How
old do I have to be for Scuba Diving?
Do I need a special insurance for diving?
Is the oxygen in the breathing tanks safe for everybody?
How much time do I need for a certification?
When does my certification expire?
How do I stay updated?
Is diving expensive?
Once being certified, do I need continuing
education ('higher certifications')?
What are 'Speciality Courses'?
Do I need to see a doctor for medical approval?
How
old do I have to be for Scuba Diving?
For the actual basic diving course ('Open Water Diver') you have to be
10 years old. However, we offer the 'Bubblemakers' and Seal Team programs
for children between 8 and 10, allowing them to enjoy an introductory
dive with full scuba, and allowing them to receive a certain credit for
the Open Water Diver program. You can enter a sanctioned Skin Diver Course
as from 8 years old.
Do
I need a special insurance for diving?
Normal scuba diving activities are covered by your regular health insurance
system. During a course, your instructors have a liability insurance covering
the unlikely event of any injury due to misjugement or professional error.
lf you decide to practice more specialised diving activities such as deep
diving, wreck diving, etc..., or when you want to make a diving holiday,
we advise you to take an insurance. In such case, we can offer you the
worldwide DAN (Divers Alert Network) insurance, including hyperbaric treatment,
for rates as from 60 EURO,- per year.
Is
the oxygen in the breathing tanks safe for everybody?
Scuba divers breathing oxygen is a myth, spread by people (including press)
unfamiliar with diving. Diving tanks are filled with normal environmental
air, like you breathe now, but compressed about 200 times. This means
that your 12 liter air tank contains the air volume of approximately the
content of a phone booth. For your comfort, this air is filtered and dehydrated.
Breathing from an air tank has no special effects, except from the thrill
of seeing fish while actually swimming with them underwater.
How
much time do I need for a certification?
The P.A.D.l. system of diver education does not count time, but is performance
oriented. This means that every course is divided in theory, eventually
pool, and open water portions. Every portion is divided in modules, small
entities of learning objectives or performance requirements, all to be
achieved within the same particular module. The Open Water Diver Course,
for instance, has 5 theory modules, 5 pool modules and 4 open water modules.
Some Specialities have 1 theory module and 2 open water dives, etc....
Since Duikcentrum Bubbels offers you courses according to your personal
agenda, the duration of a course, expressed in days or weeks, mainly depends
on your personal availabilty. Please contact us for detailed information
on each course.
When
does my certification expire?
Once issued, your certification is valid life long. PADI does not adhere
to renewal obligations for recreational divers. Once certified, it is
your responsability to stay 'updated' by means of regular training, update
programs such as Scuba Review, continuing education, etc...., all offered
by our educational system. When you present yourself for a dive, the local
diving responsible will assess you according to your level of training,
number of dives, date of last dive,... and will assure that your dives
will be performed under the safest conditions.
Besides the official PADI programs such as Scuba Review, Duikcentrum Bubbels offers you weekly diving opportunities in different environments, continuing education, weekly skill and stamina training in confined water, and any form of personally shaped update to be discussed.
Is
diving expensive?
Although diving has the reputation of being very expensive, due to the
specific equipment requirements, it is not more expensive than any other
sport. Every training program has as specific price in direct relationship
with the duration and the required equipment. Our prices are modular and
initially 'all inclusive' until certification. This means that progressive
purchase of equipment can reduce course costs. Since the cost is in direct
relationship to the duration, we offer you a personnal downpayment plan
for longer -and thus more expensive- courses. This allows you to spread
the expenses over several weeks or months. For leisure diving we offer
you the possibilities of equipment rental at fair rates, equipment purchase
in our shop, or combinations of both. It is finaly up to you to evaluate
your state of expenses according to number of dives per year, priorities,
etc.. We will be glad to help you to assess your personal situation, and
propose solutions. Finally, it is good to know that your initial investment
in diving equipment, when well taken care of, and serviced yearly, lasts
for years (some items for over 20 years!)
Once
being certified, do I need continuing education ('higher certifications')?
Part of this question is answered above (questions on expiration and updating).
The Open Water Diver certification (the 'basic' course) benefits you with
life long diving possibilities at recreational level, without imposing
any further training. This means that you can dive anywhere in the world
under conditions equal to, or better than your training experience, e.g.
during holidays. lf you wish to participate in activities under special
circumstances we advise you to take further training. See question below
and our Speciality Program page for more information.
What
are 'Speciality Courses'?
Speciality Courses are typical 2 or 3 day programs, mainly task oriented,
allowing you to participate in dives in more specific areas (e.g. night
dives, wreck dives, drift dives,...) Courses include most of the time
1 or 2 theory modules and 2 to 4 open water dives. For more details on
course contents, see our Speciality Program
page.
Do
I need to see a doctor for medical approval?
Diving is accessible to any person with a normal health. This means that no medical exam needs to be submitted prior to diving activities, unless national authorities impose this condition. In Belgium, and most other countries, this is not required. At the beginning of a course, each candidate is asked to fill out a questionnaire with a number of health questions. In some cases of answering 'yes' on a serious medical condition question, you need to see a physician for approval. Further on, it is each individual's own responsibility to stay physically fit and in good health, and to solve any medical condition that might occur.
