Frequently Asked Questions about Diving
I would love to learn to dive...but where do I start?
Have a look at our pages about Introduction dive, Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver. There you'll find exactly what it takes to learn to dive.
Is is hard to become a sport diver?
Not at all! Especially when you feel already at ease in the water. The courses are created in such a way that you start with simple things. Each time you enter the water your Orangedive Instructor helps you add a few skills to your repertoire. At the end of the course, you will be surprised how much you've learned in such a short time!
What is the minimum age to become a sport diver?
You can start already at the age of ten. You will learn exactly the same skills as adults, but you'll have a different depth limit when you're finished and your certification will be Junior Open Water Diver. At the age of fourteen, you can change your Junior Open Water certification into a regular Open Water Diver certification.
I'm 65, isn't that too old to start?
Recently a 68-year-old lady has completed the Open Water Diver Course with succes! The only thing she regrets now is that she hadn't done this earlier in life!
It is important though that you check with you doktor if sport diving is the right sport for you and off course that you feel healthy enough to start diving.
All those materials needed for sport diving, aren't those very expensive?
In comparison with skiing or golfing, sport diving is not expensive at all. The prices of most beginner coursses are including the rent of equipment and of course you can rent materials with us after you've finished your course too. If you decide to buy your own dive gear, we can assist you at a dive shop to give advice.
Do I have to meet special standards before I start sport diving?
You have to be at least 10 years old, you ahve to be able to swim and you have to be healthy. If meet these requirements, there is no problem. Before you start the course, you have to sign a medical statement. If then something turns out to be wrong, you have to visit a dive medical doktor. He will advise you if it's safe to start diving or not. Orangedive cooperates with several dive medics which offer their services against special rates.
Do you have to show swim certifications before starting to dive?
No, but you have to be able to float for ten minutes and then swim or snorkel a specific distance, without using a floating device.
If I dive to the bottom of a swimming pool, my ears start to hurt. If I start diving, I will go deeper, but what will that do with my ears?
Because of the higher pressure under water, your ear drum is pushed a bit inside. This gives an uncomfortable feeling and if you do nothing against it, it really hurts. During you first underwater experience, we will teach you already a simple trick, called equalizing, which prevents this feeling.
Don't I get attacked by sharks or other crazy creatures under water?
Almost all animals are more scared of you than you of them. Off course you're not supposed to stick your fingers into the mouth of a murene, nor should you walk over sea urchins. But even sharks naturally don't have a taste for human beings. To give an example: more people die of a bee sting than of a shark bite.
When I subscribe, how long will it take before I get my licence?
That depends not only on the amount of lessons you have to take, but also how many lessons you need to learn all the skills.
The PADI system requires that you are able to perform all the skills correctly and if it's neccessary, we will add another lesson to finalize the details. Normally the Open Water Course includes 5 confined sessions, 5 theory sessions and 4 open water dives.
You can choose if you want to spread the course over six weeks if you have the time, or to do all the lessons in one week of you are at Curacao for a short holiday. As soon as you subscribe for a course, you will get your PADI books, so you can start with it right away!
Do I need to buy equipment as soon as I start the course?
No, with most beginner courses, the equipment is included in the price. However, most students choose to buy their own mask, snorkel and fins after the first day. This is not only comfortable during your course, but also useful if you want to go snorkeling at other moments during your stay here.
We also offer the possibility to try several mask types during the course.
At parties I'm often told that diving is dangerous?
No, it is absolutely safe, as long as you follow the basic safety rules and use your common sense.
During the course we will teach you these rules over and over again. Don't cross those limits and you will have a nice and happy dive life!
I wear glasses (or contact lenses), is that a problem?
No, it is not a problem. Not all contact lensen are suitable for diving, but we can give some advise on that. Further, it is possible to get a mask with a prescription. We have glasses with standard prescriptions in the shop and it's not even that expensive!
I really want to start sport diving, but I'm not sure if I like it. Can I first do a try dive?
Yes, off course! We offer introduction dives for individuals, but also for groups or companies. For more information, have a look at our Introduction dive page.
How much time can you spend under water on one single tank?
There is not one answer to this question. It depends on a lot of things, like depth, current, experience and more. Normally, if you finish the PADI Open Water Course, you can spend an hour under water on a single tank, noted that all circumstances are nice and easy.
A dive tank is filled with...what exactly?
The same are as you breath on the surface! But it's filtered first to make it completely dry and clean and the tank is filled under high pressure.
At this moment you see a lot of diver go underwater with mixes that have a higher oxygen percentage than normal air. This elongates their bottom time mostly. However, it's is not possible to do so without special training. Off course, Orangedive offers this course, the Nitrox or EAN Specialy, too.During this course a special certified PADI Nitrox instructor will teach you how to dive with nitrox in a safe way.
If I'm on holiday, I like to go snorkeling. Do I need to do a course for that?
A lot of people think that it's useless to take snorkel classes. However, they never learned the trics we can teach you! With some simple adjustments and basic knowledge, you can have much better, relaxter snorkel experiences. We can also give you advise on proper snorkeling equipment, which makes snorkeling way more fun!
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