How to choose a diving school? Feeling can be considered the most important criterion. Whatever your objective, sharing a common passion with people you find friendly in a pleasant atmosphere is of utmost importance.
Welcome
To ensure a successful and enjoyable dive, hospitality is a key element. Dive centres that offer quality hospitality help divers to feel comfortable, safe and well informed, which helps to make the dive unforgettable.
Service
The dive school should provide a quality service by meeting the needs of the divers. This includes dive planning, equipment rental and maintenance, instructor availability and overall diver care.
Equipment
The dive school should provide quality equipment that meets current standards and is well maintained. This ensures the safety of the divers, allowing them to enjoy themselves without having to worry about the functioning of their equipment.
Diving center
The dive school must have a well-maintained and well-organised structure in order to offer a quality service. This means clean and welcoming premises, efficient organisation of dives and careful management of bookings.
Security
Safety is paramount in diving, and a good diving school must meet the safety standards for each dive. This includes the number of divers per guide, one instructor for every two divers, for maximum safety.
Instructors
Diving instructors must be experienced and qualified to teach and supervise divers. Thus, a good diving school should ensure that its instructors are up to date in their training and experience, to ensure safety and quality of instruction.
Briefings
Pre-diving briefings are essential to ensure the safety of divers, so a good diving school should provide comprehensive and accurate briefings. These briefings should clearly outline safety procedures, diving conditions and important points to know about the dive.
Language
In a diving school with foreign divers, it is important that the instructors speak several languages to facilitate communication and ensure that safety instructions are understood.
Federations
The choice of a serious and recognised federation is important for a diving school. Different federations offer different training and safety standards.
Dive sites
The choice of dive sites is crucial for a diving school, as the sites selected must be suitable for the divers’ levels, preferences and diving objectives. Diving conditions such as currents, visibility and water temperature vary from site to site and must therefore be taken into account to ensure the safety and enjoyment of divers.
Respect for the environment
A good diving school should be environmentally aware and ensure that it minimises its impact on marine ecosystems. This means encouraging environmentally responsible practices, maintaining equipment to avoid ocean pollution and educating students on environmentally friendly practices. For example, do not touch coral or fish and do not leave waste in the water.
Commitment
To be committed to the protection of marine ecosystems, a good diving school can get involved in beach and seabed clean-up initiatives. It may also organise awareness-raising events for the local community or support environmental organisations.