If you have never dived before but have been thinking about starting, it is a good idea.
to go for a try dive.
In this post, I will explain to you why and what the try dive is all about here in Lanzarote and what you should expect from the dive centre where you go for a try dive.
Maybe you just want to do something different during your holidays, or maybe you want to get started, so you know what it's all about before you go for a diving licence.
Either way, the try dive is the ideal opportunity to put on scuba diving equipment and experience breathing underwater.
Are you ready?
Let's go!
4.6. Exit.
What is a try dive?
Putting on scuba diving equipment and experiencing it first-hand, both in and out of the water.
The weight of the equipment, the neoprene suit, breathing through the regulator, using the fins, ...
I'm sure you hadn't even thought about many things until I tell you about them.
The feeling of breathing underwater and being able to stay at the bottom for a long time.
Seeing the world full of life that hides behind the surface and gets in touch with its inhabitants.
To live for a few minutes in an environment that is far from your natural environment.
It's all part of an experience you'll never forget.
What you are going to learn?
On this dive, you will learn a series of basic concepts and skills that will help you to dive safely.
But what you will get to do is to feel in your skin what scuba diving is all about.
From this point on, there are several possible scenarios:
You love it, you get hooked and go for the licence.
You love it, but it's just another experience for you.
Or you don't like it and never want to dive again.
But remember... the try dive is not a diving licence.
Where can I book a try dive?
All the dive centres have the try dive in their list of activities, so it will be easy for you to organize it with the one you want.
Depending on the organization they work with, the program will have one name or another, but they are the same after all.
If it's a PADI dive centre, it will be called PADI Discover Scuba Diving.
If it's SSI, it will be called SSI Try Scuba or SSI basic diver.
Whatever the organization is, it's certain to have its own beginners program.
The point is that you will always find it in a dive center and there is not much difference between them.
What does a try dive consist of?
Once you book your try dive and arrive at the centre at the agreed time, the action begins.
1. Equipment preparation.
Your instructor will help you choose the equipment to suit you as good as possible.
Your instructor sets up the equipment for you and explains each element part by part so that you have an idea of how it works.
2. Then it's time for the briefing.
The briefing is a talk in which they explain what the dive will consist of, safety rules, hand signals for communication, and basic skills.
Learn how to compensate your ears for pressure, how to empty your mask in case of flooding, and how to take off and put on your regulator so that you know how to put it back on if it falls out of your mouth...
3. Arriving at the dive site.
This is where you will put on your equipment.
Your instructor will explain to you how to do it and help you to put it on.
4. Entering the water.
The moment you've been waiting for.
You put on your mask and regulator and take your first breaths in the water.
If you enter from a beach, you will do it at a shallow depth, leaning down to put your face in the water.
If it's from a boat, you can jump in and then practice a bit on the surface before going down to the bottom.
Your instructor tells you what to do in each situation.
5. Diving.
Once at the bottom, you practice the skills you learned in the briefing, but this time you do it underwater.
Your instructor stands in front of you, handling your BCD and helping you with whatever you need.
You have to frequently equalize your ears to release the pressure, and you have to move your fins to go forward.
6. Exit.
Once the dive is finished, you get out of the water and take off your equipment.
That's how easy a try dive is.
What is the equipment I will wear?
The equipment for your try dive is the same basic equipment that any certified diver wears.
A neoprene wetsuit.
To protect you from the cold.
It should be tight enough so that the water doesn't circulate between your skin and the suit, but not so tight that you can't breathe.
A hood is usually built in, and it is up to you whether you want to use it or not.
It is always recommended because it protects your ears and prevents heat loss through your head.
Neoprene boots.
So you can walk in them and protect yourself from the cold.
Weight belt with the correct weight for you.
Your instructor will tell you how many kilos you should wear and how to adjust it so that it is as comfortable as possible.
Although out of the water, I'm telling you, comfort gets a little tricky.
A BCD that inflates orally and automatically.
This is what will allow you to carry your air tank on your back and control your buoyancy. It allows you to float and rest when you are on the surface, dives when you want to, and once on the bottom, it helps you maintain neutral buoyancy.
It is not easy to control your buoyancy with a BCD. Not only that, but it takes a course and a lot of practice to get the best out of it.
Air cylinder.
Normally, a 12-liter tank is filled to 200 Bar Pressure.
This means that it will give you plenty of time underwater, although the duration will always depend on many factors.
Another very important thing to know is that the cylinder is filled with air. It does not carry pure oxygen.
The regulator
Another essential element with many functions.
The most important part of a regulator is the 1st stage.
It is what connects to the cylinder and regulates the air coming out of the cylinder.
In the 1st stage, there are 4 hoses...
These hoses have different elements at the end.
Two of them will lead to the second stage.
The second stages are the valves through which we breathe and give us the air on demand, i.e. when we breathe and the amount we want to breathe.
Another of the hoses has a valve at the end that connects to the inflator of the waistcoat and allows us to inflate it with the push of a button.
The last hose is different from the other 3 because it supports the same air pressure as the one in the bottle and at the end, it has a pressure gauge that indicates this pressure in the cylinder.
This way we know how much air we have left at all times.
The mask.
You have probably already used one for snorkeling.
It is made of glass with a silicone skirt that fits over your face and covers your nose.
The mask is a very important element to having a comfortable and enjoyable dive.
How deep do I go on my first dive?
I'm going to talk to you about the PADI and SSI standards when it comes to making a try dive.
The first dive you make in your life should be in confined water.
And what does that mean? You might be wondering.
Confined water means that you can't go deeper than 6 meters and be in safe conditions, similar to a swimming pool.
Can you dive in the sea? Yes, as long as these conditions are met.
Actually, this is what we call a Try dive and this is what dive centers normally do.
You can even do it from a boat if the site meets the conditions, and you don't go below the maximum depth.
Now, on a second dive, you can dive in open waters, go down to a depth of 12 meters, and learn and practice several skills in addition to what you learned on the first dive.
Do I get a certification by doing a try dive?
No.
A try dive does not qualify you to dive without the supervision of an instructor.
If you complete the 2 dives I just told you about, you can earn the PADI Discover Scuba Diving or SSI Basic Diver certification and with it, you get credits toward the Open Water Diver course.
What should I expect from my first dive in Lanzarote?
Diving for the first time in Lanzarote is a unique experience for several reasons:
Here we do try dives from the beach, and you will love the three dive sites where we do them.
1. Jablillo Beach in Costa Teguise.
This is a beautiful artificial lagoon with a sandy bottom and a rock wall where many marine species live.
The visibility here is more than 20 meters.
Most of the year the water has turquoise color and in the winter months, it offers you the possibility to find Angel Sharks which can even be seen mating.
It is the ideal place to make your first dive in confined waters.
2. Playa Chica in Puerto del Carmen.
One of the most important dive sites in Europe.
Entering from the beach, you can do 2 dives.
The first one is in confined water up to 6 meters and the second one is in open water up to 12 meters.
The beach has two lines of volcanic rock on both sides and is also home to countless marine species.
3. Flamingo Beach in Playa Blanca.
Another closed beach with an artificial stone wall. You can do the confined water dive inside and the open water dive outside.
Another ideal site for the amount of life it hosts. It is home to large shoals of wrasse, grunts, and wrasse, and it is also possible to play with bream and cross paths with stingrays and angel sharks.
As you can see, your first dive has a lot to offer and can be the gateway to discovering a new and life-changing hobby.
I have tried to explain what it is like, and what you will feel, so you can get an idea of what to expect on your first dive.
Now you just have to take the plunge and go for it.
We wish you lots of fun and hope you will tell us about your experience.