FAQ's For Non-Divers

Many people dream to go scuba diving when they are visiting Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Although the majority of our clients will be already certified divers, we still receive many requests from non-divers who want to learn when they are here. This section is for you:

• SCUBA Diving… what does SCUBA stand for?
• Is there a minimum/maximum age to do an open water dive course?
• I experience already pain in my ears when I breath-hold dive in a swimming pool. Can I scuba dive at all?
• I never dived in my life, how could I get started?
• What exactly is an "Introductory Dive"?
• What means, "to be a certified diver" and what is a c-card?
• Am I capable to learn how to dive?
• I wear contact lenses; can I use them while diving?
• How long does it take to get certified as an Open Water Diver?
• What is a referral course?
• What if I cannot finish my dive course?
• What are the medical requirements for scuba diving?

Certified Divers

Should I bring my C-Card and Logbook?
Yes, you must show at least your c-card as proof of your certification when you want to dive. Otherwise no operator will allow you to dive. It is a good idea to have your logbook with you as well so the divemaster can better assess your dive experience so far.

Should I bring my own dive gear, or use hire dive gear?
This is your personal decision. Some divers would only dive with their own gear, some people don't mind using hire dive gear. The quality of hire dive gear in our regions are mostly good. However, nothing compares to your own gear you are familiar with!

Do I get tanks, weights and weight belts?
Yes, you get those items and air on all live aboard vessels and in all dive resorts we have in our programme. Tanks, weights and weight belts are always included in the dive prices quoted on the webpage.

What wetsuit should I wear?
This question is answered in each country's FAQ-section. To give you a rough idea here: It is all tropical diving. Depending on time of the year and destination you might need just a Lycra suit (Dive skin) or a 3 mm to 5 mm wetsuit.

Do I need to bring a dive medical?
If you are a certified diver, you don't need to bring a medical. However, we do recommend that every diver undergoes a regular check up with their physician, especially before they go on a big dive trip.

There are rumours floating that Australia requires a medical examination before you can go diving - for certified diving this IS NOT TRUE! However, in Australia you always have to complete a medical questionnaire before you can go diving. If you are in good health, and there are no major contradictions to diving, you do not need to see a doctor.
more details on dive medicals

You need to get a medical examination in Australia only if you intend taking certain courses or have an illness which is a contradication to diving:

• You do an "Open Water Dive Course"
• You do a Rescue Diver Course
• You do a Divemaster Course
• You do an Instructor Course
• In any case where you are in serious doubt about your state of health according to the medical form you filled in

Should I have special dive insurance?
Yes! All dive operators promoted by Diversion Dive Travel do adhere to high standards for safety and equipment. However, a special diving accident insurance in addition to normal health insurance should be taken out.

The best bet for insurance is a yearly membership with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) which you can take out with your regional DAN Headquarter. A membership with DAN is by far the best way to insure your diving. DAN does research in all areas of diving and is helping to broaden our knowledge about diving. More information on our Insurance page.

I am not a very experienced diver, which is the right dive vacation for me?
This is a question with quite a number of possible answers depending on individual skill levels. It would be best to write us a bit more about your dive experiences so far. How many dives have you done? When was your last dive? What types of diving have you experienced so far (for example cold water diving, ocean diving, tropical diving etc.)? What do you like most about a dive vacation? The more you tell us about you, the better we can source the kind of dive vacation best suited to your interests.

I am travelling alone - will I have a buddy?
If you don't travel with a dive buddy, you will get a dive buddy assigned on board or in the resort. Many divers are single travellers and in the same situation as you are. The divemaster will usually try to match buddies according to their dive experience.

What should I do if I no longer want to dive with my current buddy?
There can be a number of reasons that you do not really enjoy diving with your assigned dive buddy. Divemasters try to match divers, which have similar number of dives and experiences. However, this is not easy to achieve by just seeing a c-card and comparing the number of dives each diver has made. You generally find out if you are a good buddy team once you have done some dives together. We have seen situations where one diver in a buddy team need far more air than the other, so dives ended up being shorter for both of them, or one diver prefers to observe the reef intensively, while the other has not that patience and prefers to cover a bigger distance.

If you experience a problem along those lines, it is best for both of you to get another buddy. After all it is your dive holiday and you want to have a good time. This must not be embarrassing for you and your buddy. Explain the situation to the divemaster and he will match you with someone who is more suitable.

Am I allowed to dive solo?
Experienced photographers do ask this question in particular. The answer is: under certain circumstances certain operators would allow this.

In Australia there are only a few operators comfortable with solo diving. You need to meet minimum requirements for solo diving, among them is to have a redundant air system. If you would like to know more details, please contact us.

There are also limited options for solo diving in PNG, Solomon Islands and Micronesia. If this is important to you please let us know and we can point you in the right direction.

How about advancing to the next level?
There is a hierarchy of scuba courses designed to continuously build your knowledge, competence and confidence as a diver. After the Open Water Course you can take an Advanced Course, Speciality courses or a Rescue course. If you want to become a dive professional, you continue with the Divemaster Course, then the Instructor Course.

See our Training section if you would like know more details.

Can I do a certification with one association and do the next level education course with another one?
Yes this is possible. All dive training agencies have adjusted their training programmes so you can crossover at certain stages. However, there are a number of requirements, depending at what level you want to do a course with another association. There is no general answer to this, please give us details and we will help you.

I am already certified - my partner wants to do a beginner course, can we do a dive trip together?
Yes, there are a number of options to dive together; some dive operators conduct certification courses during regular multi-day excursions. Please contact us for further details.

I am a diver my partner is not, what do your recommend?
Many boats, especially in Australia offer discounts for non-divers. So if your partner is not certified, he or she might like to join you on a live aboard for a discounted price. Perhaps you like to consider staying in a dive resort, where your partner can enjoy other activities. Contact us, we will help with further information.

Will the dives be guided?
Mostly dives are not guided. The normal procedure most dive operators have is to give a very thorough briefing so that divers feel confident to dive without a guide.

However, if someone has not been diving for a long time and/or does feel insecure, all dive operatiors (live aboard as well as resorts) offer a divemaster service for the first few dives. There are regional differences.

On day boats out of Cairns/Australia, you can hire a dive guide if you pay a little extra,
whereas in Port Douglas all dives from day boats are guided. In fact, you will not be allowed to dive in buddy teams without a guide.

I will bring my u/w photo camera (or video). Which dive operation should I choose?
These days most boats and resorts are equipped for divers with cameras (rinse tanks, air guns, E6 processing, video editing) - some very well, others might just provide the basics.

Some boats do have excellent crew which is experienced in finding rare photo opportunities for you. We can assist you to make your decision easier. Some information is provided on each of our boat/resort webpages in the section "Photo/video facilities". If you have special requirements, please let us know.

Can I hire an u/w camera / video?
Many dive operators provide camera hire service. Please refer to each of our product descriptions under the sections "Photo/video facilities". U/W video cameras and housings are usually not available for hire.

What are the recommendations on diving and flying?
The various certification agencies recommend different off-gassing periods before flying after diving. Also, your dive computer will give you some advice. Mostly it is recommended to wait at least 24 hours after your last dive before you fly. After multiple dive days, it is not a bad idea to wait even longer.

By the way there is no need for a waiting period for diving after flying. Of course, if you have a jet lag, for example, you should take it easy with diving!

Do I have to sign a liability release?
Most Live aboard vessel operators and dive resorts require the signing of an assumption of risk statement. Many use the form PADI provides. If you like to read and sign the form before you will be travelling, please write to us, we can e-mail the form to you.

What is an INT and what is a DIN fitting?
There are two different tank valve-fitting systems.

The most common one is the INT (INT stands for international). There is an O-ring around the tank valve opening, which acts as a seal between the first stage regulator and tank valve.

DIN fitting is mostly used in Europe and in Technical diving.
The DIN fitting is a thread fitting on the tank valve. You screw the first stage regulator into the valve. In this case the O- ring, which creates a seal between them, is at the first stage regulator.

In USA, Australia, PNG, Solomons, Micronesia, most Asian and South American countries regulators are sold with INT fittings and tanks are equipped with INT.
In most European countries, regulators are sold with DIN fittings. If your regulator has a DIN fitting, make sure you bring an adaptor as well. This is very important, as dive operators do not have adaptors for hire!

What should I do in case I forgot to bring my DIN adapter?
Dive operators usually have no DIN adaptors for hire. In case you forget to bring it and your dive trip departs from Cairns, we might be able to help you. We have a limited number of DIN adaptors for our clients to hire. Security deposit and a hire fee apply. Please do not rely on this, as other clients might hire the DIN adaptors already, so it's better to make sure you do not forget yours!

SCUBA Diving….what does SCUBA stand for?
Don't worry if you don't know it yet…even some divers forget what it means!
SCUBA simply stands for: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Is there a minimum/maximum age to do an open water dive course?
Minimum age is 10 years (Queensland Health and Safety laws require a minimum age of 12 if participating in the course in Queensland). There is no maximum age. The oldest dive student we know was 73 when she learned to dive. If you are keen to learn scuba diving, give it a go!

I always experience pain in my ears when I breath-hold dive in a swimming pool. Can I scuba dive at all?
Unfortunately most people don't know that there are easy ways to avoid that familiar ear pain by clearing the pressure in the ears. During your dive course you will learn simple techniques of how to equalize the pressure in your ears. This is a very handy and important skill to learn, also for swimmers and snorkellers!

I never dived in my life, how could I get started?
There are two options. If you like to try first before committing to a full dive course, you can do an "Introductory Dive". This does not certify you as a diver but you can "try before you buy".

To become a certified diver, you start with a beginner's course, which is usually called "Open Water" dive course. After successful completion of the course you will be a certified diver.

What exactly is an "Introductory Dive"?
You have never dived before but you can safely do a dive without doing a full dive course. This is called "Introductory Diving", sometimes "Discover Scuba Diving" or "Resort Diving". It all means the same and is a common practice worldwide to give people the chance to dive safely under supervision without doing a full course.

Important to know: This course is not a qualification course for scuba diving. For details, please read in our dive training section.

What means, "to be a certified diver" and what is a c-card?
You will become a certified diver (mostly called "Open Water Diver") once you have learnt basic diving skills from a licensed scuba dive instructor. You are than qualified to dive with a "dive buddy", no dive instructor must be present any more.

Dive operators will require seeing your certification card (c-card) before they let you dive. If you go to a dive shop and want to hire a scuba tank, they will ask you for your c- card too.
You should make sure you get certified with a certifying agency which issues c-cards that are recognised worldwide. Some of them (the most popular ones) are: PADI, NAUI, SSI and CMAS.

For details, about the "Open Water Diver Certification", please read in our dive training section.

Am I suited to learn to dive?
The requirement for the PADI (and most other) "Open Water Diver certification" for example is to swim of 183 meters (200 yards), and treading water for 10 minutes. So you do not need to be a high performance swimmer! If you are comfortable in the water and a reasonably good swimmer, you will most likely enjoy learning diving. Overall, you will be trained to perform skills a diver needs to know.

If you have a general good health and an average fitness, chances are very good that you will become a good diver.

I wear contact lenses, can I use them while diving?
Soft contact lenses are usually not a problem. Make sure to bring a few extra pairs! Masks with prescription lenses are an option too. You can hire them in most dive schools, at least in Australia. Or you can buy your own.

How long does it take to get certified as an Open Water Diver?
Minimum duration on intensive courses is usually 4 to 5 full days. You will spend the first 2 days with theory and practical exercises in the pool. On day 3 you take 2 training dives in the sea. On day 4 you take another 2 training dives in the sea.

What is a referral course?
You can start a PADI Open Water Course at home. You will learn the theory, do your theory exams there and your confined water sessions (this means learning scuba diving skills in a pool).

Bring a referral letter from your PADI instructor, stating that you have successfully completed those parts of the course. You then can finish your course in the warm tropical part of the world. You can join an Open Water course at your holiday destination and just need to do the last part of the course, your 4 training dives.

This way you can get certified, without spending much of your vacation on a dive course.
Best is to do a PADI referral course, simply for the fact that the PADI system is mostly taught in our area (Australia & South Pacific Countries). NAUI and SSI are offered at some schools as well.

What if I cannot finish my dive course?
It works vice versa! Your dive instructor will fill in a standard referral form and you can finish your course within approx. 6 months later at any destination where courses are offered.

What are the medical requirements for scuba diving?
Overall you should be reasonably fit; you should not be extremely overweight or out of condition. It is always a good idea to seek the advice of a doctor who is familiar with medical issues related to scuba diving.

In Australia, the law requires a qualified Australian physician to do a medical examination before you do an Open Water Dive course. The medical will be done in the dive school during the fist day. However, it's a good idea to get your diving fitness tested before you travel to avoid disappointment. more details on dive medicals

Definite contraindications to diving are: Diabetes I or II, Asthma, Pneumothorax (Scarred lung), Epilepsy, Tuberculosis, Heart diseases, Pregnancy.