This document talk about the diving tips and tricks. Open the attach (PDF) file Scuba Diving Tips.pdf to read the document.

Enjoy it!!

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the world's largest certifying agency. PADI was "born" in 1966 and its parents are John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. PADI's roots, however, go farther back.

Erickson was a champion swimmer, lifeguard, and respected diver. As a Chicago diver, he was tempted to go through the Chicago YMCA's instructor certification but for various reasons he never went through the program. Then, in 1960, the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) held its first course during the Underwater Society of America convention in Houston, Texas. He became one of only a few to pass the week long marathon ICC. He returned to Chicago and began certifying divers under the NAUI name. Many of his trainees were those who couldn't complete the rigorous YMCA course.

Cronin was a manufacturers' representative for US Divers for the Midwest and Canada. Cronin and Erickson became acquainted through the Illinois Divers Association. They would discuss the possibilities of staring their own certifying agency but wanted to wait for the right time.

The night that the "time became right" was just after Cronin had driven from Chicago to Peoria, Illinois to give a lecture at a NAUI ICC. The trip was long, on bad roads, and takes three hours. When Cronin arrived to give his presentation he learned that the course had been cancelled. He was furious and the first thing he did when he returned to Chicago was to call Erickson and set up a time to meet.

On the following Tuesday night, they met at Erickson's apartment and formulated the new agency. It would be the first "for-profit" certifying agency. They bantered about names and formulated the name PADI ­ Professional Association of Diving Instructors. After Cronin's experience, the word Professional was his main requirement. Erickson had a background in mechanical drawing so he drew the PADI logo with help from a friend of his.

The main new difference between the PADI program and that of LACO and NAUI was that PADI went away from the single course for certification. They developed the certification levels standard in the industry today.

As with all of the major agencies, PADI was not founded in a vacuum. They based some of their program on that used by other agencies but also developed new and innovative programs that would revolutionize the industry and help build them into the largest agency in the world. Erickson has left the day-to-day operations of PADI but Cronin remains at the helm of the agency.

The 10 things you can do to make your dive more fun!!! (for certified diver only…)

1. Choose your dive equipment properly…

Not the brand, the price, nor the style that should be your the top priority in selecting your equipment- it’s the fit and suitability; just imagine – small muscle to drive large fins…?, expensive mask that leak…? (Why? Because the mask doesn’t fit your face, not the price), 30 minutes to put on a wetsuit for a ‘hot bath-tub type’ diving environment…? Go to a dive shop that thinks for your comfort and not their products when doing a purchase.

2. If you are not comfortable, you simply oversee all the fun…

What is comfort? It’s your state of being; physical and emotional – Equalizing problem? Get more information about clarinase, and latest diving ear-plug; get more exercise if you are too weak to breath properly underwater; get to know your body well – headaches, stomach aches, seasickness… get a solution rather than getting over it. How are you psychologically? Confront it; get a solution from a professional or from an experienced diver (not those pretend-to-be-experienced divers).

3. Your last dive is more than 6 months ago…

Then do a swimming pool dive before the trip; always do a ‘check out dive’ the first time you enter the water in the dive site – it’s your choice of ‘wasting’ one dive, or ruining the whole dive trip. Let the dive operator know if you are nervous – nothing to be ashamed about; unless you think that it’s more important than your life.

4. Choose your dive buddy(ies) properly, its who you are diving with that matters most…

The dive master is not the most important person in your dive, your buddy is – imagine a dive master supervising 4 divers (and some up to 12 divers), now imagine two of them having minor problems that takes up his / her attention – who is looking after you now? If you are both new divers, then look for a simple dive site and enjoy the dive! As stated in NO. 2, if you are not comfortable, you simply oversee all the fun, even if you are at the best dive site in the world! Please refer to ‘The diver personality profile’ for further study.

5. But dive site does matter too… J

Different sites provide different dive experiences – please refer to ‘What a great diving experience’ provided with this small booklet. It’s the discovery that makes us grow and love the activity; same as life.

6. Know the surrounding you are in…

Diving is just a tool to the underwater world. Knowing the dive site and the things that you can see will certainly increase the fun factor of your dive – the fish behavior, where to find them, the logic behind the patterns and shapes…

7. Diving is safe fun; safe comes before fun

Yes, safe before fun, as stated in No.2. Please refer to ‘Safe – Fun, How?’ for the information

8. Understand what buoyancy control is! I mean, really UNDERSTAND it

Diving is not only about entering the water, sink to the bottom, inflate BCD, swim till the end of a dive, deflate BCD, kick to maintain buoyancy level, and finally ascent… it’s about the control of buoyancy using the lungs, with the BCD only as an adjustment tool. Get the right weight, get the confidence of lung volume control and breathing, get the feeling of weightless and how breathing affects your buoyancy in the water (if you’ve just started to realize this- please perform the exercise in shallow and safe water) – when you feel right (a state of weightlessness in the water), then that’s buoyancy control! Refer to No. 2 again.

9. What myths in diving? Never heard of it before…

Sharks? Cases about accidents? Boat crash? Poisonous marine life? Ear rupture? Missing divers? The accident rate of recreational diving is as ‘bad’ as bowling (the record was during my instructor’s course, 5 years ago), and now many insurance agency started to accept recreational diving under the coverage policy – but the risk is still there – it’s about Safe – Fun, and not about all the stories you’ve heard! Find out the real story behind all these ‘myth’, is even more fun!

10. Oh… make sure you are certified; and qualified before considering the above 9 things you can do…

Yes, certified; but are you qualified? Because as a diver, it’s your responsibility to make other divers feel fun too! Or at least, not to ruin their holiday! If the entire team (including you and me) make sure everything runs well, then it’s real fun.