Maui Scuba Diving Lessons: What to Expect
Maui scuba diving lessons are at the top of many bucket lists. Indeed, scuba diving for beginners is a popular Maui activity because the island features excellent dive conditions. Shore diving in Lahaina you can find shallow dive sites with colorful coral reefs, tropical fish, and giant turtles!
Hawaii is perfect for scuba diving lessons. So, if you are researching an upcoming trip to Maui, use this guide to discover what you can expect on your first scuba dive.
Beginner Dive in Maui Step-by-Step
A Scuba Regulator Feels Weird at First
Maui scuba diving lessons at Airport Beach!
For many, the thought of breathing underwater is exhilarating with a touch of severe anxiety. It is not natural for us to breathe underwater, and getting used to this new feeling takes time. That is why each Maui introductory dive lesson begins with a chat about the basics of scuba diving. Your expert instructor calls this process learning to dive step-by-step! Beginner divers hear new phrases like lungs-and-legs and early-and-often.
You should feel encouraged to ask questions until you understand what to expect upon entering the ocean in Kaanapali. So reassured before we ever get in the water you will have a good understanding of why water pressure affects your body, ways to equalize air spaces, how the equipment works, and safe scuba diving techniques.
The first breaths through your scuba regulator will feel strange; there is no doubt about it. For example, you may immediately notice the sound. Each exhalation can seem quite loud as you expel bubbles. Beginner divers sometimes feel like they can be starved for air, which is reasonable!
Maui Scuba diving lessons are a time to start trusting your new regulator, and it’s okay if this takes a few minutes. That is why we first practice breathing from the regulator extensively on the surface before descending into shallow water. Indeed by the time we are ready to begin your shore dive, you will feel very comfortable taking deep continuous breaths.
You Might Forget Skills and Hand Signals – No Problem!
Maui scuba diving lessons provide initial information about skills and hand signals. But, your professional instructor does not expect you to remember every detail. Instead, we focus on communication and practicing skills in shallow water before descending under the ocean. Your instructor demonstrates each skill first and then offers you the opportunity to perform! If you need your instructor to repeat anything during the lesson, no problem; we have hand signs for that too! Communication underwater is surprisingly comfortable, and you will get the hang of it.
Weightlessness and Freedom of Movement
One of the best aspects of scuba diving is the feeling of being weightless. For me, this is my favorite part of scuba diving. Unless you are an aspiring astronaut, this is the closest you will get to the feeling of zero gravity! Scuba divers can move freely and easily in any direction, and we discuss how to control this feeling of neutral buoyancy beforehand. Allowing the water to move you, going with its flow, and staying calm will lead to a most relaxing scuba diving experience.
Go SLOWLY
Everything in diving is slow, so your scuba diving lessons will feel comfortable. We breathe slowly, swim slowly, and, most importantly, ascend slowly. The density of water restricts movement, and if you find yourself fighting to swim or moving erratically, you need to get in control. Divers grow accustomed to water resistance, which is essential to extending the length of time your tank lasts. Calm and controlled is the name of the game.
Maui Scuba Diving Lessons Are Worth It
Maui scuba diving lesson for a terrified beginner diver who became a professional diver!
I will let you in on a secret with a personal anecdote. During my first scuba diving lessons, I was close to tears. I was terrified to have water enter my mask, and I wouldn’t say I liked that we had to access the surface slowly. But, 12 years and many thousands of dives later, the cost of a few moments of initial panic and stress was worth the immeasurable gift that scuba diving has brought to my life.
Today scuba divers see a living museum of corals and fishes while facing the fundamental notion that coral reefs will soon look much different, or worse, completely disappear for future generations. So there is no time like the present. Maui scuba diving lessons can positively change your life. If you have always wanted to try scuba diving in Hawaii, book your Discover Scuba Dive in Lahaina today!