As soon as reaching 10 years old, everyone is free to dive, as long as they are healthy and fit enough to dive. Either you can “meet” with this world with a quick “discover” dive, without any certification, or you can “free dive” with one breath, letting yourself free from any equipment, or feel free from pressure of losing your breath and get the utmost pleasure with scuba diving. Because believe me, you will see astonishing things which will take your breath away, more than once!
–Types of Diving
Discovery Dive
This type is, if only you are a non-diver but you want to see what is going on underwater. It is clear that you can’t just take the equipment and go directly. For this, you need to take necessary minimum briefing for essential points of diving with a guide.
An experienced instructor as guide leads discovery dives up to 5 meters. Because, in case of any unexpected circumstance, this is the safest depth to end the dive and to proceed to the surface immediately. Since discovery dives are for uncertified and inexperienced people, caution is crucial.
Steps of safe discovery dive;
-Briefing about important rules
-Familiarization with equipment to be used
-Never leave the instructor and always follow the rules.
As much as you obey the rules, you will always get the best.
Certified Scuba Diving
Maybe you were so impressed by underwater beauties after your first discovery diving, or you have always wanted to be a diver. It is time for you to get your certificate and start diving all around the world. Scuba diving, other than discovery dives, requires certification. You will start from first level and get higher as much as you complete your dives and theoretical trainings. On scuba diving, you need more complex equipment to sustain yourself underwater. That is why you need be trained properly to get awareness for the basic physical, mental and scientific requirements.
Free Diving
Comes from its name, it makes you free from some equipment, as long as you have strong lungs to keep you below the surface. That is why, free divers should train themselves with strict mental and physical therapy to feel ready for very deep dives, which is even sometimes dangerous for scuba divers. Once you have proper readiness, you will free from everything, when you are underwater.
Technical Diving
After 40 meters, recreational diving ends. Requirements for diving, equipment to be used, air you breath and mental readiness change below this limit. That is why; this type of diving is only suitable for experienced divers. Divers go down below the limits because they want to discover wrecks, biological researches, and sometimes for underwater repair jobs of the oil platforms… etc.
–Types of Certificates for Divers (other than instructors)
Although there are many types of diving certification standards in the world, international and well-known types are CMASS, SSI and PADI. All certifications are basically same. For each certification you need to prove both theoretical and practical experiences required for each types.
CMASS
Expansion of CMASS is “Confederation Mondiale Des Activites Subaquatiques” means World Underwater Federation built on 1959 in Monaco. As diver, other than instructors, there are 3 levels available.
1* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 18 meters with an accompany of an instructor. After completing 25 dives, you have right to train for 2 Stars. These trainings help you to understand basics of the equipment you use, diving risks and how to eliminate them and take the proper actions under simple emergency situations.
2* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 30 meters which is considered as deep dive and 40 meters with deep water diver specialty. Two 2* divers can dive together without any supervision of another instructor. They are expected to have basic awareness on rescue techniques, navigation and perfection on buoyancy.
3* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 56 meters, however utmost caution must be considered because of potential hazards start after sportive limits. 3* divers are considered as assistants who are expected to be future instructors. That is why they should reach their full potential on buoyancy techniques, navigation and rescue techniques, during their 3* period before staring their level upgrade courses.
SSI
Scuba Schools International was built on 1970 by Bob Clack. These days, it is considered as one of the best certification system in the diving community.
Open Water Diver – This is the first step for your diving experience as a certified diver. Now you will be able to dive down to 18 meters with a companionship of an instructor. After getting 2 specialties and completing 12 successful dives, you can participate training to upgrade your certificate.
Advanced Open Water Diver / Specialty Diver – With this certificates, you will be able to dive up to 30 meters with your another advanced open water diver or higher certified buddy. For further upgrades, you should complete at least for 4 specialties and 24 successful dives with theoretical trainings and 2 specialties with 12 dives for the Specialty Diver certificate.
Master Diver – Being a Master Diver in SSI is one of the most prestigious level a diver can reach. To be able to reach this level, you have to be qualified on 5 more specialties with 50 successful dives.
PADI
Expansion of PADI is “Professional Association of Diving Instructors” founded on 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. It has its own type of certification and specifications than others. PADI is the most popular one among many scuba centers in the world.
For every candidate over 10 years old, there are some certifications related to environmental awareness, over 12 years old, additional to the previous ones, there are things more about diving. After 15 years old, you can start as an advanced diver with below certifications;
Level 1 Supervised Diver – Again, It is considered that divers know the basics of diving and they supposed to be supervised by an instructor or they can dive with a group of advanced divers.
Level 2 Autonomous Diver – A diver who can dive between 18-30 meters with 3 elective certified specialties (you can choose and have the necessary trainings from the catalogue of PADI trainings) and good understanding on underwater diving.
Level 3 Divemaster – A divemaster is expected to have effectiveness on Advanced Open Water Diver + Rescue Diver + 5 elective specialties more. Divers want to be a divemaster should have at least 50 successful dives.
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