Ah… finally a holiday break after years of working… The wind is gently touching your cheeks while the sun is shining bright. Even with the blazing hot sun you are not at all bothered. You’re just closing your eyes, kicking out your legs and laying down on a beach bench, under a parasol trying to forget about work.
You hear waves splashing against the shore, kids playing, and people chatting. You took a deep breath and can almost taste the salt in the air and feel the sand in your hair. Even though it was far from being a quiet place but somehow you feel at ease. It was a long-planned vacation for you, and you’ve decided that you want to take this opportunity to not just only relax but also try something new!
Swimming is not one of your strong points, but you’re bored of the same old snorkeling. You’re ready for something new, maybe a new challenge! You looked around your surroundings, you were looking for something that might catch your interest. After a few strolls across the beach, your eyes finally locked on something that tickles your interest. You saw, a scubawarehouse filled with scuba diving equipments. That’s it! You’ve might be bored of snorkeling, but you’ve never tried scuba diving, haven’t you?
What is Scuba Diving?
Have you ever wondered why is it called scuba diving? I mean, we understand diving, but what is scuba? What’s your guess? …Well, ‘Scuba’ is actually an acronym for:
‘Self-Contained Underwater Breaking Apparatus (SCUBA)!‘
Yes, it’s a kind of underwater diving method where divers breathe completely underwater with the help of a tank with compressed air. For those who have yet to get it, yes, that big gas tank that you always see divers carry on their back, that’s a scuba tank! One of the important diving equipment that supplies scuba divers with compressed air which enables them to breathe underwater whenever they go deep sea diving.
Scuba diving vs Snorkeling
What’s the biggest difference between these 2 activities? Well, I’m sure you’ve already known that! Don’t you remember yourself in a life jacket while wearing a diving mask and biting the snorkel before jumping off a boat? You swim close around the boat with your friends while peaking down to the shallow sea.
Oh, how fun that was wasn’t it? Well, you’re not wrong! But what if I told you that scuba diving is much better than that?
As we mentioned, scuba diving is literary diving underwater with the required diving equipment. And yes, as you might have already guessed, the huge difference between diving underwater and staying above the water surface has already screamed that this activity needs different diving equipment. It might have already been blatant, but for scuba diving, the largest difference is that you would need scuba diving equipments such as a scuba tank (or a mini scuba tank that is filled with compressed air or Nitrox), diving fins, regulator, pressure gauge and much more. (We’ll get into the details of diving equipment next!)
“Scuba diving is expensive and scary!”
I’ll be honest, scuba diving is not cheap, not by any chance. The scuba gears aren’t cheap, the courses aren’t cheap, heck, even trying out scuba diving is not cheap at all! What price range are we talking about? Well, that depends on the business, season and package that you take. As we all may know the price of a vacation package might vary depending on the dates, however, you can expect a difference of about RM400-500 if we compare the snorkeling package against the diving package.
Did I mention that you will need to learn diving first to even think of diving yourself? An open water diver course price that is offered by any dive shop (such as PADI open water courses) will fluctuate depending on the business. Typically, that amount will be around RM1,000 – 2,000! And yes, the course might take up to 4 days to complete, but it is still flexible and depends on your performance during the course.
With that aside, let’s address the elephant in the room. The most common fear of ours, drowning. We’re all afraid that drowning might happen to anyone of us due to faulty scuba diving equipments. We all know accidents happen and it might be too late to make a comeback from scuba gears failure especially underwater. However, it’s safe to say that a regular scubawarehouse will have the required permit and license when it comes to providing the scuba diving equipments. Rest assured that every piece of equipment in a scubawarehouse or dive shop has gone through in-depth inspections, regular check-ups and maintenance before it is rented out to the divers.
Safe to say that other than our fears, the biggest obstacle that prevents us from even thinking of trying out diving is the price and the required training beforehand unlike snorkeling which you can try out on the spot.
Yes Scuba Diving Might Be Scary, However…
Look, I get it, you’re afraid of deep sea diving. It’s your first time. I’m sure when you tried snorkeling you were afraid too… Not gonna lie, the same goes for me too! However, I’m here to tell you, it’s fine! As I mentioned, you’re paying a hefty amount of money to dive underwater. So, it’s safe to say that the scubawarehouse or dive shop will do their best to ensure all the diving equipment rented out is in mint condition.
Hey, the way I see it, they’re even more worried about your safety than you as if anything happens to us, they would be in a lot of legal trouble!
Alright, maybe let me convince you to try scuba diving by letting you know the reason divers put on their diving fins and scuba diving equipments! Allow me to sprinkle you why people are so obsessed with deep sea diving!
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.“
~Jacques Cousteau, French oceanographer
“Scuba diving is so relaxing and mesmerizing!”
Yes, the most obvious reason why divers are obsessed with diving is that it’s relaxing. You slowly descend into the deep sea, kicking your diving fins while breathing slowly into the mini scuba tank. By taking away your ability to talk, hear and even smell, diving makes you focus solely on your ability to see and touch. With the quiet surrounding and only the ability to see and touch, it calms you down and makes you appreciate yourself much more!
However, it’s more than just relaxing! it makes you feel like you’re in another realm, another dimension. It’s something that you’ll never get to experience anywhere else. While you slowly float through the ocean carrying your mini scuba tank, you can see the fishes swim by your face and colourful corals to be seen everywhere. It’s an out-of-this-world experience that you can only get through scuba diving!
Alright, do I have everyone onboard on trying out scuba diving? Put on your diving fin and nitrox-filled scuba tank! It’s time for an adventure of a lifetime! Click here to know your next step!