If you're not sure you want to learn to dive or just want a quick taster of what is to come in the Open Water course <link> the Discover Scuba Diving program is for you.

What is Discover Scuba Diving?

Discover Scuba Diving is PADI's program that allows those interested in scuba diving to experience what it's like to dive by completing some basic training and completing one or more dives under the close, direct supervision of a professional. The experience usually takes somewhere between a few hours and two days. Most dive training agencies offer a similar trial program.

Who can enroll?

The only requirements are that you're at least 10 years old, are in good health with no major health problems, and of course you should have an interest in diving.

What does the program qualify you to do?

If you've just decided to learn to dive you've made an excellent decision and if you're not quite sure yet, let me help you make an excellent decision. Let's have a look at everything you need to know about learning to dive.

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What courses are available?

Introductory courses can be as brief as a half day trial in a swimming pool all the way through to full certification. Courses may have slightly different names but they are generally versions of the below courses:

Discover Scuba Diving A brief half day or more introduction to diving. This course provides a first experience of scuba diving under the watchful eye of a scuba professional.

Scuba Diver The Scuba Diver course is an abbreviated Open Water Course that is commonly taken by people who either don't have enough time do a full Open Water Course or who don't need a certification for the type of diving that they enjoy.

Open Water Diver The Open Water course is the most common course and a full introduction to scuba diving. The course takes 3 days or more and once you complete it you'll be certified for life and ready to go on to further training and a lifetime of great diving.

Where should I learn?

According to Wikipedia, buddy system is a procedure in which two people, operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. In adventurous or dangerous activities, where the buddies are often equals, the main benefit of the system is improved safety.

In short, a dive buddy is a diver's dive partner.  What kind of diver ?, should be a well trained, competent and self sufficient diver and it works both ways.

Unfortunately many have come to depend on their buddy to compensate for their own lack of skills. Buddy system is an effort to share responsibilities equally, becoming a buddy is about accepting responsibility. Responsible to equipment, training (skill level), experience, dive planning, personal fitness and health. Besides responsibility, it takes commitment to stay together (within arms length) so in case of an emergency, a buddy can react quickly. What type  of emergency? mainly related to air supply.

Problem can also  occur when one buddy is more experienced. When the less experienced buddy relies on the other buddy, the more experienced buddy may feel that he/she carries the burden of the less experienced buddy, thus, has the tendency to leave his/her buddy. Furthermore, in some cases, they usually dominate the less experienced buddy while diving and of course, diving would not be a good experience if that happens.

 Finding a good buddy is not an easy thing to do. How many times  you joined a trip and end up paired up with a diver that you don't have a clue about  his/ her diving history (training and experience). And for the rest of the trip the buddies practice the cat and mouse buddy system or same day same ocean buddy system. When no emergency situation occur then you will probably repeat the same experience on your next dive trip, or if something goes wrong and your buddy did not react like you expected then maybe you will blame your buddy or quit diving.

So the actual problem is not your buddy, because the answer lies within ourselves. You have to start to think that you are your best buddy. I'm not telling you to start Solo Diving,  N O ! . What you have to do is to conduct a self evaluation, ask yourself these questions : Are you comfortable while diving ? Have you mastered  buoyancy control ? Able to clear your mask effortlessly? Can you equalize easily ? Are you fit enough ? Is your diving equipment well maintained and seaworthy? If  your answer is Yes to all the questions above, then I'm sure you are good enough to become anyone's buddy, but if you answer no to one or more questions, then I suggest you to go back to your Instructor and tell them your problems. I'm sure your Instructor should be able to figure out the best solution(s) for you. 

Remember the  best buddies are those that can take care of themselves !

Scuba diving is swimming underwater using SCUBA - Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Using a cylinder of compressed gas to breathe (usually air, but sometimes other gases), scuba divers can stay underwater much longer than would be possible by just holding their breath - for hours or even days!

With the assistance of equipment such as scuba masks, breathing regulators, buoyancy devices, fins, and gauges scuba divers can explore the underwater world. Modern scuba diving is very safe and easy to learn. All basic skills can be learned in as little as three days.

Scuba diving is a sport that is practiced recreationally all around the world and can even be a profession. There are many diving jobs such as recreational divemaster and instructor, commercial diver, police diver, scientific diver, and military diver.

Why do people scuba dive?

 Do you want to understand more about our aquatic ecosystems and know what to do to help protect aquatic resources ? If the answer is "YES" then the PADI Project AWARE is the right course for you, its a nondiving course that contains only classroom presentations, no dives are required. 

To support PADI Project AWARE you can simply sign in as a volunteer during our Environmental Activities such as during the International Clean Up Day or Earth Day or you can do some more by donate some amount of money to Project AWARE Foundation. To get more information please visit  www.projectaware.org

 PADI founded Project AWARE (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsible and Education) in 1989, PADI was the first training organization to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the aquatic environment, the Project AWARE Foundation. Three goals of Project AWARE are : Awareness, Responsibility and Education.