By Helena Posnett, responsibletravel.com (2007)
I work as an Account Manager at responsibletravel.com and in early June, the opportunity arose to visit one of our diving operators in Dahab, Egypt. Take a look at this diving vacation
learn to scuba dive in the red sea.;
My brother is a keen scuba diver, and has been urging me to learn for years, but as a nervous snorkeller (I hate the water flooding down and the feeling of claustrophobia!), it was never high on my priority list. But that was all to change...
I learnt to dive in the warm waters of the Red Sea, where divers and windsurfers flock in their hundreds in search of the ultimate thrill. I stayed at a PADI 5 star Gold Palm Resort in Dahab, with a superb reputation for safety, quality of equipment, teaching and commitment to the local community and marine environment.
So what's involved?
PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) provides a worldwide network of dive centres offering courses for beginners through to professionals. I began with the Open Water Course, which combines video learning, reading and self assessment, with tutoring from your instructor, 5 confined dives (exercises in shallow water), and 4 open water dives (exercises in deeper water, and time to explore underwater).
I was incredibly fortunate to have one-on-one instruction, and in fact the Dive Centre always keep group to 4 or less to provide a personal experience, quality instruction and of course minimise the risk of damage to the marine environment. My instructor Birgit has been teaching for almost 10 years and any fears I had were quickly allayed. I have no doubt that her calm, responsible & methodical approach was key to the success of the week.
And how did I feel?
Learning to dive took me far out of my comfort zone. I had to concentrate 100%, slow my actions, trust my equipment, trust my 'dive buddy' (also my instructor) and overcome the basic human drive to surface.
Learning to dive was all consuming and I'd fall asleep listening to my breathing with the sensation that I was rising and falling underwater (the divers among you will know what I mean!).
But the hard work and early nights certainly paid off, and I knew that I'd progressed when diving was becoming second nature and I could finally appreciate the incredible marine life on the reef!
So how do I feel about diving now?
This trip was truly life-changing and opened up another world to me. Weightlessness is an extraordinary sensation, and diving brings you closer to ecosystems few are privileged to encounter. I am already checking out our other
scuba diving vacations on responsibletravel.com!
Tips for this vacation: 
Do buy and read the PADI manual before the vacation as advised by the Dive Centre. Always carry water with you. The Dive Centre sells a fantastic water bottle carrier which really keeps the water cool. Do ask your instructor to take photos underwater. It would have been too much for me to carry a camera myself, as there's so much to think about already! After your Open Water course, I would recommend the 'Peak Performance Buoyancy' Adventure Dive as this helps you control your movement underwater to minimise the risk of damaging the marine life.
Try scuba diving for yourself, check out our
Scuba diving vacations.
