Every year more and more people are learning how to scuba dive and discovering the glorious feeling of sinking beneath the waves at some of the world’s most pristine dive sites. Nothing quite comes close to the experience of scuba diving because it allows you to explore a completely different world than that which is experienced on land.

The idea of taking scuba diving lessons, the process may seem a bit intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. To set your mind at ease, read on to learn what it’s like to go through a scuba diving course for the first time. If you already decided that you want to learn how to dive you might want to start looking for a dive center that suits your needs.

How Long Will it Take Me to Take the PADI Open Water Course?

In most cases, the course is taught in 3.5 to 4 days. Some people need a bit more time than others to get comfortable in the water. However, if you complete the theory portion of the course online via PADI eLearning you may be able to finish the course in just 2.5 days.

You may also prefer to take the course as a part-time student but, in that case, it could take you weeks or even months to complete.

What is a Discover Scuba Diving Course?

The Discover Scuba Diving course is a 1 day course designed to allow beginners interested in diving to experience the sport for the first time without having to complete the entire Open Water course. Under the direct supervision of a professional scuba dive instructor, you’ll learn how it is to breath underwater.

The discover scuba dive class does not certify you as a scuba diver, but is meant to give you an idea of what scuba diving is like so that you can decide if you like it enough to invest in the Open Water course.

If you’re at least 10 years old you can enroll in a Discover Scuba Diving class. You’ll begin with basic classroom instruction to give you some background knowledge about scuba diving. In this theory session you will learn more about what pressure does to the human body underwater and you will learn the basics about how scuba gear works.

As soon as you have finished the theory you will head for the open water to make an actual dive up to a maximum depth of 40ft/12m under the direct supervision of an instructor.

What You’ll Learn During a PADI Open Water Course

When you start the Open Water Course, you will learn all the basic skills you will need to know in order to go diving when ever you want. When you are a certified open water diver a dive master or instructor will not supervise you, therefore you will be thought to dive safe to a maximum depth of 60ft/18m with a dive buddy.

What will you learn during the course?

• How to get rid of water that has leaked into your mask
• How to recover your regulator (mouthpiece) if it somehow comes out of your mouth
• How to control your buoyancy
• How to share air with another diver

There are many more skills you will learn. All skills focus on teaching you how to become a safe diver and how to solve any problems that may occur when diving.

Taking the PADI Open Water Course

Using books and videos, you’ll study independently, online, or with the help of an instructor.
These materials will teach you the basics about diving, as well as how to select proper diving equipment, how to care for diving equipment, how diving affects your body, and safety measures that must be taken during each dive.

You’ll also be introduced to what you’ll be learning in the water ahead of time so that you’ll know what to expect. After you’ve completed the knowledge section of the course, (which are mostly done in class rooms) you’ll move on to actually performing your first dives in the confined water training segment of the course.

According to PADI, confined water means; an open water site that offers swimming-pool-like conditions with respect to clarity, calmness, and depth.

Lets Dive!

When it is time to go diving you will go to either a swimming pool or a calm cove or lagoon that has similar conditions to a swimming pool.

You’ll begin to practice the exercises in shallow confined water before moving into deeper water so that the learning process is gradual enough that you retain everything you learn.

Once you’re confident and able to complete the confined water section of the course, you will be able to go for your very first real dive in open water.

In the open ocean or a large body of water, and with the guidance of your instructors, you’ll put all of the skills you’ve learned to the test over the course of four or more dives. Once you successfully complete these dives, you’ll be a certified open water diver.

The post Learning How to Scuba Dive: What to Expect appeared first on XpatMatt.

Why would you want to know how to stand-up paddle board? There are lots of reasons.

1. The picture above. Doesn’t that look nice?

2. It’s easy.

3. It’s kind of like walking on water which, historically, very few people have been able to do.

4. It’s a good workout for your whole body, especially your core.

5. You can do it pretty much any place that has more than six inches of water.

6. After you’ve paid for the board and paddle, it’s basically free.

How to Stand-Up Paddle Board

Stand-up paddle boarding is one of the easiest board sports to learn. Even the most uncoordinated person should be able to hop on a board and be paddling in a matter of minutes.  In this post I cover the basic behind learning to stand-up paddle board so that you’ll know what to expect when you get on the water.

Before you get to the water, however, you’re going to have to carry one of these enormous beasts. So, here are two ways to carry your stand-up paddle board.

How to Carry a Stand-Up Paddle Board Under Your Arm

A lot of stand-up paddle boards have a narrow hole in the top of the board near the centre for you to use as a handle when so that you can carry the board under your arm. If you are carrying the board a short distance under your arm using the handle, no instruction is necessary. The act is self-explanatory.

There is, however, one caveat: be careful of the wind. When being carried this way the large flat board catches wind like a sail. Try to keep the tip of the board pointed into the wind as much as possible.

How to Carry a Stand-Up Paddle Board on Your Head

If your board doesn’t have a handle or you’re planning to carry it a long distance, then you’ll want to carry it on your head.

How to do it:

1. Place the board upside down on the ground and put your paddle beside it.

2. Walk to the rear of the board, grasp the rails (sides), and lift it over your head.

3. Slowly walk forward and walk your hands up the rail of the board.

4. When your head is just shy of the centre of the board, lower the board onto your head. Grasp the rails of the board 30 – 60 cm in front of your head.

5. Keeping your back straight, kneel down and carefully pick up your paddle with one hand.

6. Place the paddle on top of the rail and hold it in place while holding the rail with your hand.

7. Stand-up and start walking.

How to Stand-Up on Your Paddle Board

Stand-up paddle boards are very stable and most people will feel comfortable standing up on their paddle board right away. The basic motions begin with laying on the paddle board, then kneeling, and then standing up. If you feel a little wobbly, you may prefer to practice paddling around on your knees first before standing all the way up. What’s most important is that you feel comfortable and enjoy yourself.

How to do it:

1. Stand beside your paddle board in thigh-deep water. If there is somebody with you, hand them your paddle. If not, place the paddle between the middle and front of the board perpendicular (sideways) to the direction of the board.

2. Grasp both the rails of the board in your hands about 30-60 cm in front of the centre of the board.

3. Move lower your chest toward the centre of the board and swing the leg nearest the board up and onto it. Then swing the other leg up onto it. Presto, you’re laying on the board.

4. Now grasp the rails of the board beside your shoulders and push your upper body up off of the board.

5. Bring on knee up under your chest and then the other.

6. Straighten your back and let go of the rails. Now you’re kneeling.

Note: If you don’t feel comfortable standing quite yet, grab your paddle and start paddling. 

7. Grab you paddle in one hand. Place one foot flat on the board in front of you so that you’re only on one knee.
Lift yourself up. Now you’re standing.

Paddling Your Stand-Up Paddle Board

Paddling the paddle board an intuitive motion and doesn’t really require much instruction. Although it may feel awkward at first, it will get better with time.

How to do it:

1. Stand in the middle of the paddle board facing the front with your feet shoulder width apart,  your knees slightly bent, and your toes pointing forward.

2. Look forwards, not at your feet.

3. Hold the paddle with both hands. If you’re going to paddle on your right side, then your right hand will hold the middle of the shaft and your left hand will hold the top. If the blade of the paddle is on an angle, then it should be angled toward the direction you want to go.

4. Push the blade into the water near the side of the board as far in front of you as feels comfortable. Pull the paddle toward you propelling the board forwards. As you pull the paddle, rotate your upper body moving the shoulder on the paddle side of the board toward the rear of the board. As you become more comfortable paddling, you’ll find that it’s your core, and not your arms, that provide the power for paddling.

5. Once the paddle has passed behind you, repeat.
When you paddle on the right, the board will veer left and vice-versa. Keep yourself going straight by switching sides every stroke or two.

6. If you want to turn, paddle continuously on one side. If you want to turn even more sharply, as you cruise forwards, paddle backward (or simply hold the paddle up and down in the water) on the side of the direction in which you’d like to turn.

Conclusion

That’s it. You’ve now done your part to ensure that stand up paddle boarding remains the fastest growing sport in the US. Keep it up, and perhaps one day you will fall into glorious paddle boarding love.

The post How to Stand-Up Paddle Board appeared first on XpatMatt.

When I decided to write this article on how to kitesurf I didn’t want to waste any time. Being an experienced wakeboarder and snowboarder, as well as having some experience surfing and windsurfing, I figured I was as good a candidate as anyone to go from zero to hero. Although in my relatively short seven-hour lesson I never quite got up on a board, I did learn what it takes to learn to kitesurf, and it’s really not that difficult.

My instructor, Joe Rueger of the Tainan Kitesurfing Center, walked me through the following steps learning to kitesurf.

Lesson 1: The Basics
First you have to learn the proper kitesurfing terminology so that your instructor can communicate instructions to you clearly. This includes a few pieces of equipment and kite positions.

Equipment
Kite – Used to harness the power of the wind and pull you across the water. Looks like a smaller, modified paraglider.

Harness – Attaches you to the kite.

Power Bar – Allows you to steer the kite and control the power or ‘pull’ of the kite.

Board – The board that you stand on as you zip across the water. Similar in size and shape to a wakeboard.

Bindings – The foot holders that attach you to the board.

Kite Positions – Horizontal (see fig. 1)

As with flying any kite, when kitesurfing you always stand with your back to the wind. If you are facing the same direction as the wind, the position of the kite from left to right is discussed in terms as if you are standing in the center of a large clock and the kite is near one of the numbers. Straight ahead is 12:00 and 90-degrees to your right is 3:00. To your left 90-degrees is also 12:00. The kite will always remain between 9:00 and 3:00 because if it goes any farther the wind will no longer hold it aloft.

Kite Positions – Vertical (see fig. 2)

The position of the kite on the vertical plane is discussed in terms of degrees; the ground being zero degrees, and directly above your head being 90-degrees.

Lesson 2: Power Positions (see fig. 1 & 2)
Once you know how to discuss the position of the kite, it’s time to learn the significance of the positions. This is important because the position of the kite determines the strength of the pull, or power, of the kite.

The formula for power positions is basically this. The most powerful possible position is when the kite is at 12:00 (directly in front of you), at a 45-degree angle – pretty much the center of the kite’s field of movement. The farther you move away from this position in any direction the less power the kite will have. If you place the kite at any extreme – 3:00, 9:00, 90-degrees, or zero degrees – it will have barely enough power to stay aloft.

Lesson 3: Controlling the Kite
Next, to learn how to control the position and power of the kite, you will start practicing with a trainer kite on the beach. The trainer is a miniature kitesurfing kite that maneuvers just like a real one, but that is too small to pull you anywhere.

You’re first attached to the kite by a harness. Your control over the kite comes in the form of a bar about 80 cm long that you hold onto like a set of handlebars. This bar controls the direction of the kite, as well as the power. The ends of the bar are attached by strings to the corners of the kite and the bar pivots on the main cord that attaches your harness to the kite. When you pull in on one side of the bar, the kite will turn in that direction.

The bar also moves towards and away from you along the cord that attaches your harness to the kite. Holding the bar midway between yourself and the stopper will keep the kite at full power. If you pull the whole bar towards you, or let the bar all the way out, it will de-power the kite. This is a failsafe for people who feel out of control. If you panic and let go of the bar and the kite completely de-powers.

Lesson 4: Sand Skiing
Once you’ve got the hang of the trainer kite, it’s time to strap on the big boy and try dragging yourself across the beach. First, you strap into a real kite. Then, you practice moving the through low-power positions. Then, when you’re ready you move the kite into a power position. It will jerk you forward and then, leaning back against the pull of the kite, you will ski briefly across the sand. Don’t worry, you won’t be pulled far. It’s very hard to keep the kite in a power position in this exercise. You’ll move the kite through the power position, and then out do a de-powered position, so the pull will only last a moment or two. This exercise teaches you where the power really is, and how it feels to be pulled.

Lesson 5: Body Dragging
The next step is just to get comfortable with a kite in the water. This is basically the same as sand skiing, except you’re dragging yourself through the water. You just move the kite in and out of power positions, pulling yourself along through the surf.

Lesson 6: Kite Surfing
This is it. You’ve mastered all the techniques. Now it’s time to strap on the board. To start you sit in the water with the board on, keeping the board near the surface of the water, just like starting on water skis or a wakeboard. Then you put the kite in the air, and move it into a power position. The pull of the kite should pull you up out of the water and, as you lean back, keeping the board’s edge in the water, you’ll start moving. And that’s it – you’re kitesurfing.

For information in Chinese on learning to kitesurf visit the Taiwan Kitesurfing Center website.
For information in English (in Taiwan) call Joe Rueger at 0956 100 97 1

The post Zero to Hero: Learning to Kitesurf in a Day appeared first on XpatMatt.