Taking the boards advice, looking for a book....

[TheAlpha]

Alright, do to overwelming advice to not buy the mini tanks from Baywatch LOL, I have decided to look for a book to help me understand Scuba Diving better. What is the certification that Scuba Divers must obtain? And what are some recommended books on the subject? I am looking to get more familar with the safety aspect, and can go wrong and why. And suggestions would be appreciatted.

 

[Jason B]

The PADI encyclopedia of diving is good as well as any open water certification book, be it PADI, NAUI,SSI...
Good decision.

jason

 

[northcoast_diver]

You can find a dive shop in your local area, and browse through their books for sale.

Somewhere on their shelves, there will be a book on basic scuba diving, sold separately from a complete student kit. It would be better for you to get the complete basic kit however, which would probably contain dive tables as well.

If you can swim, then you can learn to scuba dive. Scuba is a lot like snorkeling, except that you are underwater while you are breathing, not just floating on the surface.

Blast clearing a scuba unit is a lot like blast clearing a snorkel. So if you are already familiar with snorkeling, then you are also prepared to move on, to scuba.

In scuba, you must learn to limit your depth, and also your time at depth. Your instructor will teach you how to do that, and what the limits are.

You will also learn to assemble and inspect the scuba unit and that of your buddy, dive as a buddy pair, perform certain skills set down by the training agencies, and have fun while doing all of that.

Most people begin to scuba dive because (1) its something they have always wanted to try, or (2) they have a friend who does it and they want to go too, or (3) they are going on a tropical scuba vacation. Those seem to be the main reasons. Hence it has become quite popular since the 1960s.

Having begun, for whatever reason that brought them into it, most people then continue to develop their scuba skills for various other reasons. Some enjoy the relaxation of being weightless underwater. Some enjoy the sheer beauty of it all, the sea anemonies, the corals, the kelp forest, the fishes, the sea stars, etc. Some become underwater photographers or videographers. Some hunt. Others like to explore sunken shipwrecks.

Some quit, after getting started. It's not always exactly like what some people thought it would be like.

You will need to find out for yourself. Reading is a good way to start. There are also videos and DVDs available for vicariously experiencing scuba in advance of actual training. But you won't know for yourself until you actually get out there.

 

[northcoast_diver]

The PADI encyclopedia of diving is good as well as any open water certification book, be it PADI, NAUI,SSI...
Good decision.

jason

Although, the PADI Encyclopoedia of Recreational Diving is normally a divemaster level book.

 

[MikeC]

What is the certification that Scuba Divers must obtain?

The certification is a card you get from one of several companies that license instructors to teach in their name. The biggest is called PADI. Biggest is not always best, what is most important is the quality of the instructor. The training includes classroom and pool sessions where you practice and demonstrate various skills. Then a written test and finally four or five open water dives, where you demonstrate your skills in a lake or quarry.

 

[eponym]

Alright, due to overwelming advice to not buy the mini tanks from Baywatch LOL, I have decided to look for a book to help me understand Scuba Diving better. What is the certification that Scuba Divers must obtain? And what are some recommended books on the subject? I am looking to get more familar with the safety aspect, and what can go wrong and why. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If I may: Dude, way to go!

I'm assuming you're at a college or university? Browse over to GV840 .S78, where the scuba diving books are shelved. Most introductory texts I've seen are good.

And any textbook from an Open Water Diver course (the first scuba course, the one you'll be taking) that's not more than ten years old should do nicely too. Content varies a bit among the agencies, but the basics are all covered. PADI, SSI, NAUI, and YMCA are a few of the agencies which supply the materials and issue the Open Water Diver certification card after your instructor passes you. With that OW card you can rent gear, get tanks filled, book a dive boat trip.

Ebay has a whole section within sporting goods for scuba, and within scuba a section for books, videos, and dvds. This auction is for a NAUI open water diver textbook, but it doesn't say anything about how old the book is. Regardless, you can see that's it quite inexpensive. No bids yet, ends in two days.

Okay--finally, two specific book recommendations. Dive Like a Pro by Robert Rossier is a little book, one hundred pages of really good tips for improving your diving once you've learned what the basic skills are. Some of it won't make sense until after your open water diver course, but I think it's great for inspiring a new diver to keep making progress. And Beating the Bends is a similarly small volume of advice on how to keep yourself from getting decompression sickness. This one you could read even before having learned to dive. It includes a short history of diving and its early problems. Both books are from Best Publishing (they sell over the web).

I think your enthusiasm is great, Alpha. Let us know how it goes once you start the course!

Bryan

PS: Don't forget that the better your cardio and the more comfortable you are in the water, the better (and longer) will be your dives. Do some regular swimming if you don't already!

 

[eponym]

Oh, crikey--one more book. It's not instructional, but if you want to get a feel for how others have felt about diving, get hold of Down Time, second edition. It's a collection of pieces from many different writers. My favorites are the piece by Jaques Cousteau on the very first time he tried out his new "diving lung" (during the German occupation in WWII, no less), and Bucky McMahon's Everest at the Bottom of the Sea, about diving on the Andrea Doria.