Student Q&A

There are several types of diving. Recreational diving is the broadest category and enjoyed by the vast majority of divers. Recreational divers stay above the depth limit of 130 feet and usually above 60 feet without advanced training. The 130 foot depth range covers most reefs and ship wrecks. In fact, the best part of the reef is typically in the 15 - 45 foot range. Recreational divers can participate in reef diving, VA wreck diving, NC wreck diving, fossil diving, underwater photography, underwater game collection (the activity formerly known as spear fishing!). The list is long and fun!

Other types of diving include Technical Diving (ship wreck or cave penetration, deep diving beyond 130 feet, etc.), Scientific Diving (archeology & research) and Commercial Diving (underwater salvage, ship hull repair & cleaning, oil derrick maintenance, etc.). With the exception of commercial divers, all others start out as Open Water divers, just like you!

What are the age limits to dive? Divers can learn to dive at 10 years of age. Junior Open Water Divers include kids ages 10-14 with important restrictions. Ages 10 and 11 must dive with a parent or SSI Dive Leader and are limited to no more 40 feet of depth. Kids 12-14 must dive with an adult. Open Water Diver is the adult certification and begins at age 15. We strongly encourage kids certified as Jr. Open Water Divers to take a SCUBA Skills Update class and become Open Water Divers when they turn 15.

How long does this take? The Open Water Diver certification class takes one week night and about two weekends to cover the class, pool and open water dives. Over 95% of our students will finish in this amount of time.

Are there creatures in the water that can hurt me? The exciting thing about diving is that you can experience sea life in it's natural environment. The vast majority of sea life is harmless to divers. Some critters are dangerous to touch and typically only "attack" to defend them selves from a diver who is harassing them. We teach divers to respect the marine environment and the critters within it. Never touch anything, take only pictures and leave only bubbles!

Will the water be cold where we dive? First, the pool temperature is 84 degrees. Some students still become chilled after several hours in the water. If you are thinking of diving in the tropics where the water is 80 - 84 degrees, consider purchasing a thin (2 or 3 mm) short or long wet suit. The benefits include staying warm and protecting your skin in case you accidentally brush up against sharp corals or a rusting ship wreck with sharp metal edges. As a student, you will be using a 7mm wet suit for you open water dives which should keep you warm. Some students also prefer to use a 4 or 5 mm vest with built-in hood for extra warmth. However, many students that try to wear the 7 mm suit in the pool find that they become uncomfortably warm. A 3mm suit for the pool is just right. Also consider getting a dive skin or "sanitary". A "skin" is a full length lycra suit that you put on before putting on your rental wet suit, and makes the wet suit slide on easier.

Will I be able to see anything under the water? We will make our five open water dives at Lake Rawlings. This is about the clearest lake in this part of the country and is devoted to training divers. No boats are allowed on the lake for reasons of safety. Water visibility can range from 35- 60 feet, depending on the time of year and number of divers practicing "bad" buoyancy control (i.e. fining up the bottom which clouds the water up). There are lots of small blue gill to see as well as a few large mouth bass. "Buba" is a huge large mouth bass that has been living in the lake for a long time! The fish like to greet the divers and will check you out.

What if nature calls while I'm under the water? Many divers have "warmed" their wetsuits while under the water. Modern wetsuits leave very little space between the suit and the diver and "waste water" can remain trapped in the suit for a while. Some divers will pump water through the suit to hasten the clean out. In older suits it will move out after a few minutes. In any case, please make sure that you rinse out your rental suit completely before returning it to the shop!

I have Asthma. Can I dive? People can lean to dive safely with certain limited types of asthma. An SSI diving physician has developed an asthma diving protocol that the diver must agree to prior to the start of any training. Once the diver has been cleared by their Doctor to train under the protocol, lessons proceed as normal. The Asthma Protocol can be found here in Adobe PDF format.

I have Diabetes. Can I dive? People can lean to dive safely with certain diabetic conditions. An SSI diving physician has developed an diabetic diving protocol that the diver must agree to prior to the start of any training. Once the diver has been cleared by their Doctor to train under the protocol, lessons proceed as normal. The Diabetic Protocol can be found here in Adobe PDF format.

I have a bad head cold. Can I dive? You should never dive with sinusitis or head colds. The congestion can cause airspace equalization problems affecting your ears, sinuses and lungs.

10.

The equipment looks so complicated. Will I be able to use it? Modern SCUBA equipment is very, very simple to understand and operate properly. Remember that 10 year olds are being trained as Junior Open Water Divers. The equipment must be simple and safe to operate for these young divers too. There is no difference between the equipment that a young diver and adult diver use, just the size, (like clothing). Take a look at our Total Diving Systems.

11.

Does my certification card expire? No. You are strongly encouraged to take a SCUBA Skills Update if you have not be diving for a year or longer. Some divers certified in the 70s, 80s and early 90's have elected to take the Open Water Diver course again to redevelop skills that are now very rusty. Most do this because they have decided to get back in to diving and want to do it safely.

12.

Where can I dive after I'm certified? Anywhere that diving is allowed, with some restrictions. The recommended depth limit for Open Water Divers is 100 feet. However, 60 feet is a more practical depth limit with out additional Deep Diver Specialty training. There are inland lakes and some near-shore wrecks in the ocean that are shallower than 60 feet. Most of the beet wreck sites and better visibility lay further off shore in the 60 -100 foot depth range, making additional training wise or actually required by some dive charter operations. Refer to Question 14 for additional information. Take a look at our Dive Travel page.

13.

I don't have a dive buddy, how can I find one? Join our dive club. The Chesapeake Bay Barracudas Chapter of SSI's Club Aquarius meets at the shop on a monthly basis to have fun and talk about diving and related activities. Club members enjoy store discounts and discounts on dive travel as well.

14.

How do become a better diver? There is just one answer! Continuing Education! Many divers take the Diver Stress and Rescue course soon after their Open Water Certification to further improve their own water skills and to be better prepared to assist other divers. Many divers also decide to improve by taking Specialty Courses and working toward an Advanced Open Water Diver certification. You can pick from many Specialty Courses and develop an Advanced Open Water certification that suits your diving needs. For example, we recommend the Night/Limited Visibility, Underwater Navigation, Deep Diving and Wreck Diving Specialty courses for an Advanced Open Water certification. There is no reason to stop with just those four Specialty Courses. There are more to choose from!

15.

Do many women dive? You bet they do. Women account for a significant portion of current and new divers. Our dive club has almost a 50/50 mix of men and women divers. In fact most of our junior divers (10 - 14 year olds) are young ladies! Check out our upcoming "All Girls" dive trip to Morehead City if you don't believe us!