Top 10 Myths about Scuba Diving 

Like most adventure sports, scuba diving has its own share of myths and misunderstandings with shark attacks topping the list. Scuba diving is one of the most relaxed adventure sports and is almost meditative, taking you into a state of suspended gravity. Compared to most other adventure sports, diving is also very safe and affordable. If you are someone who loves water and wish to explore the wonders it holds beneath, scuba diving is just the activity for you!

 In this article, we bust a few myths about scuba diving to rectify the misconceptions around the activity and hoping that more people will embrace the activity and see the wonders of the ocean!

You can get certified in just 4 days! Yes, the PADI Open Water Diver Course, which is the first level in recreational diving, only takes 4 days to complete. It involves a bit of theory, confined water training and 4 open water dives. The Open Water Diver certification is valid for a lifetime and allows you to dive anywhere around the world! The course is your gateway to the underwater world and if you are comfortable in water then it’s rather easy to get through. Once certified as an Open Water Diver, you are eligible to take up the Advanced Open Water Course, which takes 2-3 days to complete. This certifies you to dive to a maximum depth of 30m, making a majority of the world’s dive sites accessible to you. In just a matter of one week, you can have both your certifications completed! Check out our PADI Open Water and PADI Advanced Open Water courses. 

Compared to most other adventure sports, scuba diving is very affordable. Your only real investment is in the certificate course after which you are eligible for fun dives which are extremely affordable and accessible. What’s even better? Your certificate is valid for a lifetime and recognised worldwide! You can check out price list for fun dives and PADI Courses.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about scuba diving is that the tanks contain oxygen. The scuba tanks are actually filled with air, the exact composition of air you are breathing as you read this article, 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen. We never breathe 100% oxygen unless it is an emergency or during dive procedures in specialised technical diving.

On my fifth dive, I was surrounded by sharks and the last thing on my mind was being attacked by them. Hollywood and popular culture have thoroughly villainised sharks and moulded public perception to believe that sharks are these aggressive creatures when in fact they are just out and about living their life in the ocean. They are fairly decent beings who will not mind your presence unless you go out of your way to make your presence felt or threaten their existence. Bottomline, us divers are thrilled to see sharks on a dive and trust us, you will love seeing them too!

Absolutely not! While you have to be comfortable in water and have basic swimming skills to get through the Open Water Course, you don’t have to be an olympic swimmer to be a scuba diver! The PADI Open Water Course requires you to swim 200m or snorkel for 300m along with treading water for 10 minutes as part of the performance requirements. If you have absolutely no swimming or in water skills, you can still try scuba diving by signing up for the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program which will introduce you to the underwater world. Please note that this is not a certification course.

Not really. Almost all dive schools and centres around the world offer rental equipment included in their charges and even with that the activity remains affordable. You need not invest in any gear if you do not wish to do so and can rent out everything at the dive centre. However, if you plan on diving more frequently, it is always advisable to invest in your own mask, fins and dive computer to ensure safety and comfort.

In my time working as a dive professional, I have seen 70 year olds go diving and thoroughly enjoy their experience. If you are fit and do not have any major medical conditions, scuba diving remains accessible to you. However, for safety reasons, as an industry we mandate medical forms for everyone and physician’s clearances where required, particularly for people over the age of 45. Check the latest Medical Form to learn if you need physician’s clearance.

Diving is more accessible today than ever. There are diving schools and centres around the world and one can even dive in lakes, quarries, ponds and even ice! Social media has made everyone believe that you need to travel to a tropical location for scuba diving but wherever you are, you might find a diving centre located very close to you!

Anything can be dangerous if you are reckless. While scuba diving comes with its own set of risks, it is by no measure a dangerous sport. There are a number of safety procedures and protocols in place to ensure that we surface from our dives safely without compromising our health.

At Divinguru our highest priority is safety of our divers. Furthermore we have as the only diving school in Sri Lanka liability insurance for all water sports activities we offer. 

False! Realistically speaking, most of the stunning corals and reef fish can be found at shallower depths. Even schooling fish, rays and turtles are generally all in shallower waters. Life is more sparse as you go deeper so even as an Open Water Diver you can see a lot more than you think you can!

Did you know that most of the dive sites on the east coast of Sri Lanka are only 12-15m deep! Check out the marine life which you can expect while diving in Sri Lanka.

We hope this article helps debunk some of the misinformation around scuba diving and helps more of you there to embrace the ocean as we did! If you have any further fears or questions, please feel free to write to us!