How To: Get Your Scuba Diving Certification
Nitrogen in a diver's lungs under pressure will dissolve into the water in his body. If he were to swim to the surface, relieving the pressure of the water around him, the dissolved nitrogen would fizz out and cause quite a lot of damage.
The condition is known as the bends, or decompression sickness. To avoid the bends, divers ascend to the surface slowly, giving the nitrogen time to work its way out without fizzing. The bends can cause joint pain, skin rashes and, in severe cases, neurological and cardiovascular damage.
A properly trained diver shouldn't have to worry about the bends, says Edens. Basic diving courses teach divers how to ascend slowly and safely from deep dives. Other underwater hazards like sharks, jellyfish and lionfish can also be easily avoided with a little caution and common sense.
If you're diving in an unfamiliar area, it's a good idea to go with a local guide. He or she should know the dangers of the area and how to avoid them.
open water divesOnce you've got your basic PADI Open Water Dive certification or equivalent from another organization, you may want to sink deeper into diving. PADI offers dive courses in deep water diving, cave diving, wreck diving, night diving, ice diving, and more.
Specialty courses require specialty equipment and not every dive school will be able to give the course, but if you're determined, you'll find a whole world of opportunity under the sea.
Learning how to dive may take a little time, money and effort, but it's well within most guys' means. With just a few hundred dollars and a few weekends, you could be diving just like Jacques.