How Young Can You Dive?

I always received questions by hard core diving parents on “How soon can I get my kids certified” ? These are the parents whom are so eager to get their kids certified and start to plan diving holiday. Even I myself is counting days to get my little Alyssa to be a diver soon :D

These are the natural process to get the little ones ready for scuba diving.

1. Get them enjoy watching underwater cartoon. Nemo is my favorite

2. Bring them to swimming pool and let them comfortable with water

3. Bring them to island and let them enjoy playing sands and slightly wet with sea water

4. Get them to start snorkeling with life jacket

5. Once they start to enjoy snorkeling, you know it’s time to ‘upgrade’ them to be a scuba diver

Age 8+ – PADI Bubblemaker

Can only dive in the swimming pool and not deeper than 2m

Age 8+ PADI Seal Team

Similar to PADI Bubblemaker but you need to complete 5 Aquamissions. Missions like underwater photography, navigation, etc … Can only dive in the swimming pool and not deeper than 2m

Age 10+ to 14 :Junior Open Water

Similar to PADI (adult) Open Water course but cannot dive deeper than 12m

Age 12+ to 14: Junior Advanced Open Water

Similar to PADI (adult) Advanced Open Water course but cannot dive deeper than 12m

Scuba diving should be fun and enjoyable. The kid must not feel stressful and uncomfortable with the training. Else you will blow your chance to get them try scuba diving.

Ocean Sunfish (mola-mola)

On my recent trip to Bali, we spotted the elusive ocean sunfish. Attaching a video clip recorded by me and also excerpt from Wikipedia to share with my fellow divers and friends.

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg. Average up to 3.5 meters. Many of the sunfish's various names allude to its unique flattened shape. Its specific name, mola, is Latin for "millstone", which the fish resembles because of its grey colour, rough texture, and rounded body. The ocean sunfish resembles a fish head without a tail.

Sunfish are pelagic and swim at depths of up to 600 meters. They usually stay in water warmer than 10 °C. As for Bali of Indonesia, the locals believe mola is there all year round. During the cold season, the mola will swim to shallower water, 30m to 40m. At this depth, it is accessible by recreational divers. Those months are now called the mola season of Bali and it's between August to October. So start planning your next trip to Bali at the right months.

Reasons To Choose Renowned Dive Professionals

Fun, Safety and Cost are the 3 main factors for students to choose where and whom to learn scuba diving.

FUN
It’s important to find a dive professional whom like his/her job. If they are not, they will not able to support you year after year.

It’s imperative to have a dive professional with great charisma, fun, sporting and yet a safe diver. Learning diving should be a non-stressful experience.

Besides diving course, good to have dive professional to organise regular diving trip to other interesting sites. Scuba diving is about enjoy diving with good company and venture to great dive sites.

COST
Cost usually reflected on the diving course. Best to have a dive professional whom teach for passion and not about profit making. Of course, it cost a certain amount of money to be dive professional. Things like dive professional yearly fees, updating teaching materials, dive professional upgrading/refreshing courses, advertising cost and operation cost.

SAFETY
Important to have a dive professional whom adhere to PADI System of diver education, a system with a proven safety record and professionalism. An individual whom respect PADI organisation and trust their system.

Have experience and maturity to make correct judgment when assessing dive sites, sea conditions and students experience.

Class September 2009

Chee Wyi
Initially I’m a bit nervous everytime I dive. But after few more dives and training, things getting better and better. It makes my dives more fun and exciting now.

Yoong KS
Very happy and have lots of fun

Chin Heng
Had lots of fun. Met new people. Need more practices to improve performance so that can have even more fun

Kenn
I feel excited during night dive (I need more). Must learn how to name fish which can makes our dive more interesting

Ching Fong
Deep dive is great, night dive is a little nervous and makes me float. But overall it’s nice and fun. Underwater world, I’ll be back again for more.

Edwin
Dei/macha (indian slang), don’t scare me again lah, I prepared very hard for this trip :P When can we go again ?

Ninderjit
Great stuff. Keep up the Kung Fu skills and the Buddha post. Now having beers for more fun :D

Alan
I still can’t do half mask comfortably but diving is cool. Great experience.

Justin
I fell in love with the turtle, overall FUN

Simon
I need to get my buoyancy right. Flippers not rigid enough, that’s why I’m doing breast stroke kicking ;)

Kelly
Diving is like sex. The 1st dive is torturing and painful but gradually it becomes fun and addictive. I had my 1st dive climax in Lang Tengah with Richard, Rupert, Simon, Alan, Justin, Edwin and Jit :D

Rupert

Class of August 2009

This course was held at Perhentian Island. Perhentian islands lay some 20km off Kuala Besut on the Peninsula Malaysia’s north eastern coast. They form part of Terengganu Marine Park, which also comprises a number of other islands; Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Redang, Pulau Bidong and Pulau Tenggol.

Perhentian Islands is surrounded by warm, crystal clear water filled with a great variety of brilliantly coloured tropical fish and coral reefs offering excellent diving and snorkelling in an extremely idyllic and laid back setting. The island comprises two main islands –Perhentian Besar (big island) and Perhentian Kecil (small island). There are more than 20 popular dive sites just around Perhentian Islands itself. From a nice relaxing reef dive to an adventurous shipwrecks and deep dives!