Channel also have been telling me stories on how great it us to do it, but not really forcing me to do it. While Radj did actually organize a dive for me and his friends, and I was really game to do it!
With this, I’ve decided to share with you my very own guide just in case you were like me.
Please note that this is not a course, I didn’t get the course, I just got the basic, and the discover scuba diving (which I’ll talk about in another post). It’s a bit pricey for me to get a course but I’m thinking about getting one, I just need the money and the time to get it.
This guide is not about how to get it and the process, and all. This scuba diving guide is for someone who wants to do it, or will be doing it and want to know what to do, what to expect, and should you freak out by now – please don’t.
But before giving you all the question and answers, you might want to check out my video first to see my first time to do it to give you a full view of the experience.
First Time Scuba Diving Q&A
This will be in a form of question and answer so you’d find your questions easily when you want to review it or share it with someone. Please note, I’m not an expert, or a certified diver as I am writing this, I am just like you but I’ve just recently tried scuba diving for the very first time and as a Cebu travel blog I'd like to share these with you.What is scuba diving like?
Learning it is like you’ve been reborn again. You don’t have any idea how to breathe underwater, or swim (in my case) and even maintain your buoyancy. But don’t get me wrong, we learned the basic skills in just few hours, we started around 2pm and ended around 4-5pm, and we were not just learning for those hours, by the time we know the basics like hand signals, breathing, etc. they taught us how to swim by just moving our feet (which is all about the hips).
So we did swim and dive a bit deeper when we’re able to get used to everything, and then when we did go up, we’re already far from the shore where we started. Didn’t freak out though because I know I can float, and there are awesome divers around me.
It’s so peaceful down there, no yelling, and the water is calming too. And the fish, they all look so cute! And you see creatures you’ve never seen before.
Scuba diving vs. Snorkeling
Snorkeling is also fun, but scuba diving is a lot more fun.
Do you need to know how to swim for scuba diving or require you to know how to swim?
I actually thought that you need to know how to swim, but I was wrong. Do you know that a lot of scuba divers, and even certified divers or even dive masters don’t know how to swim at first? Well, of course they needed to know how when they got their license.
Hope that answers your question.
What do you need to go scuba diving for the first time?
The courage to do it. You don’t need to buy anything, the dive shop will provide you with the things you need. As for us, all I have on me except for my shorts and rashguard, is provided by the dive shop, the Divelink in Malapascua Cebu.
How deep can you dive for the first time?
When we’re still learning the basics, I can actually just stand there, so it’s about 5 feet and 5 inches? Just few inches above my head, that’s why we’re kneeling down, and there was a part that I’m sitting down because I was trying to calm down and just breathe through my mouth.
How do scuba divers breathe underwater?
Through the mouth, the regulator (the one that it’s on the mouth) actually gives the air and can release the air. I’m not used with it, so that’s why I actually take the time and just relax and listen to my breathing, and I did it!
What is the age limit for scuba diving?
There are junior scuba divers, at the minimum age of 10, and I’m 28.
How old do you have to be to go scuba diving?
You should be at least 10, and there’s no maximum age. As long as you are still capable to do it, then so you can!
Where do I go to scuba dive?
Go to the dive shop, look for a dive shop. But actually, there’s a dive shop about 5 minutes away from my place (because I live in an island) but I did go to Malapascua that is almost 4 hours away from where I live just to do this, because I’ve heard it’s best to learn and do it in Malapascua for the first time – and they’re right.
Why learn to scuba dive in Malapascua island?
I really don’t know how to answer the question, since I’ve done 2 dives there, but I did saw some corals, a lot of fish, but one of the reasons why I loved my experience there is because of the people, the divers, the teachers I’m with. They’re awesome! They make you feel like you’re just diving with friends.
But Radj can answer the question for you since he have been diving there a lot of times, and in the morning they woke up very early to see the sharks, here’s his reason why you should learn to scuba dive in Malapascua “Because it's paradise. And the marine life is great!”
Did you dive right away and see the corals?
Nope, we spent majority of our time at the shore, learn the basics like breathing, regulator recovery, buoyancy, etc. then spent few minutes swimming around.
I don’t want to jump off the boat, what to do?
I was actually not confident to jump off the boat. There’s a ladder, so I actually just walk down.
You don’t have to be ashamed to tell them that, Anna and Emilia who have been patient and awesome in teaching me how to dive told us that there’s no pressure, it’s best if we can jump so we know how to do it, but if we really can’t then we can go for the easier way to do it.
How hard it is to learn to scuba dive, from 1 to 10 and 10 as the hardest?
Ahm. Err.. 1? It’s not hard, you can solve the problems (e.g. clearing of your mask) with practice. Listen to the instruction, the divers your with will help you resolve the issue so you’ll enjoy diving like they did, like I did.
I think that’s pretty much it, but if you have more questions about my first time in scuba diving please let me know through leaving your questions as a comment below. I’ll try to answer it and update the post with your question.
First Time Scuba Diving Tips
As your Cebu travel blogger in service and when you decided that you'll do it, and go scuba diving for the first time, here's some tips.Listen to the instructions from the dive master(s).
Don’t be hard headed, don’t be arrogant, listen to them, they’ve been doing it and certified to teach you how to do it, so listen to them. Plus, never hesitate to ask them questions to clarify things.
Never hold your breath.
Dennis actually have been repeating this. You don’t have to hold your breath because there’s air provided through your tank, going through your mouth, all you need to do is breathe.
Listen to your breathing
This is one of the hard part for me, that’s why I was sitting down there and just listen to my breathing. Make myself get used with it, and it worked. Just relax, there’s no pressure, the divers your with do understand that you’re not used with it, so just relax, take your time, and breathe.
What to bring on your dive?
Here are some things I suggest for you to bring on your first dive, or on your every dive.Water
After the dive, you’ll surely look for water. The next day we were down there for about 30 minutes and while diving I’m already thirsty, and my mouth is drying up, so I just drank my own saliva. LOL.
Clothes or at least a shirt
Removing your wet suit after the dive is advisable because it can be cold, and is colder with it. As for me, I was wearing my rash guard and it was cold for me.
Underwater Camera
As for me, I have my GoPro Hero 4 Silver with me with 32GB SD card in it. If you have a filter, go and have it. I regret not putting it on.
That's pretty much it. But first let me give my biggest thanks to Divelink in Malapascua Island, to Dennis, Anna, Emilia, Seth, and Radj! If you are interested to try out diving and love to come to Malapascua, then go to them. I highly recommend them!
Got some more tips or questions? Please leave it as a comment below so we can talk about it with everyone in this travel blog and I’ll try my best to respond as soon as I can! Till the next dive!
Divelink Cebu - Malapascua
www.DiveLinkCebu.com
Phone: (032) 412-7121
Mobile: 0917-321-3836
Email: divelinkcebu@yahoo.com
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