When I first took my certification on scuba diving I remember being super bored with the first few classes, I really didn’t care how I was supposed to plan a diving trip, I just wanted to get right into the action and do it.
The thing is when I later began to dive often and actually choose destinations based on where I could dive, the planning tips, checklists, and musts really helped me not panic before the trip.
If you are going on a scuba diving trip, and especially if it is going to be long distance, you’ll want to make sure you go through the whole checklist.
So, here are 10 steps to planning a scuba diving trip
When it comes to planning a trip, things are hard on itself. You need to worry about passports, packing, going through migration. Now, things can get a little more complicated when you also have to deal with certifications and a very (very) heavy gear.
Therefore, when planning a trip, the first thing you need to do it get your certification in order, even before you pick a destination, and then once you got that evaluate your abilities.
Now you can get into the actual trip planning, pick a diving objective and then a destination that will let you fulfill it. Also, consider holiday options available and pick a date to travel.
Once you have the destination completely figured out check what you need to travel to that place, also with the practicalities, you should check your insurance. Then you only have to pack, and once you get there you can plan the actual dive.
If you would like to know what these steps should involve and how to fulfill them more specifically, then keep on reading. Once you are over with it, you’ll be an expert on long distance scuba dive trip planning
1.Getting your certification in order
Do you not have it, are you getting certified before the trip, or do you already have it?
So first, in the scenario that you don’t have it, you should look for shops and resorts that offer them, which will give you the basics on diving and help you to dive in open water.
If you are getting your certification before the trip you need to consider that certification process will take about 3-4 days at a minimum and that you’ll need to read, do coursework, and overall school stuff, which is why you should do it before going on your vacation, since you probably don’t want to spend half of it in a classroom.
Finally, if you are certified make sure you have your certification card and you are taking it, if you are going to a place that requires certification, you’ll be required to show it, and misplacing it is common.
The kind of certification stage you are at will probably also determine your destiny, but before picking a destiny you need to evaluate your capacities.
2.Evaluate your capacities
Even if you already have a certification, if you haven’t dived much in your life you probably won’t be wanting to go to a very hard destination. You need to evaluate how capable you are to perform a series of diving sessions, without putting yourself at risk.
3.Pick a diving objective
Once you have taken the previous two into consideration, you can set an objective as to why you want to go diving. Especially if you are going with someone else.
Me, I’m the kind of diver that wants to take millions of pretty photos, my boyfriend, on the other hand, likes to dive more for the adrenaline, so we obviously have a hard time agreeing on destinations.
Talk about what you want to get out of this diving trip and agree on it, or narrow it down to things that can be both fulfilled while staying together. This is one of the most important things when it comes to the next step.
4.Picking a destination
Here is where the actual trip planning begins. The reason why step 1, 2, and 3 are so important is that they will help you narrow down your destination options.
Make a list of the diving destinations you want to go to and narrow down by level of ability you’ll need and things you can do in these destinations. If you are interested in some things like tec, maybe Malta is a good choice, but if you are taking your family with you, Caribbean resorts are a great option that often offers scuba diving options at all levels.
5.Consider a Holiday option
Once you have chosen a destination, you might want to consider what kinds of diving holidays the place offers.
If there is more than one option, evaluate what they include and which one is better suited to your needs.
Mostly you need to decide if you want your diving to be included in your hotel, or if you are staying someplace where there is a diving center nearby.
6.Pick a date
Know your hurricane season and avoid it at all costs. If you don’t know, hurricane season is June to November. Probably one of the best dates to go diving is spring break since the weather is not that hot yet, but it usually also isn’t cold anymore. Also, if your objective is to see the marine life, you want to know what species you want to see and when they are there and pray it isn’t during hurricane season.
7.What do you need
Investigate if you need a visa, check if your passport is not expired. Research flights and try to look for cheaper ones since scuba diving tends to be expensive itself. And research the airline weight maximum, you’ll later learn why.
8.Insurance
Make sure you have travel insurance, and that your medical insurance covers overseas.
9.Packing
This is actually strongly related to your certification level. If you are not certified you’ll just need a swimsuit, don’t buy gear.
However, if you are you’ll need some gear, and if you have more experience you’ll need to carry the whole gear.
Carrying a whole gear can be an issue because of weight limitations on the plane, check the limits and the fees for extra weight.
10.Plan the actual dive
You can do it once you get there but usually is better to plan ahead and consider things like how far you’ll want to dive and what are your contingency plans going to be.
Even if you don’t have everything super specified, you should at least discuss it before getting to your destination.
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