Discover Scuba: What to Expect from Your First Try Dive

Discover Scuba Diving, often called a “try dive,” is a short experience that gives you the chance to breathe underwater using real scuba equipment—without needing to commit to a full certification course. It’s designed for beginners and guided entirely by a professional instructor in a pool or calm, shallow water.

This is your chance to find out if you enjoy the feeling of being underwater before investing time and money into training.

Who Can Participate?

Most dive programs welcome anyone aged 10 and older, though some may have local restrictions or require a parent or guardian’s consent for minors. You don’t need to be an athlete or expert swimmer—just comfortable in the water and able to swim short distances.

However, you do need to complete a medical questionnaire. Some conditions may require a doctor’s approval before participating.

Medical Conditions & Waivers

Before diving, you’ll fill out a short medical questionnaire. This isn’t a formality—it’s about safety. Conditions like asthma, heart issues, or diabetes may require a doctor’s approval before you’re allowed to dive.

Even if you feel healthy, take the form seriously. If you have questions, talk to your instructor or doctor before the dive.

What’s Included in a Try Dive?

• A short safety and equipment briefing
• Time to get comfortable with gear in shallow water
• A guided underwater swim with your instructor

You’ll learn basic concepts like breathing through a regulator, equalizing pressure, and communicating underwater with hand signals. The instructor handles the technical parts—you focus on relaxing and having fun.

Most programs include all required gear—mask, fins, tank, regulator, BCD, and exposure protection—but always confirm what’s provided in advance.

What Happens on the Day

1. Briefing: Your instructor will go over basic safety rules, show you the gear, and explain how the dive will work.
2. Gear Setup: The instructor prepares and checks all the equipment for you.
3. Shallow Water Skills: You’ll enter the water and practice simple skills like breathing through your regulator and clearing water from your mask.
4. Guided Dive: Once you’re comfortable, your instructor will guide you on a short underwater tour—usually no deeper than 20–30 feet.

Expect the whole experience to take 2–4 hours total.

How It Feels: What Surprises Most People

• How loud your own breathing sounds
• How strange it feels to exhale and watch bubbles rise
• How light and floaty your body feels
• How easy it is to get distracted by the underwater world

These things might feel weird at first—but they quickly become part of the fun.

Where Try Dives Usually Take Place

• Swimming pools – Controlled and calm, ideal for first-timers.
• Confined open water – Such as lagoons or springs, offering real-world experience in calm conditions.
• Direct ocean entry – Possible in ideal conditions, but more common for repeat participants or confident swimmers.

Ask your instructor what type of environment to expect so you can prepare mentally.

Common Fears and How Instructors Help

• Breathing underwater
• Equalizing pressure in your ears
• Taking off the mask
• Running out of air

Instructors are trained to guide you through each step calmly. You’ll always be in shallow water and can surface at any time if needed. They’ll take the time to help you feel comfortable and confident before moving on.

What You Won’t Learn

• Full dive planning
• Gas management
• Emergency procedures
• Buoyancy control in open water

This is a low-pressure intro—not a certification course. If you enjoy it, your next step will be real training.

Is This a Certification?

No. Discover Scuba is not a certification, and it doesn’t count as credit toward one—though some agencies may offer partial credit if you continue training within a short window.

How Much Does It Cost? (And What to Look For)

Try dive pricing usually ranges from $75 to $150 USD, depending on location and whether it takes place in a pool or open water. Some programs include digital photos or longer underwater tours.

Before booking, ask:

• Is all gear included in the price?
• Is the session private or group-based?
• Will it be in a pool, spring, or ocean?
• How many people will be in the water at once?

Reputable programs should never pressure you into full certification and will always conduct a medical screening.

Why Not Just Snorkel?

Snorkeling is fun—but it’s nothing like scuba.

With snorkeling, you stay on the surface, holding your breath to dive down briefly. With scuba, you stay submerged for much longer, breathing comfortably and exploring from within the underwater environment.

Snorkeling lets you look down at the world. Scuba lets you step inside it.

What to Bring (and Wear) to Your Try Dive

• A swimsuit or rash guard
• Towel and dry clothes for after
• Water bottle and light snack
• Any required forms (medical, ID, waiver)
• Reef-safe sunscreen (for ocean dives)

Wearing a rash guard or tight-fitting swim shirt can also help with warmth and avoid any skin irritation from rental gear.

Can You Do a Try Dive More Than Once?

Yes—you can do a Discover Scuba experience as many times as you’d like. There’s no limit, and many people repeat it on different vacations or with different instructors.

However, once you feel comfortable in the water and want to go further, a full certification class is the best way to truly learn to dive.

Can You Fly After a Try Dive?

Yes—but you should wait at least 12 hours before flying after a dive, even if it was shallow. This recommendation follows the guidelines from DAN (Divers Alert Network) and most training agencies to minimize the risk of decompression sickness.

So if you're planning to fly home the same day, do the try dive the day before instead.

What to Tell Your Instructor Before the Dive

Honest communication helps your instructor keep you safe and comfortable. Let them know:

• If you’re nervous or have anxiety
• If you’ve never been in open water
• If you’ve had ear trouble while swimming or flying
• If you’re not a strong swimmer
• If you have a medical condition—even if you were cleared

Good instructors don’t judge—they adjust the experience to match your needs.

Can You Wear Glasses or Contacts?

You can’t wear glasses under a scuba mask, but soft contact lenses are fine for try dives. Just keep your eyes closed if you remove the mask underwater.

If you wear rigid gas-permeable contacts or need a prescription mask, talk to the dive shop in advance—they may have options or suggestions for future training.

Environmental Awareness: Starting Off Right

• Avoid touching coral, rocks, or marine life
• Keep your fins off the bottom to avoid stirring up sediment
• Stay calm and move slowly
• Follow your instructor’s lead

These small actions protect fragile ecosystems and help preserve dive sites for others. See our guide on Responsible Diving & Conservation.

Realistic Expectations: You Won’t Be Flying Around Like in the Movies

You might have seen divers floating effortlessly in perfect trim in videos—but that takes training and practice. On your first dive, you’ll likely be guided by your instructor and might even kneel or rest on the bottom.

Don’t stress about looking graceful or “doing it right.” This is about comfort and safety—not performance.

What If I Don’t Like It?

Not everyone falls in love with scuba right away—and that’s okay.

Some people feel uncomfortable with the equipment, have trouble equalizing their ears, or just don’t enjoy the experience as much as they expected. That doesn’t mean you failed. Even just trying it is an accomplishment. Many certified divers hesitated or backed out during their first attempt and returned later when they were ready.

Next Steps After Discover Scuba

If you enjoyed your try dive, your next move is a full certification class—like Open Water Diver with SSI, SDI, or GUE.

You’ll get real training in:

• Buoyancy control
• Dive planning
• Rescue skills
• Teamwork and communication
• Underwater navigation

There’s a lot more to diving than just breathing underwater—and real training opens up an entirely new world.

Tips for a Great First Dive

• Relax and breathe slowly—there’s plenty of air in the tank.
• Speak up if you're unsure—ask questions before getting in the water.
• Take your time—there’s no pressure to do everything perfectly.
• Stay shallow at first—you don’t need to go deep to have fun.
• Don’t judge the whole sport on one dive—conditions vary.