WHY COASTAL DIVERS?
If you’re thinking about learning to scuba dive or continue diving, we know that there are several options for you to choose from. So why choose Coastal Divers for your diving adventure?
Each one has their own merits that need to be considered by the individual.
PADI offers No Stop (Non-Decompression*) recreational diving courses that are professionally packaged and marketed into distinct modular courses. This allows you the customer to choose the type of diving you want to do and be correctly trained for that specific activity; wreck, night, deep, NITROX etc. It is because of this specific targeting of instruction that PADI courses tend to be shorter with more intensive focus. They are ideally suited to the holiday diver or individual who is short on free time.
* PADI TECREC courses are available that allow decompression diving for more advanced diving with twinsets or side mount cylinders.
BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club) courses teach recreational Decompression diving (from Sports Diver onwards). Their courses teach a broader spectrum of dive theory focusing greatly on branch or club diving (Diving with friends regularly as opposed to holiday guided diving) whereby the planning and management of the dives is your responsibility. Tidal work and small boat diving techniques feature heavily in the advanced courses. NITROX gas is recognized as a safety measure and so is included in the Ocean Diver and Sports Diver program.
There are also BSAC Skill Development Courses (SDCs) available which are comparable to PADI Specialties such as BSAC’s Buoyancy and Trim workshop and PADI’s Peak Performance Buoyancy.
A Non-Decompression dive is any dive where there are no mandatory stops imposed on the diver during the ascent to the surface. In other words the allowable bottom time (dive time) on a Non- Decompression dive is shorter than that of a Decompression dive. We do strongly advocate however that on any dive including Non-Decompression dives a 3 minute safety stop is conducted at 6m/15′.
A Decompression dive allows for longer bottom times (dive time) but does mean that the diver must carry out mandatory decompression stops during the ascent to the surface.
We always stress that divers should Plan the Dive and then Dive the Plan. Conducting any SCUBA Dives should be taken seriously and especially where Decompression is taking place. Failure to carry out mandatory stops may result in Decompression Illness (DCI).
We should also mention, that just because the Dive qualification might allow Decompression diving, it does not mean that you have to carry out decompression diving all the time; but understanding the theory enables us to dive safely and within our own limitations with the added benefit of being able to conduct Decompression dives should we wish.
We are committed to providing excellent customer service and satisfaction without compromise.
We maintain exceptionally high dive instructor to student ratios higher even than required by our agencies. We believe that personal attention helps students learn better, and smaller classes means we can provide individual coaching to further refine buoyancy control and diver discipline. We will not exceed 4 students per instructor.
Yes we can. PADI will also allow crossover certifications so you can always make a decision to continue your diving education with us.
Coastal Divers has been in operation since 2018 since moving to Duncan from the Okanagan. The Ocean called – We answered! Formerly we were known as ‘Kelowna Divers’ based in Kelowna since 2014. Prior to 2014 Tim & Becky lived in the UK. Becky was a Lawyer and Tim was a soldier in the British Army. We have always been keen divers and have been teaching SCUBA since 2004. They bring a wealth of practical experience and knowledge to the sport.
Unlike many other dive shops, We are a diver’s diver. We embraced the passion of the sport many years ago and still enjoy the thrill of sport diving. That’s why we offer fun dive trips throughout the year. We offer more opportunities for divers to meet new buddies, to get out and dive on local dives. If you are coming to Vancouver Island; let us know and we’ll hook up a dive for you during your stay.
Whilst on the beginner level courses, all equipment is provided by during training. Once certified will be able to provide you with any rental equipment your require.