
So, it’s probably a little easier to do that with someone you are comfortable with.” “And part of the training is pulling the regulator from your mouth at the bottom and breathing from the other person’s regulator. “You have a buddy anyway as is policy,” Barnes says. If you are looking to get certified, it can be helpful to complete the training with a friend. There was roughly one instructor for every group of three to five people in their program. For Furbank and Barnes, training included four pool dives and four ocean dives over the span of four days. “ wants to let you know of all the things that could happen to you, so the course is all of the risks and worst-case scenarios which is honestly quite terrifying.”Īfter completing the academic course, the training processes can vary depending on dive company. “The biggest thing I got freaked out by was the online course,” Furbank recalls. The academic component needs to be completed before stepping into the water. The academic portion offers both online or in-person classes, takes approximately 15 hours to complete at one’s own pace and includes reading materials and exams.
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To earn a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification, there are three components: an academic course, pool training and open water training. It helped us get comfortable with the equipment and all the different intricacies of what you to get certified.”Īfter a successful practice run, they set their sights on completing the certification. “We took a discover scuba course at Aquatic Adventures in Springfield, Virginia,” Furbank says, who also noted her parents tagged along. Before committing to the trip, they decided to test things out. Since he was a teenager, he wished to learn to dive but was apprehensive since his ears had trouble equalizing pressure underwater. “, traveling and going underwater felt like unlocking a new level of life,” Furbank says.īarnes agrees with her sentiments. After seeing friends’ underwater photos and hearing their scuba stories, Furbank was inspired. Spring 2021, local writer Lani Furbank, her husband Zach Barnes and Furbank’s parents traveled to Costa Rica to get their diving certifications. In conjunction with this article, we also interviewed an expert diver and paleontologist who explores intense waters for fossils. With the help of a local couple who recently underwent scuba diving certification, we’ve created a comprehensive beginner’s guide for people who want to take the plunge. However, the equipment, risks and certification process are barriers. Exploring the world below the water’s surface is on many people’s bucket lists. There’s a collective desire to seize opportunities for adventure, like scuba diving. This summer offers a renewed possibility for travel.
