Learn to Scuba Dive: PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to breath air while underwater?   If you want to find out but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into a Scuba diving certification course, the PADI Discover Scuba Diving will let you try scuba to see if you like it.  Most PADI Dive Centers offer a version of this program, either in a pool or other body of water.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center in Alexandria, Northern Virginia, offers the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience every month.  While not an actual scuba certification, during the Discover Scuba Diving experience you’ll learn how to use many of the different pieces of scuba diving equipment in shallow water and get a quick and easy introduction to what it takes to explore the underwater world.

Scuba Diving is Fun and Easy

There is nothing like breathing while underwater for the very first time.  It takes a little getting used to – after all, human beings weren’t designed to do that – but after a few minutes of awestruck wonder, most participants realize how easy scuba diving really is.  The biggest challenge instructors have with the Discover Scuba Diving program is not coaxing participants into the water, but coaxing them out when the program is over.  The fun part?  It’s all fun, it is all stress free and most of all it is easy to do!

What You Learn in the PADI Discover Scuba

You learn the basics you need to dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional Divemaster or Instructor.  One thing you’ll learn is that you really can breath while underwater and whether you like doing that or not.  You will:

• Learn what it feels like to wear scuba diving equipment and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it
• Find out what it’s like to breath underwater and learn whether you can be comfortable there
• Learn some basic skills and safety rules that will carry over to your scuba diving certification course when you take the next step and enroll in the PADI Open Water Diver Course to become a Certified Scuba Diver

The PADI Discover Scuba Diving course is open to anyone who is at least ten years old and in good health.  Who knows it might just open the way to many great Aquatic Adventures!

Learn to Scuba Dive: The Scuba Review Course

You are a Certified Scuba Diver but you have not gone scuba diving for quite a while since your Scuba Diving Training?  You have a scuba diving vacation trip coming up but you are not sure of your scuba diving skills because it has been awhile since you last went scuba diving or your Dive Training course?  Then the PADI Scuba Review Course might be just what you are looking for.

At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center in Northern Virginia, we hear this quite often. As a result we offer the PADI Scuba Review Course every month, year round.  It is by far one of our more popular scuba diving courses.  With the PADI Scuba Review Course there is no need to retake your Open Water Certification Course.  The Scuba Review course is designed to refresh the scuba diving knowledge and scuba diving skills that you may have forgotten.

When you enroll in the PADI Scuba Review course you begin by reading the Scuba Review Tuneup Book.  With the help of this guidebook you go over the scuba knowledge you learned during your initial training.  Then, practice fundamental skills in a pool or a confined water area. You review:

• Safe diving practices
• Dive planning fundamentals
• Problem management
• Breathing air at depth
• Equipment assembly and breakdown
• Recreational diving and dive tables: basic knowledge
• Recreational diving and dive tables: dive planning
• Flying and diving rules

After you complete the knowledge assessment, you go through the Confined Water Skills Preview.  You review information about each skill, why it’s important, points to remember when performing the skill and a short video clip.  Completing this section just before practicing is a great way to refresh your knowledge of how each skill is performed.  The PADI Scuba Review course focuses on the practical skills that you will need to do while on that great upcoming scuba dive vacation.

The PADI Scuba Review course is also a great tune up prior to taking that PADI Specialty Diver course that you have been wanting to take.   The best part is that once you complete the PADI Scuba Review Course you are ready for that next great Aquatic Adventure!

Scuba Dive Travel – Bonaire

There are a few places whose name is synonymous with diving.  One of those is Bonaire.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a Dive Center in Northern Virginia that specializes in Dive Travel has run six scuba diving vacation trips to Bonaire in the past ten years and each one was an over whelming success.  Our next scuba diving trip there is from July 7 – 14, 2012, and promises to be a great mid-summer getaway.

Bonaire is known for its great reefs, crystal clear water, large schools of tropical fish, exotic critters like sea horses and frog fish, and perhaps the best shore diving of any destination in the Caribbean.  In addition to the beautiful beaches, the Dutch influence on the island makes Bonaire a most unusual destination and a fun place to visit.  Bonaire offers a unique combination of some of the best yet easiest diving in the Caribbean.  This is perfect location for individuals, couples and families.

he Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and Casino, our host hotel, overlooks a private white sand beach and the turquoise Caribbean Sea, and is surrounded by over 50 spectacular dive sites, all within a 15-minute boat ride.  This first-class resort, recently renovated, and boasts many amenities, including air conditioned rooms, two restaurants and three bars, a casino, two pools, spa, fitness center, sea kayaks, and a dive shop, and is located just three miles from the airport, and a five minute walk from town.

Our trip includes eight days and seven nights accommodations at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and Casino, six days of diving with five days of three boat dives daily, an additional day of one boat dive and one checkout dive, plus unlimited shore diving.  More than enough to satisfy even the most ardent diver.  An incredible breakfast buffet each morning will help you start each day.

Scuba Diving Training On Your Scuba Diving Trips

Taking the Scuba Diving Continuing Education Course while on you scuba diving vacation is very easy to do.  All or our trips are lead by an Instructor at Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy.  This make completing that scuba course a snap to do.  Such Scuba Specialty Courses as Underwater Photography, Boat Diver, Fish Identification, Night Diver or even Underwater Navigation are perfect scuba courses to complete while on that great scuba diving vacation

Scuba Diving Vacations offer the opportunity to travel to other counties, see many unexplored areas or reefs, and just plain have fun.  Join us on our next Aquatic Adventure!

Scuba Diving Travel – Cane Bay St Croix

On of the most popular activities at my Dive Center in Northern Virginia is our Dive Travel.  Scuba Travel is very popular today and by providing Scuba Diving Trips it gives our former scuba students and current customers an opportunity to stay active as Scuba Divers.  In February of 2013 we are going on a dive trip to St. Croix.

Cane Bay cottages are located directly across the street from the palm tree lined Cane Bay Beach and affords guest unlimited shore diving access to Cane Bay Wall, one of the Virgin Island’s most popular and accessible dive sites.  Although several dive sites are easily dived from shore, most do require boats.  Cane Bay’s Dive Shop is strategically located to allow short boat rides to the heart of the best diving in the area.

The Cane Bay Wall, rated as one of the top dive sites in the entire Caribbean, offers something for every level of diver.  Less then 150 yards from shore, at a depth of only 25-30 feet is the reef terrace.  This beautiful living coral garden is filled with soft and hard corals of every type.  Teeming with tropical fish and aquatic life, this site is truly a diver’s dream.  The Wall begins in 40 feet, plunging to 3,200 feet in areas of vertical drops, or more gradually in slow sloping areas.  Nineteenth century anchors and large deep water sea life can be found along the wall.

We will spend an entire week (February 9 – 16, 2013) at Cane Bay Cottages in St. Croix.   Included in this 8 day, 7 night package is five days of two tank boat dives, and unlimited beach diving.  Cane Bay Cottages are located directly across the street from Cane Bay and is near Cane Bay Wall for convenient shore diving.  The Cottages are also within walking distance to restaurants ranging from barefoot and funky to romantic fine dining.

Airport to hotel transfers when we arrive and depart are also included.  The entire package is incredibly priced at only $1089.00 in the Mountain View and $1199.00 in the Ocean View Superior Cottage.  Prices are per person double occupancy and is based on two divers per room.

This is very good price for the diving and amenities and a vacation that you would not want to miss.  There are only two Cottages in each category so available space is limited.

Join us on this or one of our other Dive Trips.  All of our Scuba Vacation Trips are led by a Scuba Instructor, which makes these trips a great place to complete some of your Scuba Diving Continuing Educations Courses.  We try to offer scuba travel trips throughout the year in many different exciting locations.

Join us for your next great Aquatic Adventure.