The Scuba Diving Roadmap: Explained

This is a recap of the articles on scuba diving that I have written so far. In case you haven’t realized, the articles are actually connected to each other. I have been laying out the ROADMAP to scuba diving all along – no secret and no hidden agendas.

Note that the FUN part of your journey to scuba diving has finally arrived after going through all the learning processes, equipments selections and the last bit is the diving holiday part.

Before we continue, I have always been assuming that you are a non-diver who is embarking on a journey that will change the way you look at life forever: the scuba diving journey. A journey that is SAFE, fun-filled, thrilling, full of adventures, meet new people and many more. You name it, we got it BUT be sensible of course.

But, if you are a certified diver, active and may be holding professional credential(s), than these articles might remind you of your own journey. How and when and why did you decide to take up scuba diving and the kind of lifestyle you are living now.

There are 7 articles, presented in orderly fashion, for this roadmap. Lets see what we’ve covered so far:

Article #1: Your SCUBA Journey: It begins here

In this article, I wrote about the events in life that will eventually lead you to getting involved in scuba diving. I call this as an “invitation article” to join the divers club. An invitation to the deep.

There are examples of how you actually came to know or heard of scuba diving. These processes can be true for many but may not be for some – in general.

Article #2: How To Get Certified As Scuba Diver

This article presented the important key points you need to do in order to get certified as a scuba diver. You MUST take a moment to evaluate the key points prior to any training. They are:

• Find a reputable dive shop: good track record
• Price
• What’s Included
• Paperwork
• Certifying Agency
• Course Schedule

Do remember, your goal here is to get trained and become a certified scuba diver. BUT the ultimate goal is to get quality training. So evaluating all of the key points above will help you tremendously.

Article #3: Own Vs Rental: Diving Equipments

There will come a moment where you will consider buying your own scuba equipments. You might be contemplating whether to get their own or just rent those gears.

The key points discussed are:

• Comfort
• Investment
• Familiarity
• Excess Baggage
• Personal Preferences

The advantages and disadvantages of Own and Rental are discussed in this article. You many use this guide if you are unsure or for any other reasons. There are aspects highlighted in this article that you may want to seriously consider but remember one thing: the final decision is yours.

Article #4: Scuba Gear: Which One To Buy First

The most asked questions we, as Divemasters or Instructors, get from newly certified divers is “which gears should I buy first?”. Now, this article actually listed the piece of equipments you could buy in order of priority.

You may opt to purchase the most basic gears first. By doing this you are going to add more fun in the learning process or while trying to gain more experience because you will be more comfortable and adapt faster in your own gears.

As you read more, you may see that the article actually covered only those necessary gears that a typical diver should buy. Take note we did not discuss about buying your own tanks, weights, air compressor and so on because most of these are provided by the diving operators that you are going to dive with in the future. Further more, those piece of equipments require special care and service – not mentioning their weights and how bulky they are .

Article #5: 5 Devices To Add Safety & Fun To Scuba Diving

This article explained the 5 most important signaling devices that a diver should carry on every dive. Although it is not a compulsory-to-have devices, it is strongly recommended to get at least one and carry with you on every single dive.

Knowing that you have some kind of signaling device, so that you can communicate with others, can contribute to the fun of every dive you will be making in the future. The most important message in this article is that these devices might help save your life in emergency situations. Safety is ranked number one - the priority - in any scuba diving related activity. No matter where you will be diving – in the sea, lake on the mountains, river or query. Where ever. When ever.

Key points:

• Surface Marker Buoy (aka Safety Float or Tube or Balloon)
• Dive Alert/Horn (underwater & surface)
• Dive Light (aka dive lamp, torch light)
• Dive Knife
• Dive Pointer: Stainless Steel

Article #6: Top Diving Destinations: Dive BORNEO (Malaysia)

This is an example of what you can do as a certified diver. You want to maximize your diving experience. You want to add more numbers to your diving logbook. For this to materialize, you need to have some sort of plan to go diving somewhere – not necessarily in Borneo. It is only fair for me to promote diving in Borneo because I am from the Malaysian part of Borneo: Sabah “The Land Below The Wind”.

This is the FUN part of scuba diving and as you can see by now; they always come last. There are processes or lets say the “No Pain No Gain” process in what ever it is that you are letting yourself involve in. In scuba diving, the pain is going through each steps of the learning process and spending more money and time to buy your own preferred diving equipments. The gain part is the ability to explore different parts of the world – the privilege to dive the best dive sites. And there are thousands of best diving destinations to choose from.

Once the FUN part kicked in, you are going to reach places that you’ve never dreamt of before. And there is no more stopping from that point onwards. Word of CAUTION: Scuba diving is VERY ADDICTIVE – the level of adrenalin pumping in will and can be controlled by only you and you alone. Have fun!

Article #7: How To Avoid Unnecessary Stress While On Diving Holiday

You can use the guidelines presented in this article to fine tune your diving experience. Although simple and brief, the articles highlighted the most important points to consider so you can avoid unnecessary stress while on diving holiday.

• Failure to do a complete research
• Failure to shift into “Holiday Mode”
• Improper planning

Please note that the key points written in this article are of those commonly observed among divers while they are on diving vacations. I must point out that most divers are well prepared and information-equipped and therefore they are able to have fun and make use of their time to the fullest.

I hope this recap article of the scuba diving roadmap will help you in any way possible. Please leave your comments below if you wish to do so. It really doesn’t matter if you are a diver or not and whichever group of divers you fall in – share your thoughts. Who knows a little bit of information or even a single question might help others in a mighty way.

Related posts:

1. New Diver: To Get To Know Your Options