Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

The oceans around us offer one incredible spectacle after another, if only we could see and breathe well enough under water to truly explore them. Fortunately, the sports of snorkeling and scuba diving have evolved to help us skirt our human limitations.

Each form of under water exploration has it's own time and place, depending on where you want to do it and how often. If you are in warm, clear, tropical waters, snorkeling might be all you need. This means a facemask, snorkel and fins for each of you. It also means your date gets to wear next to nothing, rather than some old soggy wetsuit.

If you want to explore deeper waters, or parts of the ocean that are cold and less clear, then you'll need to consider scuba diving. If you plan to dive recreationally once or twice a year, consider doing your scuba diving with a dive master. That way, you won't need to take extensive classes and become certified.

COST

You can usually rent snorkeling gear for around $15 a day, but find out how much it costs to purchase. It might be less than the rental for two days. Certification courses for scuba diving often charge from $100 to $400 per person. Be sure to ask what's included. We don't even want to guess how much scuba equipment will cost you. Be sure to rent until you are certain this will be a sustained passion.

SCUBA VS. SNORKELING

It's interesting how many more resources and publications there are for scuba diving than for snorkeling, even though a lot more people do the latter. Perhaps it's because scuba diving is so much more technical, or maybe it's simply because there is so much more money that goes into it.

RESOURCES FOR GOING DOWN

Visit www.elanguest.com/reporter/scuba.html for a brief but wellwritten introduction to scuba diving.

Be sure to check out Aquanaut at www.aquanaut.com. This is the most extensive online magazine dedicated to recreational and technical scuba diving. They also have a worldwide list of scuba diving clubs and extremely helpful articles.

There's always Scuba Diving Magazine at www.scubadiving.com.

Divers Alert Network at www.diversalertnetwork.org is a medical and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of recreational scuba divers. It is associated with Duke University Medical Center.

A book that comes well-recommended is Diving on the Edge: A Guide for New Divers by Michael Bane; $14.95.

OKAY, AQUALUNG—STILL SERIOUS?

If you and your date truly want to be two of the 500,000 people who learn to scuba dive each year, you'll need to hire a certified scuba instructor. They can usually be found at your local dive shop or perhaps at the YMCA. Look in the Yellow Pages, unless maybe you live in the Rockies or Mojave Desert, although they do have a diving club in Missouri. Also visit the site of the National Association of Diving Instructors (NAUI) at www.naui.com and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) at www.padi.com. If you know people who dive, ask them for their recommendations, or try to contact diving club members in your area.