A tiny guide to getting started scuba diving
So you wanna scuba dive? Awesome. It’s a terrific hobby, and you’ll be almost certain to get addicted to it. I’ve been diving for 10 years and have ~130 dives. I absolutely love it. There’s so much to see underwater and it’s so damn calm.
Also, the diving culture is awesome. I’ve met so many guides and people — and all of them are lovely folks. There’s something about the sport that gets people who care about adventure, the environment and travel all at once that makes for a brilliant combination. I personally am so glad that my life partner loves diving as much as me. We got certified during our honeymoon in Bali in 2013 and diving has been an integral part of our vacations since then.
Many people have asked me about diving, so here’s a smallish guide which I hope helps.
Scuba diving can be either:
- A discovery dive (a highly guided dive, 5–7k). Ideal for those just wanting to see what the fuss is about but not wanting to commit.
- Getting a certification (you start with Open Water, then Advanced OW). This will permit you to dive anywhere in the world, whereas a discovery dive won’t count towards it. In India and SE Asia, this should cost you 20–30k. Deets on this below.
- Once you get certified, you do “fun dives” — which is what I do now that I’ve got my AOW. These cost 2k-5k per dive depending on where you dive. In India, if you take a 5-dive package in Andamans, it should cost 3k per dive.
Now for those looking at getting certified, the process consists of:
- Theory (yes, sorry) — 2 days
- Pool sessions (to get you comfy in the water and equipment)
- 4 ocean dives
And you’re open water certified — meaning you can dive anywhere in the world (with a guide!) upto 18m. The whole thing takes 3 days. You get certified either by PADI or SSI. The certifications are interchangeable so you can go anywhere. For eg I got SSI open water, and PADI AOW.
I highly recommend you do your theory and pool sessions at home city so you don’t need to waste valuable vacation time poring over bouyancy theory :) Will be 2k-3k more expensive but worth it, IMHO.
I recommend you get an advanced certification — it gives you extra skills and allows you to dive till 30m. I also suggest getting a Nitrox certification, you’ll breathe a special mix of gas that allows you to stay underwater longer. For most recreational divers, OW + AOW + Nitrox is more than enough. I don’t plan to do any other certifications — you honestly need more only if you plan to become a professional diver / guide. You don’t need to do all three together.
Scuba diving consists of:
- Loads of equipment. Nothing to be scared of. Nothing you need to buy immediately — all shops will rent them to you or include in the price of the training / dive (You can buy stuff later though. I’ve bought my own fins and mask)
- Getting onto a boat / ship
- Getting to the dive spot and having your dives, led by a divemaster.
What you can expect to see
Oh boy. Marine life, big and small. Loads of crazy plants. Maybe a wreck or two. Sometimes, artificial reefs and deliberately sunken vessels. There is just SO much to see and experience underwater.
“The dive spot may be the same, but no two dives are ever the same” — a very experienced diver, who gave us this sage line before our 5th ever dive back in 2013.
Is it safe?
Diving is a super safe sport. There are an incredible number of checks and safety procedures that happen. Please dive with a place that is affiliated either to PADI or SSI since standards are maintaned. There are equipment checks before you get into the water, and mandatory ascent when you’re low on air. In 10 years of diving, I’ve never seen anything happen to anyone I’ve dived with. The worst that’s happened to me was a mistake of my own making.
Where to dive in India
- In India, the best place is the Andamans. I’ve dived with DiveIndia who are lovely folks. They have great rates and a hilarious website too.
- I haven’t dived Lakshadweep but have reason to believe that’s good too.
- Pondi is the best diving on the mainland. Temple Adventures runs a damn good shop.
- Goa is… missable but if you’re in the place and curious, you can give it a try. Barracuda Diving.
Where to dive near India
- Thailand would be my #1 recommendation — it’s cheap to get to, there are MANY sites to dive and of course there’s lot else to do other than diving. I’ve done Koh Tao and love the island (it’s among the most popular destinations in the world for diving) and the Similan Islands are gorgeous (wife dived there)
- Sri Lanka is decent, plus a nice place to visit other than diving.
- Philippines was very good. Though slightly more expensive to get to.
- The Maldives is also a dream destination for diving, though it can be expensive there — not just the diving. Also, would not recommend it for beginners since the currents are pretty strong.
- Indonesia has SO much to offer in terms of diving. Being a sprawling country, it’s difficult to pin it down. I’ve dived in Bali and that would be a top recommendation since it’s a tourist-friendly place and the waters are calm. Raja Ampat is supposed to have among the best diving in the world and is a dream destination for me (but also very far and expensive to get to. There are several other places renowned for various kinds of diving.
Highlights from a Koh Tao diving trip (2023)
Highlights from a Maldives diving trip (2022)
Other questions you may have
I can’t swim — can I dive?
Yes. In fact, when learning diving, you need to unlearn a lot of swimming things. The benefit knowing swimming gives you is comfort in the water. That’s it. So yes, from that standpoint it certainly helps. Plus, good diving usually happens in remote islands with great waters in which you might wanna have a dip.
Is it expensive?
Not gonna lie, it is. Certification is 20–25k; and fun diving is 2k-5k per depending on package/where. So if you’re really into diving, the bills can rack up. But then if you become like us, you’ll plan your entire trip (itinerary and budgets) around this. We normally stay in budgetish places and skip expensive activities so we can dive more :)
Do I need to buy equipment?
Not immediately. You can choose to do so later. Won’t complicate you with the what, why, etc right now. As a beginner, it’s sufficient to know whoever you dive with will rent you equipment. That’s how we ourselves dived for 9 years.
I have __ physical condition — can I dive?
You will need to get this checked. If you have a breathing / ear / nose problem you might not be able to. It’s a good idea to go to a GP before you dive, and in any case a good dive school will give you a comprehensive questionnaire. Be warned — in diving, safety takes precedence, so you may not be allowed to dive. I was once not allowed to dive because I had a blocked ear. Thankfully it was in Pondi and an ENT solved the problem for me.
Can I take my phone underwater to take photos?
Not on its own, and a ₹500 waterproof case won’t help. There’s immense pressure underwater, and electronics need to be protected properly. If you plan to take photos underwater, you will need either:
- A GoPro with a dive housing (this is a great choice, but GoPros get outdated soon and unless you use the GoPro for something else, can be an expensive buy)
- A smartphone dive housing (this is my preferred method. You can fit ANY smartphone into one of these, making them futureproof. Of course it depends on how comfortable you are taking your phone underwater to begin with. I use the Sealife Sportdiver, which has taken all the pics above + the Koh Tao videos)
- A super-expensive DSLR housing for a DSLR — this is the pro option, and unless you’re really into photography or doing things professionally, don’t need this option. It will be super bulky as well.
Many dive shops rent GoPros and casings. So I’d say stick with that, and decide if you want to get into underwater photography at all. Because of the challenging lighting / stability underwater, it can be very difficult to capture good photos.
If you have other questions, lemme know and I’ll answer them. Hope this helps — and welcome to a beautiful underwater world!
