Scuba diving had been a bucket list item of mine for a few years. The natural opportunity for my first scuba diving experience came when I planned a trip to Belize. I wasn’t in the first place enticed by the thrill of taking the plunge, but by the slow and silent underwater world that I imagined. The thought of meeting up close with underwater creatures and admiring colourful corals and peculiar rock formations developed my fascination for life below the water surface.
Belize is a prime diving destination, although I didn’t appreciate this when I booked the trip. My goal was to explore Mayan ruins and deep jungle. I wasn’t overly interested in the ocean and islands at first. This changed when I read more about the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. The reef is described by Unesco as ”an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries”. Moreover, the barrier reef is a prime habitat for, amongst others, sea turtles – one of the most beautiful and fascinating animal species on the planet! That settled it – in Belize, I would take the plunge.
Getting ready – theory & pool dives
Scuba diving training choice
Some quick research taught me that the most straightforward way to get into scuba diving was to get an “Open Water Diver” certification with PADI. This is the main organisation for diver training and certification and globally recognised. Getting the entry level certification would mean I could focus my time in Belize on the actual dives and exploring the underwater world, rather than taking training. It also meant I could learn the basics in a safe, confined water environment and get comfortable with breathing underwater. This was important to me as I’ve always had this strange fear of getting water in my nose. I find it painful and basically think I’m going to choke.
The confined water dives
As such, I was super nervous (or better – half scared) when starting the first of three “confined water dives” in a local pool. The first session focused on putting together and handling the equipment and getting the experience of breathing underwater. Good fun and easy. In the next sessions, we worked on the “skills”. Basically a range of actions to perform underwater in various situations, such as emergency ascents, passing an air source to a buddy and clearing your mask.
This is when my fear of water in my nose almost became a deal breaker. I seemed simply unable to take the mask of and keep breathing without getting water into my nose. I scrambled to the surface a couple of times in panic and just couldn’t do it. I’m eternally grateful to the instructor, Tom, who took the time to analyse what went wrong. Kneeling in shallow water, I went through the process of taking of the mask a number of times. I found the optimal position to keep my head and learnt to focus on my breathing.
Between pool dives two and three, I practiced this procedure in a swimming pool to make sure I felt 100% comfortable to ahead of the certification. In parallel to the pool dives, there was quite a bit of online studying to do. The course covered a range of topics such as equipment, theory of buoyancy, safety procedures and environmental awareness. Prior to the last pool dive, we had to take a formal test. After completing this and successfully demonstrating the skills, the first step to my certification was complete. I was ready to hit the open water in Belize!
Taking the plunge – Belize barrier reef
Along the Belizean coast, there’s a diving club on every corner of the street. I picked one (Hamanasi in Hopkins) with PADI affiliation that sounded friendly towards beginners. Importantly, Hamanasi is an award-winning eco resort, focused on environmental awareness and reef friendly diving. I made all the arrangements with them prior to my arrival. My husband and I would have two days of diving with two dives one each day.
Resort experience & preparations
Hamanasi is not just a diving outlet, but a complete resort offering accommodation, food and other activities. I’m not normally a huge fan of “resort experiences”, but Hamanasi in Belize was very suitable for my first scuba diving experience – lodging right next to the dive boat, made the early starts feel very relaxed. It also meant that upon the return in the afternoon, we could hop into the shower in the comfort of our own room and wind down (I discovered that diving wears you out!).
We opted for diving on the barrier reef. It offers dozens of dive sites, including several ones that are suitable for beginners. Getting there takes a good half hour on the boat and during the surface intervals we stopped at tiny isles for refreshments and chilling. The evening before our first dive, we completed all the paperwork and practicalities, so we could hit the ground running the next day. Our Dive Master, Martin, set us up with all the equipment and took us for a quick skills refresher in the pool. This was mandatory since we had not yet completed the full open water certification. Martin was super chill, explained in detail how the trip would go and was clearly keen to give us a great first diving experience.
First open water Scuba diving experience
After a 30 minutes’ boat ride, we reached the first dive site. Martin got into the water first and the captain helped my husband and I jump in safely. The waves were pretty strong and Martin signalled we would be going down quickly. I slowly started to empty my BCD and sink. And then the magic happened. The visibility seemed endless, the water was as blue as it gets and pleasantly warm. I relaxed into the underwater breathing quickly and followed Martin as tropical fish swam by, looking in awe at the colourful corals.
We stayed under for about 45 minutes and time flew by. I was itching for the next dive and felt increasingly comfortable each time. We were lucky enough to see sharks and catch a glimpse of a sea turtle. My only issue was the safety stop at the end of each dive. As the tanks get emptier and lighter, I found it difficult to adjust my buoyancy and prevent myself from “shooting up” too fast. Martin kept a close eye and stopped me when needed, but I was annoyed with myself for not being able to manage this independently.
Back to my original fear of getting water in my nose. My mask actually came off underwater during the first dive! The strap got tangled with my hair and pushed the mask up, leading it to fill up with water. I remembered what to do from the pool practice, calmly emptied the mask and put it back in place. That was a real victory and for the first time I felt like I could actually become confident at diving.
Getting certified – PADI Open Water Diver
After the great experience in Belize, I was itching to finalise the Open Water certification. I enrolled in a two days’ course to complete the mandatory open water dives and skills practice. Diving in a lake in the UK was disappointing to say the least after the Caribbean Sea. Yet I was incredibly satisfied to have the certification and “licence to dive”.
It was a warm, sunny day when we planned to complete the open water dives. I convinced myself that this was going to be enjoyable and just fine, despite seeing divers in heavy-duty dry-suits all around me at the lake. Jumping off the pontoon, I knew the water was going to be chilly, but lordie was it cold! I was still catching my breath when the dive master pointed at me for a weight test. Nervously I grabbed the strap to let the air out of my BCD and sank. The cold hit my face. I quickly inflated the BCD again and came back up, kicking my legs. After the Belizean experience, it was clear I was still a beginner. After a couple more attempts, the dive master was satisfied and we were all ready to descend.
Unlike the Caribbean sea, the water in the lake was murky and I struggled to keep sight of my buddy. Since we had to revisit the skills we’d learnt in the pool, everybody spent quite some time stationary watching others. This meant I cooled down fast. On the bright side, my demonstration of the skills was satisfactory and I finished the first day happy and motivated. Day two was similar and by the end of it I could officially call myself a certified open water diver!
Want to take the plunge? Tips for new divers
I had my first scuba diving experience in Belize on the age of 34 and the only thing I regret about it is putting it off so long. Despite the attraction of the underwater world, I never seriously explored the possibility for a range of silly excuses. Living in a cold North Sea country, I wouldn’t get to practice regularly. Diving is expensive, I shouldn’t spend all this money. So here’s my first tip: if diving only slightly fascinates you, give it a try! Even if you don’t live anywhere close to a lake, ocean or diving club, doing an “Introduction to SCUBA” class as part of a holiday or staycation is an accessible, affordable way to get a taster.
Always use certified facilities
Unless you know what you’re doing, make sure you’re with someone who knows! This means diving with a certified dive master who pays attention to safety and focused on correct instruction. Opting for a PADI facility for dives or courses provides good assurance that instructors have the right mindset and knowledge and equipment is in order and regularly checked.
Get a basic certification quickly
Investing in a basic certification will save you time and money in the long run, even if you’re only diving occasionally. It means that you can report to a diving facility enrol straight for open water dives, without spending time in the pool with an instructor first. You’ll also be allowed to join small groups (usually up to 6 people) as opposed to having to pay for a private dive master. Moreover, it will teach you a lot. You’ll learn the theory behind buoyance, signals for underwater communication and understand the rationale behind the rules and safety checks.
The most common entry level certification is PADI Open Water, the one I took. A great next level (which I completed recently) is the Peak Performance Buoyance specialty course. It’s a short course composed of (online) theory and two dives. Doing it shortly after Open Water, once you’ve logged a few dives is ideal. Since the first scuba experience in Belize, I have taken a handful more dives on different holidays and then signed up for the PPB course. I found it super useful to focus buoyance and smooth ascents (including the safety stops) and those few hours in the (once again cold and murky) lake really helped me improve.
Do research & planning
In line with my recommendation to use certified facilities as a new diver, research and planning are important! Before my first diving experience, and later on holiday destinations that involved diving, I’ve made sure to find a suitable diving outlet prior to the trip. I email them to inquire about their offering, dive site recommendations and to gauge if they are happy to take beginners.
Most diving destinations have their “signature” dive site that everybody talks about. Think of the Blue Hole in Belize or Sipidan in Borneo. But often these are only suitable for experienced divers that hold specialty certifications. If you go there as a beginner, you will just get a glimpse in shallow water rather than the full experience. To avoid being disappointed, I like to research what sites are suitable and appeal to me. I actually enjoy doing this prep! Of course, a lot depends on the local weather conditions, but it’s fun and useful to have an idea of what you want to see and do.
I also plan accommodation and – if needed – local transport in function of the diving. The typical schedule for a day’s diving is to leave early and return in the afternoon. This means accommodation close to the dock (or better even: associated with the diving club) is really useful.
Keep it up
Unless you log a dive at least every 6 months, you will have to do a refresher before being allowed on open water dives with PADI. The refresher can be done in a pool, but a much better option is an easy fun dive in open water with a local club. My spring holiday, including diving, was cancelled, so I signed up for a refresher day with a local diving club. We went to a different local lake, with equally cold, murky water and poor visibility. I can’t say it was overly pleasant, but it’s a really good way to improve and experience different water conditions. Plus it will make me extra grateful when I get to dive again in the warm, clear water of the tropics.
