I had the greatest dilemma ever while studying abroad…….. to learn how to surf or to scuba dive?!?!?!
Normally, I’d say BOTH! But I was tight on time and weather (and money–it’s tough being a college student!), and ultimately, with my roommate on board and a wicked awesome scuba diving club on campus, I chose to get my scuba diving license. As a prerequisite, you need to know how to swim and not be claustrophobic (jk… sorta).
We got a great deal through our campus club at the local SSI scuba diving shop. Now, after I’ve scuba dived in other countries, I would say it’s more worth it to get your PADI certification, but luckily, my SSI transferred over when I went for my advanced license. To get our beginners “Open Water” license, we needed to take classes, study up, and do 5 dives. It’s good to learn in a place where it actually is cold because then it makes it easier when you do swim in cold locations!
Tip #1: Don’t eat lunch right before you go diving! At our lessons, we had this one guy who ate falafel before scuba, and then proceeded to use his lunch underwater to attract all the fish nearby to us…. if you get what I mean. Thank goodness he was always at the end of the pack!
Tip #2: Don’t freak out when you freak out your first time underwater. Both my roommate and I were really nervous our first times fully submerging underwater. We quickly went back up, but after a quick pep talk with each other, we gave it another go, and it was much easier the second time around. We’re both glad that we didn’t scare ourselves out of an amazing activity.
Tip #3: Go on trips!!! The scuba diving community is really awesome, diverse, and adventurous! Everyone I’ve met who frequently scuba dives is free spirited and well-traveled. They’re friendly, cool, and a whole lot of fun to spend overnights with! If you get your license, go on a couple of trips wherever you can! It’s well worth it.
Now I’ve been able to dive the Great Barrier Reef, Malaysia, Bali (which is amaze-balls), Philippines, the Caribbean, and it continues to be an exciting activity I look forward to and anticipate as I travel to locations with reefs, shipwrecks, and cool underwater creatures.