This month I learned to Scuba dive in Paraty Brazil with Paraty Scuba and here’s how you can too.
Learning to dive has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember.
Well, specifically 2015, when I went to Thailand for the first time and saw all the amazing tours I couldn’t do because I didn’t have my PADI (or other open water diving qualification.)
From then on, I’ve dreamed of expanding my world exploration to under water too. After all, how can you explore the world if you’re unable to access 70% of it?
After deciding to travel to Brazil, I quickly turned my attention to researching if I could achieve the dream of learning to scuba dive while in Brazil. Brazil has endless gorgeous diving spots and plenty of dive schools ready to help you explore them.
In this blog I’m going to explain everything we did to get our PADI Open Water Diver Certification in Paraty, Brazil. But a lot of the information applies wherever in the world you want to learn to dive.
Choosing A Dive Qualification
There are countless certifying bodies that you can learn to dive in Paraty or around the world with. However they all follow a very similar structure and content. After all, they are teaching the same sport at the end of the day.
PADI is the world’s largest dive certification agency, and according to their website have issued over 25 Million certificates in 183 countries and 26 languages.
When you learn to dive in Paraty on a PADI course, you will do the PADI “Open Water Diver” and be certified up to 18m/60ft.
We opted to use PADI in Paraty since it’s world recognised and one we were familiar with. But do your own research to determine what organisation is best for you and the location you’re in.
https://instagram.com/paditravel?igshid=vyewjb2v82go
Choosing A Paraty Dive School
I contacted 5 or 6 different dive schools in Paraty and Ilha Grande a few months before our trip to Brazil. In the end, there was one clear winner – Paraty Scuba.
I can’t recommend Paraty Scuba highly enough.
When choosing your dive school there are a number of things to think about:
- Cost
- Location
- Reviews
- Format of course
Claudia and Sergio who run Paraty Scuba, and have decades of dive experience between them, were the most helpful and responsive to our enquiry emails and MANY questions before arriving.
Which made them a clear winner before we even started learning to dive.
Diving can be daunting at first, and so can putting your safety in the hands of strangers. But Claudia’s helpful emails and fast responses put us at ease from the start.
The Open Water Diver Course with Paraty Scuba
We wanted to learn to dive in Paraty, but we didn’t want to spend a day of our holiday in a classroom. So we opted to do the theory online in advance and then the practical stage with Paraty Scuba in Brazil.
PADI Course Summary
- Online theory
- 3 day practical course
- 4 x Sea dives about 45 minutes each
- Diving near Ilha dos Meros
- $1850 Brazilian Real pp
This meant the full PADI qualification was as follows:
1. Before Arrival
Online Theory via E-Learning PADI App.
- 5 sections covering the basic science of scuba diving, scuba equipment and some tips for when in the water.
- Online quiz at the end of each section and a final exam (pass mark 75% +)
- Approximately 8-10 hours total (you could probably do it faster if you wanted).
2. Day 1 Diving in Paraty
Knowledge Review
- Watching a PADI video for each of the 5 theory sections.
- Approx 2-3 hours at Paraty Scuba.
Contained water dives.
- Getting to know the dive equipment.
- Taking your first breathes underwater in a swimming pool.
- Learning some core techniques such as sharing a regulator and taking your mask in & off underwater.
- Approx 2 hours at local pool.
3. Day 2 & 3 Diving in Paraty
Open Water Dives
- The next two days of learning to dive in Paraty involve going out on a boat with other divers and REALLY scuba diving for the first time.
- Practicing the techniques you learnt in the pool again, but in the sea.
- Plenty of time to truly enjoy the beauty of scuba diving once the exercises are all complete.
- Approx 5-6 hours per day on the boat.
And there you have it! We’ve officially learnt to dive in Paraty!
We’re PADI qualified to start exploring the 70% of our planet covered by water (well, down 18m for now anyway).
If you have any questions about the course please drop me a message, or contact Claudia directly if you’re going to be diving in Paraty.
