Diving and snorkeling is an amazing hobby and doing it with friends and family can make wonderful memories. Just imagine the photo books and albums stuffed full of photos of tropical fish!
However, to ensure you have a safe, as well as a great time on your travels there are steps you should take to ensure the trip goes well. Some of the tips might vary based on location, but they’ll all help you make sure you and your family have a good time.
Do Your Research
There are small, beginner dive sites, and there are also incredibly difficult dives in shipwrecks and across jagged coral reefs. Do your research and pick something right for the skill level of your group.
If you’re a beginner group, or have beginners in your group try to find something fairly easy first of all. Research the best places to go and make sure you go at the right time of year too. If you’re not sure, speak to a professional who can probably suggest the right dive school too.
Get The Right Equipment
Depending on where you go it can be hard to get the right equipment for either snorkeling or diving. If you’re attending a diving school the instructors should be able to point you in the right direction, or even have a store on site. If you’re diving on your own though there’s a further emphasis on safety.
In some cases it’s better to bring your own snorkeling gear from home, but this can be harder when diving because the diving canisters weigh a lot. In most cases, you’ll rent them.
Check reviews online and make sure you’re renting equipment from somewhere safe, with a good reputation. Test it all out thoroughly before you dive too.
Safety Is Paramount
Beyond getting the right gear for the dive, you need to make sure you’ve taken the right safety precautions. There’s no point getting your underwater camera set up to create photo memories when you haven’t put effort into dive safety. You must always dive somewhere approved.
Never dive somewhere new on a whim. Check incoming conditions too and make sure you pay attention to the seasonal changes. Always tell people where you’re diving and if possible, keep someone on the boat to watch things from above.
Safety always comes first on a dive, no matter where you are or who you dive with.
Make The Memories Last
Good underwater cameras can cost a lot of money but they’re worth it. Having albums full of underwater adventures will remind you of the memory for years to come. You can even buy photo books in bulk so that you have enough for you and your family or friends if you are feeling generous.
High quality imagery will do the underwater snaps justice. If you’re surrounded by colorful tropical fish you want the best quality photo books possible. Sure, you can upload them to social media but the quality will never be as high as when it’s on good photo paper.
