Scuba Courses in Northern Virginia: Dan & PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider

Scuba Diving is a very safe sport but like anything else things can go wrong.  In the unlikely event that they do it is always preferable that you know the proper procedures to assist in the emergency and minimize any consequences.  In Scuba Diving the proper course of treatment in most scuba diving accidents is the immediate administration of emergency oxygen.  This has been shown to dramatically reduce or lesson any permanent injury.

Knowing that you know how to recognize illnesses treatable by emergency oxygen is very satisfying.  Being the best buddy you can be means being prepared – the DAN or PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Course does just that.

Prerequisites:
The only prerequisite is to be currently certified in CPR.  Though this course is  designed for scuba divers, this hands on classroom only course is equally applicable to those who are around divers – boat crew, non-diving buddies, lifeguards, and shore staff.

What you will learn:

• T recognize diving illnesses treatable by emergency oxygen
• The role of oxygen in treating scuba diving injuries
• How to properly setup emergency oxygen equipment
• How to administer emergency oxygen
• Oxygen safety procedures

This class is perfect for all divers from beginner through Divemaster and Instructor. This course involves classroom only and the certification is good for two years without retraining.  Being prepared in the unlikely event of an emergency also makes you more comfortable as a scuba diver.

Scuba Classes in Northern Virginia: Emergency First Response

First Aid and CPR are good skills for anyone, especially those involved in adventure sports.  The Emergency First Response (EFR) Course is a PADI  affiliate course that specializes in teaching these lifesaving skills – and they’re for anyone, not just divers.

The fun part about Emergency First Response training is learning serious medical emergency response skills in an upbeat, positive environment. You gain the confidence that you are prepared to help in an emergency.

Home Study:
When you register for the Emergency First Response course you will receive your student kit, which includes both an emergency care manual and a DVD that clearly shows the proper way to conduct emergency skills.  You review the manual and DVD at home, at your convenience, prior to the actual course.

Hands On Practice and Training:
During the hands on instruction your Instructors will demonstrate the ever important skills and you will practice these under direct supervision where you will comfortably master the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care in an emergency.

What You Learn in the Emergency First Response Course:

• BLS (Basic Life Support) CPR and rescue breathing at the layperson level
• AED (automated external defibrillator)
• Preventing and care for shock
• Spinal injury management
• Use of barriers to reduce disease transmission risk
• Basic first aid and first aid kit considerations

Once you complete the Emergency First Aid Course you are certified for a period of two years.  The EFR course also satisfies the 1st Aid and CPR requirements for both the PADI Rescue Diver Course, the PADI Divemaster Course and the DAN Dive Emergency Specialist Certification.

Emergency First Response Course at Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy

The Emergency First Response Course is offered at Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a PADI 5 Star Dive Center in Northern Virginia every other month, year round.

Where To Learn To Scuba Dive in Northern Virginia

Once you decide that you want to be a Scuba Diver you then have to decide where you want to complete your Scuba diving certification? There are many places to Learn to Scuba Dive Northern Virginia and like anything else some often many advantages that others do not.

There are three things that are necessary to become a Certified Scuba Diver.  These are known in the industry as the 3 E’s.  The first is Education, a place to learn to scuba dive.  The second is Scuba Equipment, the necessary scuba gear needed to safely scuba dive.  Last and just as important is the Environment or place to go Scuba Diving.

Which Scuba Certification Agency Should I Select To Earn My Scuba Diving Certification?

There are many very good Scuba Certification Agencies.  The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the largest in the world and offers world wide course credibility.  PADI has by far the finest support materials, books, manuals, DVDs,  Videos and course variety than any other Scuba Certification Agency.

There are many others that are also worthwhile.  Scuba Diving International is fast becoming one of the more popular Scuba Agencies.  SDI, like PADI offer an assortment of both recreational and technical scuba courses that are very informative and well put together.  In addition there are other worthwhile organizations like the National Association of Underwater Instructors and Scuba Schools International.  In addition to Scuba Certification Agencies, the Diver’s Alert Network or DAN offers courses in First Aid and Scuba Diver Safety.  The finest of the Dive Centers that offer DAN Training are the DAN Training Centers, which offer the largest variety of DAN courses for both the scuba diver and the Scuba Instructor.

However, PADI followed by SDI are by far the more popular and more widely recognized Agencies.

In What Scuba Equipment Should I Invest?

The second necessary E of Learning to Scuba Dive is Scuba Dive Equipment.  Scuba Equipment ranges from simple masks and snorkels to the more complex Scuba equipment like the wet suit, buoyancy control device and scuba regulator.  Most scuba divers start with the personal equipment (mask, snorkel, boots and fins).  Once they learn to scuba dive they invest in the more traditional scuba equipment: scuba regulator, buoyancy control device (BCD) and computer gauge console.  These items not only make scuba diving easier but safer and in the long run they are very cost effective.

There are some very good brands of scuba diving equipment.  The most popular and most highly rated is Scuba Pro Dive Equipment.  Sherwood Dive Equipment, Zeagle BCD and Aeris Dive Computers are also very well regarded in the dive industry.

Where Should I Go On My Scuba Diving Vacation?

There are literally hundreds of locations that offer very good scuba diving vacations.  Knowing the best of these destinations and what resorts at these locations are the best is also very important.  It takes a specialist to know this and to know the best time of year at each of these destinations.  At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy a Dive Center in Northern Virginia we specialize in Scuba Trips and Travel throughout the year.  Aquatic Adventures routinely offers scuba travel trips year round to many exotic destinations around the world.

At Which Dive Center Should I Learn To Scuba Dive?

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy is a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center, which means that they train not only scuba divers but divers in how to be Scuba Instructors as well.  In addition Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy is a DAN Training Center, making Aquatic Adventures a Dive Industry Leader in Scuba Training, Certification and the important E of Education.

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy is an authorized Scuba Dealer for Aeris, Dacor, Genesis, Mares, Sherwood, Scuba Pro and Zeagle Diving Equipment and Henderson Wet Suits and DUI Dry Suits.  Aquatic Adventures has a very extensive inventory of quality Scuba Equipment (the second E) and just as important: knowledgeable personnel to assist you in your selection and post purchase servicing.

Aquatic Adventures Award winning scuba travel program is second to none in quality and variety of scuba diving trips or Environment, the last E.  These trips are also lead by a very experienced Scuba Instructor to assist you while on that ever important dive vacation.

Whether you are new to the sport of scuba diving or a veteran with years of experience.  Aquatic Adventures can assist you in all of your scuba diving needs.

Scuba Diving Vacations: Live-a-board Dive Boats

Scuba Diving Trips or Vacations are the end goal of most scuba divers.  It is when the dedicated scuba diver gets to go scuba diving every day without the worry or cares of work or other distractions that makes Scuba Travel so popular.  For those scuba divers who want the most number of scuba dives that they can pack into a vacation then a trip on a live-a-board dive boat may be the perfect vacation.

The Bahamas Live A Board Dive Boat: Aqua Cat

A very popular Live-A-Board in the Bahamas, the Aqua Cat advertises that they offer a large variety of dives; shark feeding dives, blue holes, high speed drift dives, walls and shallow patch reefs. This week long cruise from Nassau, Bahamas to the remote islands of the Exumas, and especially the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the most pristine area in all the Bahamas.

The Aqua Cat is a 102 foot long catamaran, offering stability and comfort.  This is the ultimate escape aboard your own private luxury yacht. Imagine sinking your toes into sugar sand, snorkeling or diving among the lemon sharks and sting rays, or hiking the trails of pirates and bootleggers of years gone by. No crowds, no 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.

Caribbean Live A Board Dive Boats: The Aggressor

The Aggressor Fleet offers live a board dive boats in many areas of the Caribbean and the Pacific.  They advertise that many experienced divers feel that live-aboard dive boats offer the best value in diving. In most cases, we are inclined to agree. These vessels have been designed, from the keel up, with the diver in mind.

A good live-aboard trip can provide maximum diving pleasure with a minimum of hassle, and take you to dive sites inaccessible from land-based operations. On a quality live-aboard, the facilities for diving are top-notch, the food is great, and the service effective but also relaxed.

For all of us hard driving “Type A’s,” a live-aboard offers plenty of time for much needed rest and relaxation, reading, videos, improving your photography, dining, and pleasant interaction with fellow divers. Of course, that’s AFTER you knock off your four or five hours a day in the water!

Live A Board Dive Adventures: Galapagos

Live A Board Dive Boats have become so popular that many Dive Resorts, like Buddy’s Dive in Bonaire, have expanded to offer live a board dive adventures in more exotic locations like Galapagos.  They now have two fully equipment luxury boats dedicated to touring and scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands.

Scuba Diving Vacations & Travel: Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a Dive Center in Northern Virginia, specializes in Dive Travel.  Scuba Diving Trips are offered 4-6 times a year at Aquatic Adventures. Live A Board Dive Trips are very popular and are offered by Aquatic Adventures every year if possible.  Live A Board Dive Vacations offer the ultimate in diving experience and an opportunity to complete up to 5 dives a day.  There are a number of very good and reputable Live A Board Dive Boats to choose from.  They all offer an opportunity to dive to your hearts content.  The slogan for the Aggressor Fleet to describe live a board diving is: Eat – Sleep – Dive.  And that about sums it up, Live A Boards offer a great Aquatic Adventure.

Scuba Diving Specialty Courses at Aquatic Adventures in Northern Virginia

As we discussed in previous postings the entry level Scuba Certification is the Open Water Course.   Everyone regardless of what certification agency they are certified by start with this course.  The Advanced Open Water Course is the one that immediately follows in terms of skill development.    Once you have completed these two courses what else is available?

Wreck Diver & Enriched Air Nitrox – Most Popular Specialty Scuba Certification Courses in Washington DC area

There are several options available to divers in regard to Continuing Scuba Education Courses.   Most people will select the course that they want to take according to what interests them.  For years the most popular of all of the Specialty Courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI has been the PADI Wreck Diver Course.  The east coast of the United States is literally littered with ship wrecks.  These make wonderful diving destinations.  The ships become part of the artificial reef programs and provide habitat for countless numbers of fish and fish species.

In recent years the PADI Enriched Air – Nitrox course has become the most popular.  Enriched air is air that has more then the normal 21% oxygen in it.  By using this when diving the scuba diver will have longer allowable bottom times thus getting more time to explore the wreck or reef that they are diving on.  When diving with enriched air the diver also has to have scuba diving equipment that is compatible with the enriched air that he is breathing.  The most common pieces of equipment that need to be suited for enriched air diving is the scuba regulator, the enriched air compatible diving computer, and the oxygen cleaned scuba cylinder.

Since everyone today has a camera it is only natural to want to take photographs underwater.  Consequently, Underwater Photography and specifically PADI Underwater Digital Photography are very popular specialty dive courses.   Needless to say an underwater camera is a must when taking this specialty course.

Night Diver & Underwater Navigation – Useful Scuba Specialty Dive Courses

One of the most exciting specialty dive courses is the Night Diver Specialty Course.  In this course the diver learns how to plan and execute a scuba dive at night.  Since many fish (such as lobster, moray eels, squirrel fish, etc) are nocturnal diving at night is the best way to encounter these exciting critters.  Underwater Navigation is one of the most useful scuba dive specialty courses.  This course teaches the diver how to navigate underwater using both an underwater compass and by natural navigation.  Needless to say, being able to find your way underwater is a very useful scuba diving skill.

Deep Diver – Wreck Diver – Underwater Hunting & Collecting on one of our Dive Center Trips

At Aquatic Adventures we have a very complete Scuba Dive Travel Program.   Our summer trips to Morehead City, N.C. are great places to conduct the PADI Deep Diver, PADI Wreck Diver or the Hunting & Collecting Specialty.  We also offer trips throughout the year to varies dive destinations in the Caribbean, Pacific and Central America.  These more exotic trips are great places to complete the PADI Aware Fish Identification Specialty Course, Underwater Photography, PADI Night Diver or the Drift Diver Specialty Course.

PADI Master Scuba Diver at Aquatic Adventures in Alexandria Northern Virginia

One of the marks of a true scuba diver is their love of scuba diving and their desire to learn different types of diving.  At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy we not only offer all of the Scuba Specialty Dive Courses we just discussed, but we also promote the PADI Master Scuba Diver Certification.   If a scuba diver completes the PADI Rescue Diver Course and any 5 PADI Specialty Courses and logs over 50 dives he/she can be awarded the PADI Master Scuba Diver Certification, which shows that the diver has experience in several types of diving and has also logged a number of dives denoting an experience level.  This is a non professional scuba rating but one that is a point of pride to many divers.

Regardless of you area of interest if you are an avid Scuba Diver there is a Specialty dive course just perfect for you!

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Training Dive Center in Northern Virginia offers many Scuba Diving Courses.

Beginner Scuba Certification:

Aquatic Adventures offers scuba lessons in Northern Virginia and offers many different courses.  Which one is the best scuba course for me?  This may vary from diver to diver.  Everyone starts with the beginner course called the Open Water Course or if a PADI Dive Center the PADI Open Water Course.  At Aquatic Adventures the PADI Open Water Course takes two weekends and teaches the basic skills and knowledge of basic scuba diving equipment needed in order to scuba dive safely.

Advanced Open Water Certification:

Once you are certified then you will want to move on to more a advanced scuba dive skill level.  The next course is usually the Advanced Open Water course or if a PADI Dive Center the PADI Advanced Open Water Course.  The Advanced course picks up where the Open Water course stops.  It includes areas such as underwater navigation, deep diving, night diver, peak performance buoyancy, wreck diver and many other options.  Since Aquatic Adventures is in the Washington D.C. area this is a popular course.  Most divers in this area appreciate the need for better buoyancy and better underwater navigation.  Going right along with these courses is the need for a good underwater compass and owning your own buoyancy control device or BCD is always a good idea.

Specialty Diver Courses:

One of the nice things about the Advanced Open Water course is that each of these five dives counts as the first dive of the respective specialty diver course.  Thus once most divers complete the Advanced Open Water course they usually will take a Scuba Diving Specialty course or two.  Some of the more popular are underwater navigation and Peak Performance Buoyancy (to perfect your buoyancy skills) as mentioned above.  Underwater Photography or PADI Underwater Digital Photography is also very popular as is Night Diver, where you learn the basic for diving at night, Wreck Diver where you learn the basics of diving in or around ship wrecks, Search & Recovery Diving or the basics of searching underwater for lost or missing objects.  The single most popular of all PADI Specialty courses is the Enriched Air Nitrox or EAN Nitrox course.  Diving with enriched air or air with an oxygen percentage greater then 21% allows for longer bottom times and leaves the diver less fatigued then when diving with air.  Divers who take underwater photography will want their own underwater camera and housing.  Those diving with nitrox will want their own scuba diving computer or maybe even a computer console.

Divemaster, Assistant Instructor & Scuba Instructor:

For those of us who really like scuba diving the jump to Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or even Scuba Instructor is only natural.  Teaching diving is not only fun but it really helps you cement your own personal dive skills making you a much better diver.  Being a professional gets you “wet” or in the water on scuba much more often.  It is also a great way to meet people.  It is emotionally rewarding and can lead to a whole new way of life or even a new life style.  Once you go all the way to PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor you would think that is a far as you would go.  That, however, is not the case.  Most Open Water Scuba Instructors want to be able to teach Scuba Diving Specialty Courses so they may take the Master Scuba Diver Trainer Course, where they learn to teach five or six different specialty diver courses.  From there the next step is to help train Scuba Instructors.  You can accomplish this by taking the Instructor Development Course Instructor or IDC Course.

Technical Diving Courses:

For those who want to truly do something different you might look at Technical Diving.  There is an Introduction to Tec course, which is a pool experience using technical diving equipment.  From there the three most common technical diving courses are Tec 40, where you learn to dive to 40 meters or 131 feet.  Tec 45 takes you to 45 meters or 147 feet and Tec 50 takes you to 50 meters or 164 feet.  This is a different type of diving that is every equipment intensive.  We will have more on this type of diving in future articles.

Dive Travel

Once you have taken the scuba diving courses that interest you the next step is to simply get out and dive.  You local Dive Center can help there.  At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy in No VA we specialize in Dive Travel

and are only too happy to help you book your next Aquatic Adventure.