What is SCUBA ?

SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It is the equipment developed by the world famous underwater explorer and conservationist - Jacques Cousteau together with Emile Gagnan in the mid forties for the French navy during the Second World War. After the war, diving turned into a recreational sport which has since been taken up by millions worldwide.

What are the requirements to learn diving ?

Recreational diving is a sport that requires a reasonable degree of physical fitness. One should be able to swim 200 metres continously and tread water for 10 minutes for Open Water Certification and above. A reasonable command of english is helpful as the courses involve a basic understanding of Physics, Physiology, Environment, etc. Enthusiasm is a major plus !! The minimum age is 10 years and there is no upper limit.

Who are the major certification agencies ?

PADI (Professional association of Diving Instructors), BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club), NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), SSI (Scuba Schools International), CMAS (French Diving Federation) and various small clubs teach and certify divers.

PADI is by far the largest international organisation teaching recreational scuba diving and with a market share of approx. 80%, the clear leader worldwide. PADI was incorporated in the early 1970s and is based in Santa Clara, California, USA. To date PADI has certified in excess of 12 Million divers worldwide.
For more information about PADI , Click here.

Why dive ?

The only answer to this question is - Why Not ? There is truly no greater "high" than an exhilarating dive in crystal clear waters with plenty of colourful coral and fish !!

Diving offers different things to different people. The list includes appreciating nature at its colourful best, marine conservation, photography, exploring shipwrecks, observing and studying sealife, navigation, search and rescue, etc.

Primarily, diving is a social sport and generally divers tend to be a very easy going lot who make a lot of friends without hang-ups about colour, caste, race, etc.

Isn't diving dangerous ?

Definitely - if you are not properly qualified or ignore the rules. If, on the other hand, you are properly qualified, follow all the basic rules and act responsibly, it is much safer than trying to cross the street in most major cities during rush hour !! The only REAL danger of diving is that you get addicted to it !!

What about SHARKS ?

What about them ? Approximately 5 million sharks were killed by humans in 1998 alone - intentionally or unintentionally as opposed to a handful of shark attacks on people in the last decade !! Try and figure out who is more dangerous !!

Divers have something more to worry about than sharks - themselves !! Most diving accidents happen due to the errors made by divers than due to attacks by marine animals. While it is true that sharks are voracious eaters, the following facts must be taken into account :

- There are more than 375 species of sharks of which only a few have been involved in human attacks.

- Humans are not the natural prey of sharks and they generally tend to avoid all contact with humans.

- Attacks on humans have been very rare and have mostly been a case of mistaken identity or provocation on the part of divers. Most of the time the sharks have mistaken the divers to be their primary food source - seals.

In conclusion, Jaws has portrayed a very wrong picture of these magnificient creatures which are an extremely important link in the food chain of the oceans. While it would be foolhardy to treat them as docile pets, they should certainly not be thought of as mindless monsters waiting for you to jump in the water !!