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Scuba: Getting hooked
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December 24, 1999: 12:15 p.m. ET
Certification classes are stressing flexibility for today's busy students
By Staff Writer Shelly K. Schwartz
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Bernie Mulcahy was short on time.
The 30-something product manager for a Northern California software company had vowed to get his scuba certification before he went on vacation. But he never signed up for the course and now his trip to the Virgin Islands was just weeks away.
"I procrastinated," he said. "I had about a month left and that's how long the full-session certification classes take."
Mulcahy knew the hotel resort offered one-day classes, but it allowed students to dive only once with an instructor. He also knew the training class would waste the better part of an afternoon.
"You don't want to sit in the classroom and watch training slides on your vacation," he said. "Plus the cost is usually double at those resorts."
Source: PADI
Instead, Mulcahy signed up for a crash course at the Nautilus Diving and Sports Center in Rocklin, Calif., where he wrapped up the academic work and pool sessions in one action-packed weekend.
He got his full open water diver card the following weekend after completing the requisite ocean dives with his instructor. And he later went on to complete the highest level of certification available to recreational divers, which also enables him to help teach new students.
He logs about 150 ocean dives each year.
"For me, it was all about timing," he said.
All about timing
Mulcahy is among the thousands of busy professionals (and procrastinators) each year who are taking advantage of the latest trend in the scuba industry -- flexibility.
"No one has the same time today that they had 5 or 10 years ago, so we've had to come up with programs that allow the public to fit learning to dive into their active lifestyles," said Jeff Nadler, spokesman for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). "The industry has had to learn to look at education differently."
The name of the game, he said, is bite-size steps.
"We have home study, weekend courses, private instruction, and students today can even take the textbook portion of the course over CD ROM or videos," Nadler said. "Basically, they are doing it on their own time."
(Click here for a PADI dive center near you.)
Source: PADI
A few options
To meet the needs of today's busy students, PADI introduced "Scuba Diver" this year, a new type of certification class. The classes are shorter, less intensive, and they require fewer pool and certification dives to get your card.
Because it's an abbreviated course, however, you are able to dive only under the supervision of a trained instructor. Therefore, the course is recommended for those who intend to do only limited diving while on vacation or along with supervised groups.
The cost of getting certified as a full open water diver varies by region. But you can count on spending a few hundred dollars on the course.
American Dive Center, in Boca Raton, Fla., for example, offers a one-week PADI open water course for $199. Its Scuba Diver course costs about $30 less.
Nadler noted, however, that those who decide they'd like to dive more often and on their own can simply complete the remaining portion of the certification requirements for PADI's full open water dive card.
The Scuba Diver course, he said, is therefore a good way to introduce yourself to the sport.
If you're short on time, as Mulcahy was, there is one other popular option you can try.
NAUI
PADI is the largest scuba organization in the world, certifying 70 percent of divers in the U.S. and 55 percent of divers worldwide. The dive cards are recognized in 175 countries and territories.
The second largest organization is the National Association of Underwater Instructors, or NAUI, a non-profit group that also offers a broad portfolio of certification courses.
In fact, NAUI has had a course much like PADI's Scuba Diver certification available since 1993. The program, called Passport Diver, also provides shortened training classes for students who will be able to dive only with the supervision of an instructor.
Sea Scan Dive Center in Nag's Head, N.C., charges about $125 for the Passport Diver course. The dive shop, which uses NAUI instructors, charges about $295 for the full open water course, which enables divers to rent tanks and gear and head out on their own. NAUI's full program is called the Scuba Diver class.
(Don't be confused by PADI's new abbreviated program, called the Scuba Diver.)
Source: PADI
"We've all been looking to accommodate people's hectic schedules," said Jed Livingstone, a NAUI vice president. "This whole thing is an outgrowth of the resort programs in the tropics and customer demand."
(Click here for a NAUI shop locator.)
Like PADI, NAUI also offers videos and CD ROMs for those who wish to complete the academic portion of their classes at home.
Both organizations also allow divers-in-training to complete their course work at home, including both pool dives and written tests, and complete your actual certification dives while on vacation.
Like PADI cards, NAUI dive cards are recognized all over the world.
According to PADI, there are 8.5 million certified scuba divers in the United States today.
Demographically speaking, the majority (72 percent) of recreational divers are male, and 42 percent have average incomes of more than $50,000
Half of all divers have a college degree, and the average age of scuba enthusiasts is 36.
The money factor
The certification courses, of course, don't include the cost of the equipment you'll need. The cheapest way to get it is to rent from a local dive shop.
But if you plan on turning scuba diving into a hobby, you might want to consider investing in your own gear instead.
"People who buy their own equipment tend to keep up with the sport a little better," said Barbara Gruby, manager of the American Dive Center. "Also, if you're a woman, you may want to buy it as well because there is equipment that is specifically designed for women so you'll be more comfortable."
Buying the basics, which include a mask, fins, boots, weight belt and snorkel (which you'll need to conserve air when you swim out to your dive site) will cost you about $250 to $400 at most professional dive shops.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an expert swimmer to scuba dive.
"You just have to be comfortable in the water," Nadler, of PADI, said. "That's the key."
That being said, however, experts and physicians say not everyone is cut out for underwater diving.
Those with diabetes, asthma or heart problems are advised to stick to snorkeling or other aquatic activities instead. In all cases, however, experts say you should check with your physician before signing up for a class to make sure you've got a clean bill of health.
One other thing: A common reason for students dropping out of scuba classes is the feeling of claustrophobia.
Some people have trouble with the feeling that their regulators, or breathing apparatuses, are their lifeline. Others dislike the tunnel vision feeling that some masks can create.
If you are prone to claustrophobia, you may have a tough time feeling comfortable under the waves for prolonged periods of time. That's because many scuba masks are closed in on the side, which can create a feeling of tunnel vision.
For most people, however, those feelings are easily overcome with a few practice dives. It also may pay to invest in a scuba mask that has windows on the side of the mask as well. That allows more light in and it broadens your line of vision.
For most people, once you get down there anyway, you're so distracted by the colors and sea life that your fears are soon forgotten.
If you're lucky, you may even manage to forget about that stack of work waiting on your desk, too. 
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