FAQ

First of all, one should say, that there are no general answers that can be given concerning this matter, such as “with an allergy you mustn’t – or you must dive in any case”! Depending on the allergy, the attending physician during the medical examination for diving fitness will always make a case-by-case decision. Thereby, it also depends on the region where you have the intention of diving anyway. An allergic reaction, which can be caused by pollination at home for instance, can again subside in a diving area at the Red Sea for example and as such this can be completely trivial for diving.

For further information, a diving doctor should definitely be consulted before undertaking the trip.

Just like mentioned previously regarding allergies in diving, a general answer cannot be given here, that suffering from asthma makes diving impossible!

Asthmatics have the possibility as well to get to know the underwater world under certain circumstances.

The greatest danger when diving with asthma consists in possibly not being able to react adequately in case of asthma. The compressed, dry and also cold air from the compressed air bottle is hereby the largest risk factor. But also the possible exertion under water, e.g. in case of emerging currents, can also be a cause.

Therefore, affected persons should definitely consult a diving doctor regarding their diving projects!

There is not upper age limit regarding hobby diving. The main thing is whether you are healthy. In order to verify this, a medical examination for diving fitness is sensible.

As of the age of 10 it is already possible to get a diving certificate. This one is called Junior Open Water Diver by most diving organisations.

With a minimum age of 8 years kids are aloud to take their first breaths underwater in a swimming pool.

That is absolutely no problem!

On one hand, you would have the possibility to wear contact lenses and consequently go diving with a “normal” diving mask. Or even you could choose a mask with built-in eyeglass lenses. Every well-assorted diving school has a selection of the most prevalent prescription strengths in its assortment.

Divers with lower strengths (like me) have sometimes even the possibility to go diving without any type of visual aid at all, because everything appears to be 1/3 larger underwater in any case. This means that diving does not only make you weightless, but can also give you back a part of your eyesight for the time being. 😉

It really depends on where you began your training. Maybe you know what a so-called ISO number is? This number stands for standardisation in various domains. This is also true for diving.  In our Dive-Wiki you will find the most popular diving certificates worldwide with such an ISO-Certification. Thanks to this standard, they are accepted worldwide and can be combined among each other.

Hence please inform yourself before your diving course, whether your diving certificate enjoys this recognition.

This differs from diving school to diving school. For some of them you need your own ABC-Equipment (therefore diving mask, fins and snorkel). The rest of the diving equipment is normally included as rental fee in the course price. Hence please inform yourself before beginning a course, what is included in the price, so that there are no unpleasant surprises later on!

It is quite sufficient if you are a good swimmer and feel at ease in water.

You do not need to be a swimming athlete. 😉

No panic on the Titanic – Water is for everyone. 😉

No, but seriously speaking. You should not worry! Since you are never alone when you go diving, you always have a person of trust by your side, your diving buddy and the accompanying dive professional, who makes sure that not even a trace of panic arises and is also on the spot to help you to calm down immediately. In case of an ultimate emergency when scuba diving, you have the possibility at all times during normal dives to go up to the surface of the water with your dive professional in order to solve the problem at the water surface.

In the extremely improbable case that you should run out of air during a dive, thanks to the Buddy-System, there is always someone on the spot immediately who can provide you with air from his own bottle.  For this purpose, there are two diving regulators on every compressed air bottle, which enable the parallel breathing of two people from one bottle. No matter which diving organisation you choose, you will learn how this takes place and how to avoid this kind of situation from even happening during your entry-level diving course.

The requirements for diving vary, slightly depending on the diving organisation you choose.

In general, the following conditions must be fulfilled by all of them:

• Minimum age of 10 years (for Junior-Open-Water)
• Current medical examination for diving fitness
• To have the capacity to swim

Possible further conditions can be found under this item of the organisation chosen by you in our Dive-Wiki.

Every diving school organizes the sequence of their entry-level courses differently. In domestic bodies of water it is common in many places to spread the course over several days and weekends. Whereas a course during holidays, due to the lack of time, is spread over about 2-4 days, with several hours of theory and practical lessons.

This cannot be said in general terms. Depending on the diving site, diving conditions and your degree of experience, the usual dives last between an average of 30 to 60 minutes.

This depends on many different factors. On one hand, it depends on how big your scuba tank is and consequently how much air you take with you on your dive. On the other hand, it depends on how much air your body needs. Depending on your stature, the consumption varies.

Another factor is your degree of experience. If you are new to scuba diving, you will probably breathe somehow more nervously. However, if you are more experienced and glide like a nymph through water, your air supply might last longer.

Of course your body is not made for staying underwater a long time. But to explain that would be beyond the scope. 😉

Your Dive-Professional will teach you more about that before your first dive!

This completely depends on what makes up your personal diving gear. Above all, depending on the type and thickness of your wet suit, the composition of your fins, the type of your scuba tank (steel or aluminium tank) and last but not least, depending on the design of your buoyancy control device (BCD), you carry around an average of about 15-20kg with you. Including your weight belt. It’s weight is depending on the size and kind of your wetsuit.

But don’t worry! In most cases your gear is transported up to the embarkation point and in water not only are you, but also your equipment, completely weightless. 🙂

Depending on the country, diving school and diving organization, there are also here large discrepancies to some extent, which is why a reliable conclusion is not possible.

The rule of thumb estimates in average about 300-500€ for an Entry-Level Diving Course.

With the corresponding qualifications by means of a Specialty Diving Course, you are allowed to dive to a depth of maximum 40 metres.If you would like to dive deeper then this, then technical diving is what you are looking for!

In a Beginners Diving Course and even after completing your first diving certificate, the maximum diving depth is 18 metres. More information concerning this can be found in our Dive-Wiki.

To answer that question I can recommend you our Blog-Article. There you can read in a vivid example how I (Ricardo) became a diving instructor by myself. 🙂