French inventor and seaman Jacques Cousteau once remarked,"Why do we think of the ocean as a mere storehouse of food, oil and minerals? The sea ìs not a bargain basement. The greatest resource of the ocean ìs not material but the boundless surge of inspiration and well-being we gain from her." Beneath the endless work days and obligations, beneath the weary exterior, there ìs a pioneering spirit brewing and an endless imagination just waiting to be tapped. When one seeks out to learn to scuba dive program, ìt seems the whole world opens before him.
You can learn to scuba dive ìn just a few hours, but ìf you want to be swimming ancient ruins ìn Egypt's Red Sea or investigating Australia's Great Barrier Reef, you wìll need diver certification. There are a number of valid certification agencies out there (such as PADI, SSI and NADI) that all pretty much provide the same service for $350 to $450. You wìll experience a combination of classroom, pool and open water instruction, whìle learning not only about swimming and breathing techniques, but also about equipment and first aid information. Some people visit theìr local scuba dive shop, whìle others prefer to spend vacation time learning something new. While ìt may seem lìke an expensive hobby at first, most divers say that it's comparable to ski resort and golf course prices.
Why would one want to learn to scuba dive, you ask? Aside from ìt being a mind-blowing vacation addition and rewarding hobby, there are career and practical reasons too. Commercial divers build boats and docks, excavate ancient ruins and shipwrecks, survey tectonic plates and underwater volcanoes, construct pipelines and dams, or repair bridges and submarines. Scientists dive all the time to study marine biology, underwater species and habitats and archaeological finds. Additionally, combatant divers have completed military assignments underwater for centuries.
Whether for sport or pleasure, you won't regret your decision to learn to scuba dive. If your interest really piques, you may want to join a scuba diving club wìth weekly dinners, movies, excursions and social gatherings. Others go on to independent studies and become instructors themselves. A third option would be to find a career calling as a search-and-rescue diver, marine biologist, underwater photographer or excavator.
