Information for Non-Divers

A few facts up front:

Over the last 20 years the number of scuba divers has risen sharply.
Many do a quick course while on holidays, do not own their equipment and rent what they need. Scuba diving is classified as a so-called 'high-risk activity'. However, it is important to point out that most accidents happen on land or on the surface, and that the few 'real' diving accidents happen because either the rules are ignored and/or people overestimate their ability.

Scuba diving in the Red Sea among thousands of fish.
The dive centre's staff regularly scuba dive at other locations - also abroad. You can accompany them which has the advantage of knowing who you dive with

Is scuba diving the right thing for you?

If you are a type...

  • who seeks to find their limits:
    Scuba diving is definitely not for you.
  • who wants to be a 'Rambo':
    Do not try scuba diving!
  • who needs applause:
    Won't happen with scuba diving.
  • who constantly needs to talk:
    You keep you mouth shut when diving.
  • who needs a challenge:
    Forget it. Anyone can scuba dive.
  • who is looking for a sport for 'real men':
    skinny girls dive, and so do OAPs.

Forget scuba diving!

If on the other hand you...

  • enjoy discovering a whole new world right here on our planet
    scuba diving is exactly the right thing
  • can imagine to float weightlessly through an underwater landscape
    float!
  • want to discover new things every few minutes
    discover!
  • want to enjoy nature, close and relaxed
    enjoy!
  • put safety first and won't risk your life for reckless derring-do

Then scuba diving is for you!

What do you need to scuba dive?
Instruction, an be it ever so brief.
In the simplest case you can answer a few theoretical questions and have dived a few times under supervision. Then you get a simple 'diving certificate' as proof. Depending on the scuba diving organisation there are half a dozen or so more exams all the way up to 'diving instructor'.

Find an overview of the instruction levels here.

 

Discover Scuba Diving
If you have never scuba dived then you should try it first. A scuba instructor takes you into the water. If you would like to discover scuba diving at the Underwater Park, please click here.

Instruction
The NaturaGart diving base doesn't do courses. There are, however, scuba diving clubs that come here regularly.
Find a list of instructors ->here.
 
Variety under water is greater than on land.

Equipment

In principle you can rent everything here. Most people, however, at some point purchase their own regulators for hygienic reasons (from 350,00 Euros) and a diving suit that fits better against the cold (from 200,00 Euros)

Further equipment consists of:

  • mask
  • boots
  • lead weights on a belt, because the suit floats so as to prevent you from going under.
  • fins
  • Buoyancy Control Device (BCD). A vest into which more or less air is blown depending on depth, so that you drift through the water.
  • 10-12 l tank that is filled with about 2,000 litres of pressurised air. In the Underwater Park this lasts for 1-2 hours.
  • Depth gauge
  • Pressure gauge for tank pressure
  • Diving computer (only used for deeper dives)
Scuba diving is simple: You need an air tank, a regulator, a mask, fins and a suit.