Scuba Diving
Enjoying some lovely clear warm water in the Maldives… Ahhh bliss.
While I completed a few ‘try-dives’ before in Thailand and England, I attained my PADI Open Water & Advanced Open Water while on my holiday in the Maldives in 2010.
PADI is the world’s leading scuba diver training organisation.
With more than 6200 PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, and more than 136,000 individual PADI Professionals who have issued more than 23 million certifications around the world, there are PADI diver courses and scuba diving services nearly everywhere.
The PADI System of diver education is based on progressive training that introduces skills, safety-related information and local environmental knowledge to student divers in stages. PADI courses are student-centered and provide maximum practice and realistic application
What Is Scuba Gear?
Scuba diving equipment allows you to visit the underwater world by making it possible to breathe, see and move comfortably while below the surface. Gear helps you change from being a land-dweller to somewhat of an aquatic being – if only for a little while. A mask lets you see clearly. A scuba regulator and tank provide the air you need. Fins allow you to swim efficiently, and a wetsuit helps you stay warm. Whether you’re just starting as a scuba diver or you’re an experienced diver looking for new equipment, you’ll find helpful suggestions and tips in this section. Keep in mind that fit, comfort and suitability are the three most important considerations when choosing gear, but you don’t have to sacrifice color coordination and looking good.
You can dive almost anywhere there’s water, and the scuba gear you use will vary slightly based on the dive environment. There are four general categories for dive equipment, but some gear fits in all categories – for example, the same mask is fine for all environments.
- Tropical scuba equipment – For diving in warm (24ºC/75ºF and up), clear water.
- Temperate scuba equipment – For diving in moderate temperature (cooler than 24ºC/75ºF) water.
- Cold-water scuba equipment – For diving in water cooler than15ºC/60ºF.
- Technical diving scuba equipment – Used by very experienced, highly trained divers to visit environments beyond the normal limits of recreational diving.
