Learning to scuba dive with TORPEDO RAYS and PADI is an incredible adventure! With PADI as your training organization, your path to breathing underwater is accomplished in three exciting phases:

1. Knowledge Development - Learn the lingo.

During the first phase of your PADI Open Water Diver scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear, and what to consider when planning dives. You briefly review what you have studied in the five knowledge sections with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you're getting it.

At the end of the course, you'll take a longer quiz that makes sure you have all the key concepts and ideas down. You and your TORPEDO RAYS Instructor will review anything that you don't quite get until it's clear.

Here's what you'll do:

• Start right now and learn to scuba dive online with TORPEDO RAYS via PADI eLearning at your own pace—anytime, anywhere
• Then, attend a scheduled scuba diving class at TORPEDO RAYS.

2. Confined Water Dives - Scuba Skills Training.

This is what it's all about – diving. You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving in a pool or body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you'll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You'll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends, and have a great time. There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives you’ll attain the skills you need to dive in open water.

3. Open Water Dives - Locally or on Vacation.

After your confined water dives, you and the new friends you've made continue learning during four open water dives with your TORPEDO RAYS PADI Instructor at a dive site. This is where you fully experience the underwater adventure – at the beginner level, of course. You can make these dives right here in Halifax or finish up down south with the referral program

It's possible to complete your confined and open water dives in as few as three or four days by completing the classroom portion online via PADI eLearning with TORPEDO RAYS.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is incredibly flexible and performance based, which means that TORPEDO RAYS can offer a wide variety of schedules, paced according to how fast you progress.

Your instructor's interest is in your learning to scuba dive, not in how long you sit in a class. So, training is based upon demonstrating that you know what you need to know and can do what you need to do. This means that you progress at your own pace – faster or slower depending upon the time you need to become a confident and regular scuba diver. You can start learning to scuba dive online right now with TORPEDO RAYS and PADI eLearning.

Compared with getting started in other popular adventure sports and outdoor activities, learning to scuba dive isn't expensive.

For example, you can expect to pay about the same as you would for:

• a full day of surfing lessons
• a weekend of rock climbing lessons
• a weekend of kayaking lessons
• a weekend of fly-fishing lessons
• about three hours of private golf lessons
• about three hours of private water skiing lessons
• one amazing night out at the pub!

Learning to scuba dive is a great value when you consider that you learn to dive under the guidance and attention of a highly trained, experienced professional - your TORPEDO RAYS PADI Scuba Instructor. From the first day, scuba diving starts transforming your life with new experiences you share with friends. And you can do it almost anywhere there is water. Start learning online with TORPEDO RAYS and get ready to take your first breath underwater!

TORPEDO RAYS is proud to be able to offer the PADI Open Water Course from $599.99 per person.

Choosing and using your scuba gear is part of the fun of diving. TORPEDO RAYS will help you find the right gear. Each piece of scuba equipment performs a different function so that, when combined, it adapts you to the underwater world.

When you start learning to scuba dive, as a minimum, you want your own

• scuba mask
• snorkel
• boots
• scuba fins

These have a personal fit, and TORPEDO RAYS will help you choose ones that have the fit and features best suited to you. Included in the cost of your PADI Open Water Diver course, TORPEDO RAYS will provide a:

• dive regulator
• scuba BC
• dive computer
• scuba tank
• scuba wetsuit
• weight system and weights

Check with TORPEDO RAYS to confirm sizing available for your course package. It's recommended that you invest in your own scuba equipment when you start your course because:

• you'll be more comfortable using scuba gear fitted for you
• you'll be more comfortable learning to scuba dive using gear you've chosen
• scuba divers who own their own scuba diving equipment find it more convenient to go diving
• having your own scuba diving gear is part of the fun of diving

The kind of gear you will need depends on the conditions where you dive. You may want:

• tropical scuba gear
• temperate scuba equipment
• cold water scuba diving equipment

Easy. There is no best gear. But there is the best gear for you. The professionals at TORPEDO RAYS are trained to help you find scuba gear that best matches your preferences, fit and budget. These professionals can get you set with the right stuff, plus they provide service and support for years of enjoyable and dependable use.

You may also want to talk to other scuba divers in PADI's online scuba community to get recommendations on particular scuba equipment brands and models.

If you have an appetite for excitement and adventure, odds are you can become an avid PADI scuba diver. You'll also want to keep in mind these requirements:

Minimum Age:

• 12 years old for group training.
• Students younger than 15 years who successfully complete the course qualify for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, which they may upgrade to PADI Open Water Diver certification upon reaching 15.
• 10 and 11 year olds may participate in Private and Semi-Private training only. Contact us to find out more about diving with children.

Physical: For safety, all students complete a brief scuba medical questionnaire that asks about medical conditions that could be a problem while diving. If none of these apply, you sign the form and you're ready to start. If any of these apply to you, as a safety precaution your dive physician (SPUMS) must assess the condition as it relates to diving and sign a medical form that confirms that you're fit to dive.

Waterskills: Before completing the PADI Open Water Diver course, your instructor will have you demonstrate basic waterskill comfort by having you:

• swim 200 metres/yards (or 300 metres/yards in mask, fins and snorkel). There is no time limit for this, and you may use any swimming strokes you want.
• float and tread water for 10 minutes, again using any methods that you want.

About Physical Challenges: Any individual who can meet the performance requirements of the course qualifies for certification. There are many adaptive techniques that allow individuals with physical challenges to meet these requirements. Individuals with paraplegia, amputations and other challenges commonly earn the PADI Open Water Diver certification. Even individuals with more significant physical challenges participate in diving. Contact us if you have any specific questions or concerns and we can help answer your questions and likely get you diving.

Learning Materials : Torpedo Rays will provide the following training materials during the PADI Open Water Diver course, and for your review and reference after the course:

• PADI eLearning

You will also need:

• PADI Log book and Recreational Dive Planner (Table, or eRDPml).

You can dive practically anywhere there's water – from a swimming pool to the ocean and all points in between, including quarries, lakes, rivers and springs. Where you can scuba dive is determined by:

• your experience
• difficulty level of dive site
• accessibility
• conditions
• interests

For example, if you've just finished your PADI Open Water Diver course, you probably won't be diving under the Antarctic ice on your next dive. But don't limit your thinking to the warm, clear water you see in travel magazines. Some of the best diving is closer than you think.

Your local dive site can be anything from a special pool built just for divers like one found in Brussels, Belgium, or more typically natural sites like Belize's Great Blue Hole, Australia's Great Barrier Reef or Japan's Yonaguni Monument. It may be a manmade reservoir or a fossil-filled river. It's not always about great visibility because what you see is more important than how far you see.

The only truly important thing about where you dive is that you have the scuba diving training and experience appropriate for diving there, and that you have a dive buddy to go with you. TORPEDO RAYS can help you organize great local diving or a dive vacation. Visit today to get started.

No, assuming you have no irregularities in your ears and sinuses. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ears. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears – you just need to learn how. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you'll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving.

Sun burn and seasickness, both of which are preventable with over the counter preventatives. The most common injuries caused by marine life are scrapes and stings, most of which can be avoided by an exposure suit, staying off the bottom and watching where you put your hands and feet.

Contact us for information about exposure protection needed for any of your diving.

Say the word “shark” and the first image most people conjure up is a Jaws-inspired white shark devouring unsuspecting bathers while well-meaning authorities and scientists helplessly stand by.

Shark attack is probably the most feared natural danger to man, surpassing even hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes in the minds of most beach users and sailors. Among the earth’s large animals implicated in the attack and consumption of humans, only sharks have not been “controlled” by man.

Even the fiercest of terrestrial predators, the large cats and bears, are extremely susceptible to a rifle and “problem” animals simply have been eliminated, leaving many of these species endangered. Some crocodilians, especially the Nile and saltwater crocodiles, are certainly as dangerous as sharks, but these reptiles have never captured as much “press” in part because their populations are largely limited to Third World countries and they, too, are vulnerable to human hunting pressure.

The sea’s only other creatures with the capability of consuming a human, killer and sperm whales, are not normally considered threats to man. Sharks, on the other hand, have been documented attackers (and sometime consumers) of humans around the world throughout recorded history.

Shark attack did not become a subject of particular public interest until the twentieth century. Several factors have contributed to the upswing in public awareness of shark attack during the last sixty years. First and foremost has been the evolution of the press from a parochial to a cosmopolitan news-gathering system that covers a larger portion of the world in a more rapid and comprehensive manner.

Increased competition and a shift of journalistic values in certain quarters have additionally contributed to more active searches for “shock” stories (i.e. those that titillate the public and promote sales.) Needless to say, an examination of current weekly tabloids confirms that “shark eats man” is a best-selling story line. World War II, with a plethora of air and sea disasters never before encountered during previous confrontations or in peacetime, regrettably spawned large numbers of shark attacks and spurred research to find an effective shark repellent.

The general worldwide trend towards more intense utilization of marine waters for recreational activities during this time period has also increased the chances of shark-human interactions with a resulting increase in the total number of attacks. Add in fictionalized shark accounts in the popular press and movies and it’s easy to see why shark attack is a hot topic.

Shark attack is a potential danger that must be acknowledged by anyone that frequents marine waters, but it should be kept in perspective. Bees, wasps and snakes are responsible for far more fatalities each year. In the United States deaths occur up to 30 more times from lighting strikes per year, than from shark attacks per year. For most people, any shark-human interaction is likely to occur while swimming or surfing in nearshore waters. From a statistical standpoint the chances of dying in this area are markedly higher from many other causes (such as drowning and cardiac arrest) than from shark attack.

Many more people are injured and killed on land while driving to and from the beach than by sharks in the water. Shark attack trauma is also less common than such beach-related injuries as spinal damage, dehydration, jellyfish and stingray stings and sunburn. Indeed, many more sutures are expended on sea shell lacerations of the feet than on shark bites!

Nevertheless, shark attack is a hazard that must be considered by anyone entering the marine domain. As in any recreational activity, a participant must acknowledge that certain risks are part of the sport: jogging offers shin splints, camping brings ticks and mosquitoes, tennis may result in sprained ankles, and so on. Beach recreation has its inherent risks as well, and shark attack is simply one of many that must be considered before entering the water. Most people agree, however, that the extremely slim chance of even encountering a shark – much less being bitten – does not weigh heavy in their decision-making.

Artlice courtesy International Shark Attack File.

Some myths, about sharks, that you have heard may be dispelled by checking out the International Shark Attack File.

Because physiologists know little about the effects of diving on the fetus, the recommendation is that women avoid diving while pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres (130 feet). Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres (60 feet) unless you are a Junior Scuba Diver, in whcih case it is 12 metres (40 feet) . Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres (40 feet) where the water's warmer and the colors are brighter.

That's not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have at all times. This way, you can return to the surface with a safety reserve remaining. But to answer the question, if you run out of air, your buddy has a spare airsource that allows you to share a single air supply while swimming to the surface. There are also other options you'll learn in your PADI Open Water course.

People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer if a mask makes you feel closed in. During your scuba diving training with TORPEDO RAYS, your instructor gives you plenty of time and coaching to become comfortable with each stage of learning. Your scuba instructor works with you at your own pace to ensure you master each skill necessary to become a capable and regular scuba diver.

TORPEDO RAYS keeps classes small so that we can give you more time to get comfortable with the amazing world of diving.