An education beneath the waves

A gift to learn to dive introduced Juliette Sivertsen to our incredible underwater wonderland.

The sound of my breathing is a meditation, the weightlessness underwater almost spiritual. Arms of seaweed from the kelp forest wave rhythmically, offering protection for invertebrates, fish and other marine life.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of scuba diving to non-divers, but it’s as if you are floating through a living museum, observing a world that’s oblivious to what happens on land. I thought I had seen New Zealand, until I became a diver and realised I had missed a significant part of it, and knew little of its underwater inhabitants.

From above the water, the concept of scuba diving can seem terrifying, in part due to the fear of the unknown. In reality, descending underwater and realising the beautiful complexities of this hidden world, presents a moment of calm and awe.

I started my scuba diving journey not necessarily by choice, but because I received a gift voucher as a Christmas present, to gain my PADI Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water Diver certificate. This is the base qualification that allows you to dive to a depth of 18 metres.

I went on to complete my Advanced Open Water at Poor Knights Islands, which certifies you to dive to 40 metres, gain experience in navigation, refine buoyancy techniques and additional specialty topics, such as underwater photography.

I’m certified through PADI, but the other main international dive school is Scuba Schools International. Both are recognised worldwide.

I don’t think I would have become a certified diver if it hadn’t been for this gift in 2013. I tried an introductory session in the south of France in 2012, and I hated it, mainly because I didn’t understand the theory and mechanics of how it worked.

The certification process took me two weekends to complete at my local dive centre in Auckland. I admit I panicked in the confined pool dives, struggled through the theory exam and considered not returning to complete the course. But I pulled through and once I was in open water, everything changed.

I remember how astounded I felt after my first ocean dive, off Goat Island, north of Auckland. The sandy bottom transported me to somewhere tropical.

Fact file

What you need to know about learning to scuba dive:

■ Age: The minimum age to become certified is 10. Those under 15 will be a Junior Open Water Diver, which clocks over automatically when they turn 15. Kids aged 8 and over can complete a youth Bubblemaker programme to introduce them to the basics.

■ Fitness: You should have a reasonable level of fitness, can float or tread water without aid for 10 minutes and swim 200 metres.

■ Medical requirements: Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a doctor before diving.

■ Course overview: You will undertake 8-15 hours of theory, online or through a dive centre. Students then work with a dedicated instructor in a swimming pool to practise their skills, before heading into a lake or ocean for their open-water dives. Gifting an experience:

Tourism New Zealand has gift vouchers for scuba diving experiences. Visit newzealand.com.

I had no idea the water could be so clear, or that we had so many interesting fish in New Zealand.

Snorkelling gives you a glimpse of the life below the surface, but scuba diving brings you into the heart of it. It’s like going to a zoo versus a safari. And, while there are many great dive sites all over the world, there is so much to see in Aotearoa, such as tropical fish, colourful nudibranchs, whales, sharks, rays, crayfish, and underwater chasms, caves and pinnacles.

Above all, learning to scuba dive made me a protector of the ocean, and has led me on a journey to understand more about how my actions affect the planet. I’m still learning, but once you have seen the beauty of the underwater world, why would anyone want to harm it?

Ethical dive companies work hard to support marine conservation projects, such as coral restoration, clean-up dives to collect rubbish, and push for more protected marine habitats.

Learning to dive might not be for everyone, but it will transform the understanding of the ocean for all those who embrace it.

This story was produced as a part of an editorial partnership with Tourism New Zealand.

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