Scuba Diving for Beginners

A Beginners guide for Scuba Diving in Andaman Islands

Scuba diving is for everyone! This enthralling water adventure activity is something that you have never experienced before. While diving, it feels like you are transported to another world where you are enveloped by incredible life. If you are vacationing in Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) and are thinking of scuba diving for the first time, then you have two options–either you can try to dive or properly learn to dive.

Havelock Island is counted among the best spots for scuba diving across India. Its marine world is simply awesome. Here, you can go for a fun dive or take certification courses as well. Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you do it with a reliable PADI dive centre. We, at Aqua Nomads, are committed to offering the best of everything.

Try Diving

Are you interested in trying your hand at scuba diving but do not have the time or desire to enrol into a certification course? Or maybe you are not sure whether exploring the depths of the ocean is for you? In that case, you can consider the PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program or just a fun dive. For this, no experience is required. With this, you can still experience the magic of the underwater world.

PADI DSD program is a half-day program and it includes some basic theory as well as a short skills practice session into the ocean, followed by a proper dive on a reef. All this will give you a taste of scuba diving and a great opportunity to look at the underwater world. Along with being fun-filled and easy, it is absolutely safe as well.

There are two variants of the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program and they both follow the same guidelines:

• PADI Discover Scuba Diving program (boat diving)

Around a 2.5-3 hour session, you are taken by a boat to a secluded reef, away from the crowds. The program is conducted one-on-one so that you get the best scuba diving experience. A minimum of 45 minutes of water time is tried. However, it will depend on your air consumption to some extent.

• PADI Discover Scuba Diving program (shore diving)

It is the same as above but is conducted off the shore. The overall program takes lesser time (around 1.5-2 hours) because of the reduced travel logistics. However, the in-water time remains the same.

You can also get your underwater photos and videos. All the equipment will be provided by us. Just bring your towel, swimwear, sunscreen, etc.

You don’t need to know swimming for this program. You need to be in good health with no pre-existing medical conditions. You should have basic-to-moderate fitness.

If you like your diving experience, then you can pursue your diving education by going on to do a certification course. The dive done during a Discover Scuba Diving program will be counted towards the Open Water course. Taking a certification course lets you experience scuba diving at its best. You will begin experiencing what it is like to be truly weightless and flying. You can go deeper and witness a lot more exotic marine life. It will give you more confidence as well as more joy.

Do note that the dives and certification courses offered at Aqua Nomads are conducted as per the PADI standards. These are not like dives offered by tour operators that comprise ten minutes of being dragged from point A to point B, having a few photographs taken, and then dragged back. Our expert instructors are committed to teach you the basic skills of diving, taking you for a long and relaxed dive, and explaining to you about the marine ecosystem. This way, you get a rich experience of scuba diving.

Learn Diving

Consider taking the PADI Open Water certification course if you are seeking a truly in-depth experience of the underwater world. You will be trained as a certified diver to dive up to 18 meters and get four dives, along with a far richer diving experience. Take this course if you are interested in learning to dive and getting certified as a scuba diver.

For this, you don’t have to be an expert swimmer or a daredevil adventurer for scuba diving. Suitable for everyone from the age of 10 to 65-plus, recreational diving is one of the safest sports. You will only need basic swimming capabilities, moderate fitness levels, and good health.

The PADI Open Water course comprises three parts:

• Academic development- The theory of diving is there in this section. There will be videos, self-study, and instructor briefings.
   
• Confined water training- In this part, you master the essential scuba skills. It begins from the simple (breathing underwater) and goes to the complex (removing/replacing your equipment underwater).
   
• Open water dives- This is the part where you apply the theory of scuba diving to practice. You will be doing four dives in the open water. You will repeat some of the skills that you learned earlier. Just dive, enjoy yourself, and soak in the marvellous marine world.

After completing this course successfully, you will receive a certification card from PADI– the world’s leading scuba diver training organization.

The PADI Open Water Course typically lasts four full days. However, we understand that the learning speed of everyone varies. Moreover, you are on a holiday and may be willing to spread out your training. Thus, the time needed for certification can be more or less. At Aqua Nomads, we will not rush you or compromise on your training. We will make sure that you get the time needed for you to learn the diving skills in the program.

We believe in small groups and individual attention for training. We have experienced instructors who keep classes small for a better student:professor ratio. Therefore, you will get proper attention. In our classes, we go well beyond the bare minimum when it comes to teaching essential diving skills, in-water time, and also the comfort and mastery we impart before certifying someone. All diving programs are not the same. We conduct the best and most thorough open water training programs in the Andaman Islands and we have a highly experienced team of diving instructors in the region. Our goal is to make you a qualified diver, not just check off a set of skills. We want you to learn a subject deeply, not just pass an exam.

In case of any health-related concerns about scuba diving, you should download the medical statement form that has a checklist. If your answer to any of the questions is ‘Yes’, then you have to get medical clearance from a doctor before reaching Havelock Island (now known as Swaraj Dweep officially). Separate clearance will be required for every question to which you have answered ‘Yes’.

Clubbing the PADI Open Water Course with the Advanced Open Water Course is highly recommended. There are five dives in the PADI Advanced Open Water course. Two are mandatory–deep dive and underwater navigation (night is highly recommended). For the remainder, you can choose from a total of fifteen options that include night, computer, naturalist, buoyancy,

wreck, boat, underwater photography, etc. With the emphasis on in-water training, this is a practical course. It will offer you diving experience under various conditions and also provide you with a deeper knowledge of dive theory, planning and techniques.

So clubbing these two courses will offer you the following benefits:

• You learn more and become a significantly better diver 
• You retain your skills longer
• You are better able to internalize the diving skills into your muscle memory
• You can dive to the depth of 30 meters and thus, witness some of the best diving sites in Havelock Island

You don’t have to decide anything now, but just to let you know, those who have done the combo, have loved it!