Before you go Scuba Diving in Key West

One of the most popular activities on the island of Key West is scuba diving. In Key West, there are many great places to dive -- living reefs and out of the way wrecks -- and so many things to see -- exotic marine life, tropical undersea plants, and maybe even a dolphin, shark, or whale. However, before you go out into the warm tranquil waters and take the plunge, you will need to take one thing into account: You need to be certified before you can go scuba diving in Key West.

At the Key West Dive Center, we take safety very seriously. That is why we will not allow any person who is not certified to participate in our excursions scuba diving in Key West. This is not only a legal decision, it is a matter of safety. Luckily for those who are not certified, there are options for completing your certification while still enjoying your vacation. This article contains information about different scuba diving certification courses, why you need to be certified, and other options for seeing the marine world.

Certification Options

The Key West Dive Center offers vacationers many options for getting their certification coursework out of the way, so they can participate in the many great scuba diving in Key West excursions. For those who have already completed the majority of their certification, but just need to complete their check out, our referral dives are just what you're looking for. For those who have not been diving in a while, our refresher courses will have you back into diving shape in no time.

If this will be your first time scuba diving in Key West, then you will want to opt for either an open water or advanced certification. Both courses take between 3 and 4 days to complete -- though this may be expedited by obtaining and completing the textbook work before arriving on the island. Open Water Certification allows you to scuba dive anywhere in the world and participate in deeper dives. The Advanced Certification will not limit you in diving choices, but will not allow you to dive quite as deep.

Why Certification Is Important

Certification is important because scuba diving is a skill that must be learned and practiced in order to do it safely and with full enjoyment. Someone not certified would not only be breaking the law by participating in an excursion scuba diving in Key West, he or she would also be putting themselves and the rest of their diving group in great danger.

A person not schooled and certified does not know the proper safety precautions and techniques for effective scuba diving. Because of this, things are more likely to go wrong and if they do, more people than just the uncertified diver will be in danger.