scuba diving safety

Scuba training and certifications?

I’m interested in learning to scuba dive, but I’m not real sure where to start. How can I find a good place to learn? I don’t want to learn from a “fly by night” school. I want to learn from experienced people where safety is the number one priority.

Also, I’ve heard so much about different certifications. I’m not sure how to evaluate these either. These are some of the certifications available where I live. Can somebody explain them to me, good or bad and why?
NAUI
PADI
SDI & TDI

I’m from St. Paul, Minnesota if that helps.

Naui and Padi are the biggies in north america. They are all more or less the same in the quality of diver produced. If you want to give scuba a try and not lay out any cash, Padi has what’s called Discover Scuba. It’s free. Just sign up at a local Padi dive shop. You’ll get some basic instruction and off you go in a pool, under an instructors supervision for 30 minutes or so. A great, cheap way to find out if you’re going to like diving without a large cash outlay for a full course. This way, if you like it, shop around for a good dive shop and sign up for an open water course ( about 300 bucks, plus some basic equipment). If you don’t like it, the only thing wasted was part of an afternoon.

SCUBA Diving Auto flashing Strobe by Beaver Sports safety lamp & for lifejackets £5.51

SCUBA Diving Auto flashing Strobe by Beaver Sports safety lamp & for lifejackets £2.55

DIVE FLAG safety WHISTLE combination SCUBA SAFETY new * £16.95

SMB & Whistle Safety Pack Pouch Scuba Diving £5.00

Scuba Diving Regulator 2nd Stage FREEFLOW SAFETY Shut Off Air Supply Valve NEW £16.50

Oxygen Care Industry First Aid Scuba Diving Health & Safety Training Made Easy £6.99

SCUBA DIVING SAFETY SHEARS WITH WHISTLE IN WALLET £6.50

Beaver Scuba Diving Dive Regulator Free Flow Safety Shut Off Valve – Easy To Fit £15.95

Dive Rite Divers ZKnife / Cutter with Attachment Sheath Scuba Divers Safety NEW £19.95

Scuba Diving Night Dive Safety Flashing Light Stick £10.91

Scuba Diving Night Dive Safety Flashing Light Stick £10.91

Divers Surface Marker Buoy SMB with Flag – SIZE LARGE – Dive Scuba Safety Marker £13.95

SCUBA Diving Auto flashing Strobe by Beaver Sports safety lamp & for lifejackets £1.75

Scuba Diving Safety by Daniel Orr, Paperback, BRAND NEW £9.83

SCUBA Diving Auto flashing Strobe by Beaver Sports safety lamp & for lifejackets £6.99

Scuba Diving Safety Book | Daniel Orr Eric Douglas NEW £13.62

Scuba Diving Safety Orr, Dan/ Douglas, Eric £18.79

Dive Rite Scuba Diving Safety Reel 43m With SS Snapbolt £48.95

DRY SNORKEL with SAFETY Whistle – Typhoon TS1 – Reduced to Clear – Scuba Dive £14.95

Scuba Diving Safety by Daniel Orr, Paperback, BRAND NEW FREE P&H £12.21

Scuba Diving Safety – Daniel Orr, Eric Douglas £12.90

Beaver Sports Diving Auto Strobe flashing SCUBA safety lamp or for lifejackets £7.99

Nite Ize Safety Emergency LED wand Strobe Scuba Diving £14.34

Scuba Diving Safety NEW by Dan Orr £13.82

Scuba Diving Safety-Daniel Orr, Eric Douglas £12.00

Dive Safety Sausage Emergency Rescue Tube Scuba Diving £9.99

Scuba Diving Night Dive Safety Flashing Light Stick £5.99

JOTRON AQ-4 STROBE LIGHT SCUBA DIVING SAILING SAFETY £69.95

PRINCETON TEC AQUA STROBE SCUBA DIVING SAILING SAFETY £29.97

PRINCETON TEC AQUA STROBE SCUBA DIVING SAILING SAFETY £29.97

Scuba Diving Safety : Douglas, Eric 9780736052511 NEW Book £11.66

Scuba Diving Safety – Douglas, Daniel Orr New Item £10.39

Scuba Diving Safety Book | Daniel Orr Eric Douglas NEW PB 0736052518 GDN £11.53

Scuba Diving Safety Eric Douglas £13.53

Beaver Scuba Diving Dive Safety Flag & Whistle Divers Surface Signal 1.4m Pole £16.75

Scuba Diving Dive Light / Safety Beacon £15.00

Human Kinetics Europe Ltd SCUBA DIVING SAFETY (Paperback) £12.61

Scuba Diving Safety, Daniel Orr; Eric Douglas, New £12.40

Scuba Diving Safety by Daniel Orr, Eric Douglas, (Paperback), book, New £12.98

Beaver Valved DSMB SMB Surface Marker Buoy Scuba Diving Dive Diver Safety Deco £26.95

Beaver Valved DSMB SMB Surface Marker Buoy Scuba Diving Dive Diver Safety Deco £26.95

Scuba Diving Dive Light / Safety Beacon £12.00

Scuba Dive Safety Sausage Emergency Rescue Tube £7.44

SCUBA DIVING SAFETY SHEARS IN SHEATH £4.50

Safety Rescue tube sausage scuba diving marker Lift Bag £3.78

Beaver Automatic Safety strobe light scuba diving Dive underwater Torch lamp £6.95

Scuba Diving Safety by Dan Orr; Eric Douglas £16.43

Moray Dive Gear – Diving Safety Equiptment, Diving Torch, Scuba Diving

scuba diving safety AMAZON PRODUCTS BELOW

Jigsaw of Bat Fish, safety stop, anchor line, scuba diving. South West Rocks, NSW,… from Specialist Stock £19.31 Photo Jigsaw. Bespoke 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle 17×12 (43x30cm). The jigsaw is delivered bagged and on a back board making a superb gift. Also supplied are a re-sealable bag, a photo example of the image and a self assemble flat packed box for storage….

Photographic Print of Bat Fish, safety stop, anchor line, scuba diving. South West Rocks, NSW,… from Specialist Stock 10×8 Print. Printed on 254x203mm Fuji Crystal Archive paper for stable image permanence and brilliant colour reproduction with smooth tones, enhanced sharpness, and excellent definition….

Box Canvas Print of Bat Fish, safety stop, anchor line, scuba diving. South West Rocks, NSW,… from Specialist Stock 16 Canvas Print, White Sides. Ready to hang, 40cm along the longest edge (other side scaled to fit). High quality 300gsm canvas with Fujifilm water based pigment ink. Hand stretched and stapled to 30mm wood frame, bevelled to increase tightness. Back finished with artists tape….

Contour GPS HD Helmet Video Camera Underwater Waterproof Housing, (Rated up to 60 m) £34.95 The ContourGPS Waterproof Case (Green) from Contour is a hard protective case for your ContourGPS HD video camera. Waterproof to a depth of 196′ (60 m), the case locks out moisture while still allowing full-featured camera operation, including single-slide record and laser alignment. Two safety latches keep the case shut tight and the TRail Mounts slide and lock onto the camera, allowing the unit …

Aeris Manta Free Diving Computer Wrist Watch £219.99 Full-featured Nitrox capable Dive Computer perfect as a low-profile primary instrument or a back-up. The MANTA is a powerful and versatile new sports watch, ideal for divers, free divers and those that just want to look like one. A unique combination of quality, function and style, the MANTA is perfect on its own or as a backup to any of our other Dive Computer models….

Sea Doo SeaScooter Explorer Diver Propulsion Underwater Scooter £549.95 Engineered to withstand the toughest environments, the Sea-Doo Seascooter Explorer is ideal for both recreational and professional scuba divers. The dive propulsion vehicle runs at a speed of up to 3.3 miles per hour and dives as deep as 160 feet, helping you navigate your way through choppy currents while exploring both deep and shallow dive spots. Snorkelers will also get a kick out of the Explo…

Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of Shark protection device from Science Photo Library £17.99 Photo Jigsaw, Shark protection device. Shark protection device. Diver testing theshark POD (protective oceanic device, yellow), apiece of equipment designed to repel sharkattacks. The POD fixes to a divers oxygen tank, with an emitter on one of the flippers. It useselectromagnetic signals to confuse anddisorientate sharks. Sharks have a highlysophisticated sense that detects the electricalimpulses…

Diver Down: Real-World SCUBA Accidents and How to Avoid Them £4.36 Helps you understand and prevent diving accidents, based on 20 true-life reports. This guide reveals how scuba diving accidents leading to severe injury or death usually result from a chain of events that can and should be prevented before a tragedy occurs. It features an introduction to diver safety and includes safety sidebars throughout….

Diver Down : Real-World SCUBA Accidents and How to Avoid Them One diver, after a seemingly brief period below the surface, discovers that his gas supply has run perilously low. Another, paralyzed, bobs helplessly on the surface, and when a poorly trained divemaster attempts rescue, things go from bad to worse. Two other divers, fascinated by the bountiful undersea life of the Caribbean, fail to notice that a powerful current is sweeping them rapidly away fro…

The Ultimate Snorkeling Book If you’re a beginning snorkeler, The Ultimate Snorkeling Book will allay your fears, insure that you are safe, explain how to keep up with your partner and contribute helpful suggestions of your own during the trip. You’ll learn special snorkel swimming techniques that will have you swimming with the grace of the fishes. If you’re already an expert, you’ll learn practical new tips and techniques t…