Much as BSAC divers love visiting sites around their home waters, everyone likes going on holiday and some destinations have become established as firm favourites among clubs and individual divers. With your newly acquired skills you are licensed to dive not just in British waters, but all over the world. Your qualification is recognised in European law and accepted globally as proof of diving to a standard similar to that of PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water. So – the world is your oyster … but where do you start? You want a destination that is economically realistic, and which has good diving within your depth restrictions. You want a place where you can enjoy yourself and build up experience in nice warm, clear water. Ah yes … the luxury of warm water. If you’ ve trained in the UK, you will be more then adequately prepared for building up a bit of experience in the tropics. With a thinner wetsuit and less weight to wear, you’ ll be able to concentrate on fine-tuning your buoyancy and filling up that logbook with wonderful dives.
Being in a BSAC club is a great way to go on holiday; most clubs plan holidays and group bookings yield discounted rates from dive centres and tour operators, though sadly not from airlines. It’ s a great way to get to know your fellow members, and you will be with a group that is aware of your experience level and will be sympathetic to your needs.
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Always remember – all the divers helping you were in the same position once and were encouraged along by their friends and instructors; they are helping you as they themselves were helped.
If a big club trip isn’ t available – or it’ s already booked-up – another solution is to organise something with a smaller group or even just you and your dive buddy. After all, you are now Ocean Divers, qualified to dive independently all over the world. Don’ t worry about being expected to do dives beyond your experience – just speak to the managers of your chosen dive centre.
Here’ s what you should expect from your host centre: they should check your qualification record and your logbook, and they should take you for a check-out or‘ shake-down’ dive to assess your abilities and work out how much lead you need If you need to hire kit, you should have an unrushed session trying on the various items to ensure they all fit and will be comfortable in the water. If someone tries to squeeze this in five minutes before the boat leaves, something is wrong with the system – you need a good 15-20 minutes to be sure you are comfortable with your kit.
Here, then, is a selection of destinations ideal for someone embarking on their first diving holiday. Have a look and see what appeals to you. Above all, remember to dive within your limits and build up your experience gradually.
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Above: Green turtle encounters are a regular thing for visitors to South East Asia |
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