Scuba diving is without a doubt one of the coolest things I have ever done. To be honest, I never thought I would actually try it. Not because I wasn't interested (I was very interested!), but because it felt like an inaccessible hobby. Between the expensive equipment and expensive training, it felt like too large of an investment for something I'd never done and wasn't even sure I would like. If only there were some way I could try diving first, before committing to it...
Our try dive at Adelaide Scuba
Try Dive
When I saw that Adelaide Scuba had a try dive available for just $40, I couldn't say no. I'm a sucker for new experiences, and breathing underwater (even if that water is in a pool) is definitely a new experience.
The try dive struck a good balance: it wasn't overly technical, but it also wasn't so casual that it didn't give a proper idea of what scuba diving is like. I came out of the try dive with one main feeling: I want to be a scuba diver.
I definitely recommend the try dive to anyone who is on the fence about scuba diving. It's a low cost taste test for such an amazing hobby (and as of writing this, it is still $40 at Adelaide Scuba).
Our class photo after completing our certification
PADI Open Water Diver Certification
Just a few months after our try dive, we were signed up for the certification class. The class is done over two pretty intense weekends. The first weekend is in the classroom and the pool, learning and practicing the essential skills. The second weekend is in the ocean.
No one really had a problem with the theory. It's pretty straightforward, and our instructor Brenton did a good job of keeping it interesting and engaging.
The actual diving is, of course, the highlight of the course, and I'd be lying if I said it was anything less than incredible. It was also exhausting. The Saturday of the second weekend is spent doing two shore dives, which involves walking to the end of a long jetty, carrying all your gear (which in my case included 12 kg of weights). I highly recommend a hand trolley. That night, I legitimately slept from 7 pm to 6 am. (Also I got sunburnt, because I'm dumb. Wear sunscreen!) The second day of the second weekend is boat diving, which is great because the boat does the travelling to the dive site for you.
That weekend of scuba diving is one of the hardest things I've done, but also one of the most rewarding. It was all worth it to be able to experience the feeling of weightlessness, to be surrounded by schools of gorgeous fish, and to swim over a shipwreck.
I feel pretty confident saying if I, an unfit and overweight geek, can do it, anyone can, and I definitely recommend you give it a shot.~