Take into account its shape (more than its age)
If there is an activity for which age is not a brake, it is scuba diving.
Why ?
Quite simply because evolving in the 3rd dimension makes it possible to forget the weight of the body and does not hurt the joints.
No risk of bone trauma like in tennis, squash, running or climbing for example.
Be aware that for children, the legal minimum age is eight years.
Are you hesitating?
Seek advice from your attending physician, who is authorized to carry out an examination and issue a CACI, Medical Certificate of Absence of Contraindication to the practice of the activity.
If he is not familiar with diving, show him the sheets produced by the French Federation of Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM).
Are you procrastinating again?
Consult a specialist diving doctor (list on the federation website) who will be able to reassure you.
Apart from a few ENT and cardiac pathologies, you should get your CACI without any problems.
This certificate is not compulsory to carry out an initiation ("baptism") this summer on the beach, but it is necessary to start a course in order to obtain a diploma.
Read alsoFive diving spots to swim with sharks
Forget your fears
The fear of heights, the apprehension of the abyss, the fear of crossing a strange animal, the dread of running out of air are classic anxieties but which are easy to counter.
Afraid of the void of the abyss?
Rest assured, no beginner is thrown into the open sea. Diving is sometimes best learned in the pool, to become familiar with the equipment or in a few meters of water, with a nice sandy bottom.
The pedagogy has evolved enormously and the instructors adapt to the level of stress and the ease of their students.
If you don't like an instructor or it goes too fast for you, change it without qualms!
French clubs are countless.
Go by feeling, with an instructor that suits you.
Afraid of crossing an animal or strange plants?
Fish are infinitely fearful and they will hide rather than come towards you.
Your club won't take you into the middle of a kelp forest either, so quickly forget that apprehension.
Afraid of running out of air?
A 200 bar cylinder (the unit of account) contains enough compressed air for a diver to stay 90 minutes in 8 to 10 meters of water.
A baptism lasts 25 minutes in 5 meters (it is even less for children).
Do you understand why the fear of lack is unrealistic?
Our secret: don't think about breathing.
Air flows effortlessly and naturally into your mouth.
Concentrate on the environment around you, the rocks, a starfish lying on the sand and you will see that everything is going nicely.
When you start diving, the master is always your brain, never your muscles.
Read alsoManta rays, sperm whales or crocodiles: 6 diving trips to observe the lords of the oceans
Forget your swimming skills
To dive, the legal minimum age for a child is eight years old.
Martine Carret / Le Figaro
You are 60 years old and you have never learned to swim?
Do not panic.
You can dive perfectly.
It will even be easier, because you will learn the right moves the first time.
Know first that the arms are completely useless in diving.
The right attitude is to cross them, which also avoids breaking something or getting your hands on a sea urchin.
Obviously, it's not that intuitive, but after a few lessons, you'll find that you're wasting energy spinning your arms.
Legs ?
You are not on a bike, you are not pedaling and you are not swimming the breaststroke.
The hips drive the kicking motion, not the knees.
The movement is ample, supple, never abrupt.
The legs are used to move forward and the hips to turn.
To descend, there too, forget the preconceived ideas.
The ears rule.
Balancing the eardrums by gently blowing into the mask (Vasalva's maneuver) is undoubtedly the most important gesture of learning.
Controlled, this gesture allows the descent.
Underwater, we communicate by signs, with easy-to-remember basics: I'm going up, I'm going down, my ear hurts, I'm cold, everything is fine.
Read alsoScuba diving: 10 questions to get you started
Do not be intimidated by the material
At first glance, the material seems heavy, bulky, off-putting.
Know that the instructors prepare it from A to Z for beginners.
But what should you know?
The mask should not squeeze the face too much, because with the pressure it can hurt.
Fins and wetsuit should fit comfortably, without hurting.
The device you put in your mouth is called a regulator.
It is he who brings by continuous flow the compressed air present in the bottle.
A buoyancy compensator colloquially called "stab" which inflates and deflates allows the perfect stabilization at a given depth.
The instructor manages it.
In class, we learn how to use it correctly.
On the surface, a neoprene wetsuit and a buoyancy compensator ensure effortless floating.
Start Overseas and Abroad
Scuba diving with the bottlenose dolphins of the Tiputa pass on the island of Rangiroa in Polynesia.
GREG LECOEUR / Le Figaro Magazine
The French overseas territories are gems for beginners: translucent warm water, multicolored fish.
Whether in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, the Guadeloupe archipelago, Martinique or Mayotte, you will encounter ideal conditions.
There too, the FFESSM instructors all hold a State certificate, guaranteeing their ability to supervise beginners.
Abroad (and sometimes overseas), diving clubs are affiliated with other bodies, with the American PADI and SSI being the most common.
The cleanliness of the club's premises, the room and the course materials (books, videos), the quality of the equipment and the boat are indications of the seriousness of the club.
Do not hesitate to inquire before committing to a course.
Trust, for example, PADI, which certifies its clubs with stars.
Finally, be aware that diplomas obtained in a foreign country generally benefit from level "bridges" which ensure that you can dive in France on your return.
Read alsoDiving in paradise in Fakarava, authentic Polynesia
More informations
Near :
the French Federation for Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM)
the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)
Scuba Schools International (SSI)