What Is Required to SCUBA Dive?

Scuba diving is open to anyone over the age of 10 who is of good health and can pass a moderate swimming test. The main requirements are the equipment necessary to go diving, and the training to use it properly.

  1. Open Water

    • The basic certification for scuba diving is Open Water (OW). You must be at least 10 years old and in good physical health, and you should be able to swim 200 yards and tread water for 10 minutes to start the course.

    Course Work

    • OW courses consist of some classroom work (this can sometimes be done online as e-learning), several closed water training dives and one to three open-water dives to solidify your skills. Beyond this, the exact requirements depend on the scuba certification organization to which your school belongs.

    Equipment

    • The minimum equipment for scuba diving consists of an air cylinder, regulator, mask, fins and weight belt. Buoyancy control devices (BCDs) are widely used by most divers today, as are dive computers.

    Wetsuits

    • In some very warm tropical waters a wetsuit might not be necessary, but even in Florida a thin, shorty wetsuit is usually needed. In waters like those off North Carolina or central California, a full 5-millimeter-thick wetsuit with a hood is needed to keep out the cold.

    Buddy System

    • Another requirement is having a partner. Scuba divers never go down alone, and having a partner you can count on to not wander off is a key safety element in diving.

    Dive Sites

    • Another necessity is having a good site where there is something worth seeing. Underwater rocks, reefs and shipwrecks often attract plenty of sea life and present an interesting environment, while sandy, muddy or silty bottoms do not.