Whether you're interested in scuba diving, have already started taking classes, or have been diving for some time and need a specific certification for your next diving excursion, you should be able to find a scuba center near you. Under ideal circumstances, you can receive scuba certification inside of a week or even a day or two if you have some experience diving. No matter what your scuba diving experience or certification needs, here's what you need to know to begin the process.
Scuba Certification Organizations and Standards
There is more than one governing body that issues scuba certifications. There are numerous, separate scuba diving organizations. In the U.S., the biggest, most well-known organizations are the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), and Scuba Schools International (SSI). In turn, these organizations are monitored and evaluated for standards by the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC). With few exceptions, any reputable organization can issue a recreational certification that will be recognized anywhere in the world. At more advanced levels, greater diversity in standards may occur, which means certain certifications may not be immediately transferable. Indeed, you can get certifications in night diving, deep diving, and ice diving, among others. Generally speaking, there is little difference among major organizations, and most people simply choose the one that's closest to where they live.
Do I really need Scuba Certification?
It's entirely possible that you've been scuba diving before or taken beginner scuba diving lessons at a local pool but don't yet have your scuba certification. Many people, then, book a vacation with scuba diving nearby and wonder if a certification is really, absolutely, necessary. This is one of those gray, murky areas in which often a resort or other beginner level scuba destination claims that scuba certification is required, only to regularly ignore their own policy and/or to leave it up to the discretion of the dive operator. In other words, you don't want to take any chances, get the certification. Likewise, you may also want to be wary of going on a scuba dive with a group in which the operator seems cavalier about letting uncertified persons go on the dive. Pardon the pun, but people who get in over their head with scuba diving risk the safety of the entire group as much as themselves.
To get a sense for the uncertainty involved in scuba diving on a vacation without certification, check out this anecdotal resource.
Don't Wait Till the Last Minute
Find a Scuba Diving Lesson and Certification Center near You
You'd be surprised how many things can unexpectedly crop up and prevent you from securing a certification card your first time around. You may swim circles around the background material and confined water dives. But, then, on the morning of your final open water dive test, you develop sinus allergies or a head cold that prevents from demonstrating your diving skills at-depth. You then discover that you don't have time to reschedule the test before you leave for your vacation. In a worst-case scenario and with non-refundable airline tickets, you may try to pass the test without the ability to equalize your sinus pressure only to land yourself in the hospital with serious damage to your sinus passageways.
Whether through the phonebook or a basic online search, it's not hard to find a scuba diving agency. But to quickly search for centers that have earned the trust of the local community and the respect of the international diving community, you need only make an online request through ServiceMagic. We do the hard work for you through a rigorous screening process that includes everything from a background check to local customer referrals and feedback. Whether you need to start a scuba diving lesson and training program, you're looking to gain advanced certification commiserate with your experience, or you've recently moved to a new location, we can help you find the best, local scuba diving center today.
