Scuba Resource Center

Planning a first scuba experience? These guides cover try dives versus Open Water certification, how it feels underwater, medical screening, swimming, clothes, cost, kids, and how scuba is not snorkeling. Search a ZIP when you are ready to find an operator.

This Resource Center is the first-timer product: a supervised intro dive or a beginner course. It is not a wreck-penetration or cave-diving syllabus.

Start Here

• What Is Discover Scuba Diving?
• Scuba vs Snorkeling
• Can Anyone Go Scuba Diving?
• Is Scuba Diving Hard?

Getting Started

• What Does Scuba Diving Feel Like?
• What to Wear Scuba Diving
• Do I Need a Certification to Scuba Dive?
• Common First-Time Scuba Questions

Planning

• How Much Does Scuba Diving Cost?
• Scuba Diving With Kids
• Where to Go Scuba Diving in the United States

Quick Facts

• Experience needed: none for a supervised try dive
• Try dive ≠ certification
• You breathe from a tank under the surface — that is the difference from snorkeling
• Medical questionnaire is normal
• Shop provides the kit on an intro
• Best first step: What Is Discover Scuba Diving?

Ready to Find an Operator?

Search scuba operators near your ZIP. Start at /water. Independent directory, not a booking service.