Dive Courses - so you want to learn to dive?

The best way to learn to dive is to enroll in a course such as the PADI Open Water Course which is specially designed for those who want to learn to dive. You don't have to be an expert swimmer nor do you have to have had any experience of diving.

There are three parts to the course:

Theory - you will be given a course book to read. There are also quizes to complete and videos to watch, and at the end you must sit an exam which is really easy.

Confined water sessions - there are five confined sessions which are normally undertaken in a swimming pool or a sheltered area in the sea. In each of these sessions you will be taught various skills which are designed to get you familiar with your equipment and to be comfortable underwater.

Open water skills - there are four open water dives that you go on as part of the course. Your instructor should make sure that the dive sites are different so that it is more fun.

You can do a PADI Open Water Course at any dive facility around the world which has a PADI instructor - here at Two Fish Divers we have three european PADI instructors, one female and two males. It takes 4 or 5 days to do the PADI Open Water course and it is great fun.

Great fun
Learning to dive can be great fun - you are going into inner space and its the closest that you will get to outer space.

It can also be a little scary - you have to worry about depth for the first time; you've seen all the Jaws films and you know what you DON'T want to meet under the water; you think that all the equipment looks heavy and uncomfortable; etc.

Choose the Right Place to Learn
If you want to learn to dive here are a few tips in choosing the right school for you:

Choose a PADI school - PADI is a training agency and is the largest in the world. A PADI school means that there will be qualified PADI instructors, the teaching materials will be very good and they will have a certain level of professionalism. Find out more about PADI.

Experienced instructors - make sure that the instructors are experienced not just with beginner courses, but make sure that the instructors have taught advanced divers because they will make your course safer and more enjoyable.

Good equipment - many schools do not have very good equipment. This is ok if you are an experienced diver and you know what to do if something goes wrong. However, on a beginner course you just don't need to worry about this as well. Your life is in the hands of the instructor and the equipment - don't use bad equipment, simple.

Flexible program - what happens if you get stomach problems or a slight cold half-way through the course? WIll the school extend the course for you, or will you have to pay again?

Class sizes - it is possible for an instructor to conduct a course with 10 students. We think that this is crazy so find out if they limit the numbers of students on their courses.

So, why choose Two Fish Divers? Yes, you guessed it:

• We are a PADI school with PADI instructors.

• We have two very experienced european instructors who have taught all levels of divers including Divemasters. Two started teaching in UK and are therefore also experienced in more extreme conditions. Also, they teach diving because they enjoy it.

• We have new equipment and we keep it in good condition.

• We limit our class sizes to a maximum of four - because we do not schedule courses but run them on demand, courses are frequently run with 1 or 2 students. This also means that we can be as flexible as you need us to be.

One feature of learning to dive in Bunaken or Lembeh is that all the confined sessions are conducted in the open water. This means that you end up going on a dive after some of the confined sessions. It is not uncommon for students to do 5 or 6 open water dives as part of their course - you get more for your money here!

But don't take our word for it that we are good, talk to some of our students. Here are the email addresses of some of our customers who did the PADI Open Water course with us:

Alex & Patricia Quarles (Holland)
Kevin Richardson (UK)
Marcel Gaufroid (Swiss)
Pieter Kal (Holland)
Trudi Davis (Australia)
Ilka Kohler (Germany)
Daniel Krakowsky (Germany)
Renato Rolando (Italy)
Olivier Descazeaux (France)
Daniela Fernandez (Swiss)
Jack Jonk (Denmark)
Joanna Watson (UK)
Paul Finnerty (UK)

QenP@hotmail.com
kevace_richardson@yahoo.co.uk
m.gaufriod@swissonline.ch
pmk@planet.nl
trudi_davis@hotmail.com
ilka_koehler@web.de
Daniel-Krakowsky@gmx.de
rolando@protekno.com
odescazeaux@yahoo.fr
veliz_d@hotmail.com
jack_jonk@hotmail.com
joannafaywatson@yahoo.co.uk
paulfinnerty@hotmail.com

How much does all this cost?
We have designed the PADI Starter Package - a special package for those wanting to learn to dive. The package includes the course, all equipment, manuals, certification and accommodation. We have also include two dives after the course - you will really enjoy your first dives after the course, this is what all the training will have been for.
Find out more about the price of PADI Starter Package.