If you're short on time, but really want to become a diver, the PADI Scuba Diver course might be what you're looking for!
The PADI Scuba Diver course is a new offering at the Two Oceans Aquarium Dive School, suitable for new divers, bridging the gap between the Discover Scuba Diving one-day experience for the scuba-curious, and the comprehensive PADI Open Water Diver course which some people struggle to fit into a busy schedule.
In short - the PADI Scuba Diver Course is a two-day course, with some self-study, that takes you from zero diving experience to being a rated diver that is able to dive when accompanied by a PADI professional to a depth of 12m practically anywhere in the world. Like any scuba qualification, this is a licence for the rest of your life, and you can refresh your skills, or take new courses as you like going forward!
The PADI Scuba Diver course is regarded as a subset of the PADI Open Water rating. That means that If you do the PADI Scuba Diver course with us and would like to "upgrade" to the full PADI Open Water Diver, you can simply take the additional course components you need, rather than do all the training again.
Let's take a look at what the course involves:
You'll start off by learning basic scuba diving concepts - what equipment do you need, what are the emergency procedures, how do you communicate underwater? You'll learn these through a series of online lessons that you can take at your convenience before your practical sessions, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and review your knowledge with your instructors.
The first day of your practical session will take place in the training pool of the Aquarium's Dive School. But, before you hop in it's time to get familiar with your equipment. 5mm Reef wetsuit - check! Bright Weights weight belt - check! Divetek regulator - check!
You'd have learned the basics in the e-learning section, but now you'll get hands-on and figure out how everything fits, what weights and wetsuits work for you, and how to fit everything together. A safe dive is a good dive!
Then it's time to hop into the pool. Over the course of three pool sessions, you'll go from the basics of getting comfortable with submerging yourself underwater and breathing through your scuba regulators, to learning how to swim, control your buoyancy, and how to recover from mishaps like a fin falling off, water getting into your mask, or having to lend a dive buddy your secondary air source.
Day two of the course takes you out of the pool, into the Aquarium's large I&J Ocean Exhibit. In this increased space, you'll put all your basic skills into practice at greater depth and for a longer time (and have some fun in the process). Swim with increased confidence, and learn how to recover from all sorts of hazards. Most importantly, here you'll learn how to properly control your buoyancy and trim - skills you'll need to fully enjoy every dive!
And that's it! You're now PADI Scuba Diver rated, and are able to join PADI professional guides anywhere in the world (including the beautiful waters around Cape Town) for guided explorations. And, whenever you're ready, you can come back and finish the PADI Open Water course - and begin planning your own scuba diving adventures!
