underwater compass.  I consider it an essential piece of dive equipment. 

Night Diver Specialty Dive:

The third dive that we offer at Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, in our Advanced Open Water Course is the Night Diver Specialty Dive.  Diving at night is an incredible experience.  Many of our favorite critters, lobsters, morays, shrimp and crabs are all nocturnal creatures.  Night Diving allows us the opportunity to see what we might otherwise miss.    There are several skills specific to night diving that makes us a better diver and safer as well.

The Advanced Open Water Course:  Day 2:

The Deep Dive Specialty Dive:

One of the most anticipated dives of the Advanced Open Water course is the Deep Dive.  During this dive we look at the physiological differences in diving deeper then normal.  Increased air consumption, shorter allowable dive time, loss of light, loss of color and the possibility of nitrogen narcosis are all characteristics of deep diving.  Completing your first deep dive under the supervision of an Instructor insures that you learn properly and lesson the likelihood of any problems.    This is a fun dive and offers the participant a lot of good practical experience.
The Optional Dive: Underwater Photography, Multilevel or Computer Diving, Wreck Diving

The fifth and last dive of the Advanced Open Water course is what we call an optional dive.  Doing the dive is not optional – it is required, but you get the option of choosing a dive that interests you personally.  We have several options available to our students and the most popular are Underwater Photography, Multilevel Diving also known as computer diving, and Wreck Diving.  These are the types of dives that very personal to the participant and can lead to years of enjoyment.

Now Get Out and Scuba Dive!

Now that you have completed the PADI Open Water Course and the PADI Advanced Open Water Course it is time to just get out and dive.  Put to practice what you have learned.  The best divers are the ones with a balance of proper dive training and experience.

WINTER SCUBA DIVE TRAINING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Learning to Scuba Dive:

Learning to Scuba Dive involves taking the Open Water Dive Course, which consists of two parts.  The first part is the Class and Pool sessions where you learn the basic theory of scuba diving and the necessary dive skills needed to scuba dive safely.  Once  that is completed the diver has to complete four Open Water Dives prior to certification.  This is an opportunity to practice these skills in an actual dive environment and show that they are ready to dive without supervision.

Learning to Scuba Dive in Northern Virginia

Learning to scuba dive in Northern Virginia is different then learning to scuba dive elsewhere.  Since the winters are quite cold in Northern Virginia, that really precludes any local open water training options.

Most any Dive Center in Northern Virginia will offer the Open Water Scuba course year round but will only include the Open Water Dive portion part of the year.  In the late fall to early spring it is far too cold to dive locally.  Thus they offer the class and pool sessions year round.  Divers taking the Open Water Diver Course in the winter will either wait until spring to complete the dives or perhaps take what is known as a Letter of Referral and complete their dives elsewhere.

Dive Center Sponsored Scuba Trips

Many Dive Centers, like Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy in Alexandria, Virginia offer a full array of Dive Travel, that is  Scuba Trips to the Caribbean and other exotic scuba diving destinations.  These trips are perfect venues for completing the Open Water portion of your Open Water Scuba Course.  Best of all these trips are run by Certified Instructors so in addition to the Open Water Course dives many other continuing scuba education courses can be taken.

The Advanced Open Water Course is a natural but so are many Scuba  Specialty Diver Courses.  Underwater Digital Photography, Fish Identification, Night Diver, Deep Diver, Boat Diver and depending on your scuba vacation trip destination Drift Diver may also be an option.

Scuba Courses Without Dives: Perfect for the Winter

There are a number of scuba diving courses that do not include scuba dives as part of the course.   Since we cannot do local divers during the winter these are a great way of staying active in scuba diving and still continuing your scuba diving education.

The most popular is Enriched Air Nitrox Diver.   Nitrox allows the diver to stay on the dive longer then one could while breathing air.  Equipment Specialist where you learn about the scuba diving equipment and how to care for it is also a popular winter scuba diving course.

Winter is no excuse to not dive.  Aquatic Adventures offers scuba diving travel through out the year and our winter scuba dive trips are among the most popular.  Courses with dives as part of the program can be taken and the dives completed on one of our dive trips or in the spring.  Many scuba diving courses do not include dives and these are perfect for winter.  All in all, winter is a great time to learn to dive.

SCUBA DIVING EQUIPMENT – WHAT DO I NEED TO LEARN TO SCUBA DIVE?

What is Personal Scuba Equipment?

Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport.  Certain pieces of equipment are needed just to learn to scuba dive.  The big question is what to buy when taking your lessons and what scuba diving equipment to purchase later?

The most common pieces of scuba diving equipment to purchase initially is what is know as your personal scuba equipment.  That is your scuba mask, snorkel, scuba boots and scuba fins.  These are the pieces that you will use each and every time you go scuba diving.  Having your own personal scuba equipment is a good investment.  It is cost effective, much more hygienic (your own snorkel in your mouth rather then a rental snorkel), you know it fits properly and you even get to select the colors that you like!

What is the Scuba Unit?

What about the major pieces of scuba diving equipment: the scuba unit?  When they talk about the scuba unit they are referring to the scuba cylinder, scuba regulator and buoyancy control device or BCD along with your scuba diving computer.  These are all essential pieces of Scuba Diving Equipment, however, most reputable Dive Centers will provide these major pieces of Dive Equipment for students that are in the Open Water Course, which is the beginner class.  This is usually done during the beginner or Open Water course but not after that.  Anyone taking Scuba Continuing Education Courses, like the Advanced Open Water Course or Rescue Diver Course, is expected to provide or rent the scuba equipment that they will use.

Should I purchase my own Scuba Diving Equipment or continue to rent scuba diving equipment?

Now that you are a diver the question about owning your own scuba diving equipment almost always comes up.  Owning your own scuba equipment is always the preferred way to go.  When you own your own scuba equipment and you purchase it from your local PADI Dive Center, you know that it is properly fitted to you and that it is properly serviced to be a the correct factory settings.  In addition since you purchased it a an authorized dealer it will come with the full manufacturers warranty, which will save you quite a bit in repair costs down the line.  In addition to fit, by owning your own scuba diving equipment you learn it inherent characteristics and become used to it.  When you use  rental scuba equipment, you spend the batter part of the first few scuba dives of your trip just getting used to the equipment since you have never used it before.  In short owning your own scuba equipment is more cost effective, safer (since you are familiar with it) and more enjoyable.

I have learned to scuba dive, I have my own scuba diving equipment – what’s next?

Once you learn to scuba dive and have purchased some or all of your scuba diving equipment the next step is easy – get out and dive.  Go on a scuba diving vacation or a scuba diving trip.  You can schedule you scuba diving vacation or trip at your local PADI Dive Center.  There you will not only find an assortment of appropriate dive trips but you will also often find good travel companions and that will make your dive trip even more enjoyable.  Your PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center is an ideal spot to find most everything that you need from scuba equipment to scuba courses and even that next Aquatic Adventure or Dive Trip.

Learn to Scuba Dive the Right Way

When you decide to Learn to Scuba Dive in Northern Virginia or anywhere else  it involves much more then just learning the basic scuba diving skills and theory.  It involves understanding them and putting them to practice the proper way.  At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy in Alexandria Northern Virginia, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center, we pride ourselves on not only teaching scuba diving but making our graduates safe divers that actively dive and enjoy the sport.  Just what is involved in becoming a safe and active scuba diver?

Learn to Scuba Dive the Right Way

Learning to Scuba Dive the right way involves taking classes at a Northern Virginia Dive Center or a Dive Center located elsewhere that is dedicated to teaching the proper techniques and safety protocols rather then just turning out divers.  Today many dive centers skip the basics like dive tables.  Yes, most of us dive with Dive Computers today but we still need to follow the basic principles of safe scuba diving and the best way to learn those is to learn how to use the Dive Tables and follow those principles whether we are using the tables or a scuba diving computer.  A simple analogy of this is almost all of us use a calculator but we could not use it properly if we did not learn the basics of math (times tables, etc) as a child.  The same is true for Scuba Diving Computers.  If we do not follow the basic rules we learned as a new diver, do your deeper dive first regardless of whether we are using a dive computer or not we are putting ourselves at greater risk of problems by ignoring these rules.

The Proper Scuba Diving Equipment is Essential: Know How to Use It and Care for It

A Dive Center that truly specializes in Scuba Dive Equipment in Northern Virginia or anywhere else that people dive will make sure that their patrons understand and properly use the equipment that they sell.  At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy we instruct all purchasers of equipment on how to safely use the equipment and how to take care of it.  If a diver purchases a package (Scuba regulator, buoyancy control device and computer gauges) we even give them the PADI Equipment Specialist Course at no charge to make sure the they get the most out of their new equipment.  Proper instruction on scuba equipment use and safety is paramount and it is also something that is not received by those who buy equipment on line.

Always follow the manufacturers recommendations as to routine maintenance and care.  Annual Scuba Diving Equipment Service is essential for not only safety but to maintain the warranty that came with the scuba diving equipment.

Scuba Dive Travel: The Best Scuba Divers are Active Scuba Divers

First you Learn to Scuba Dive, then you obtain good quality Scuba Diving Equipment.  The next step is to go scuba diving.  The more that you scuba dive the better the scuba diver that you become.  Practice makes perfect and do not forget that all important Scuba Continuing Education class.  PADI Specialty Diver Courses such as the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Course are great for honing skills and becoming a safer scuba diver.  Courses like the PADI Aware Fish Identification course are great for learning more about what you are looking at and enjoying your scuba dives more.    When you are on that next great Aquatic Adventure you will appreciate the time you spent learning to scuba dive, getting the proper scuba diving equipment and learning how to use and just plain getting out and scuba diving.