Do I need prior experience or certification to dive?

Jill Holloway
Nov 5
2 min read

Absolutely- don't even consider doing this without training.

Scuba diving is one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences a human can have, but it also requires more careful training than most sports. Humans are not naturally equipped to breathe underwater; you need specialized scuba diving equipment (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) to do this, and that means you must learn how to use it safely. You are effectively carrying your air on your back, and breathing through a tube. Take a look at the PADI pages for more detailed information.

Debora carying her air on her back, ready to roll backwards into the ocean

If you are interested in scuba diving, first ensure you can equalize your ears. Hold you nose closed and gently blow it. Your ears should give a little pop. That means that the air pressure inside your ears is the same as the ambient air pressure. This equalization of pressure is necessary when you descend to deeper than 2 metres, as the deeper you descend, the greater the pressure. You will learn this in detail in your training.

Bernard at depth

Then, confirm that you are physically fit to dive. This may involve a visit to your doctor, and obtaining a "Fit to Dive Medical Certificate" is always recommended. There is a wonderful company DAN https://dan.org/membership-insurance/ DAN is the Divers Alert Network, and they are the medical think tank for divers. Their team knows more about health and diving then any normal doctor or hospital- as insureres they employ medical diving specialists.

Once you have made certain that you are physically able dive, then book a Discover Scuba Diving experience to make certain that you will actually be happy and feel safe diving.

It's not expensive in Mauritius- indeed, the charges are among the lowest in the world for scuba diving training, and best of all, all diving is by boat. This is itself a wonderful experience.

You can book directly with the diving centre, and you can be assured that all diving centres in Mauritius are subjected to quite stringent controls by the Mauritian Tourism Authority. Boats must have a yellow registration number and the words PC as the prefix. Tourists Enterprise Licences and Boat Licences are prominently displayed in all dive shops in Mauritius. The boat captain must carry his licence and certifications on the boat. Safety is paramount in Mauritius.