Getting SCUBA Certified

With a trip to Saba on the horizon, I spent some time doing a bit of research on must-sees and to-dos while we’re on the tiny Dutch island. If Saba is known for one thing, it’s diving. The hiking is supposed to be a nice change from Anguilla’s flat land, but the diving is really where their focus lies. Many resorts have dive-focused packages to entice the under water explorers; the place we’re staying at is no exception. We knew that we wanted to squeeze a hike into our two-day getaway, but I was more intrigued by the idea of getting SCUBA certified.

Once upon a time, I swore that I would sign up for the PADI eLearning course and get the ball rolling on the diving front. An international move, a wedding, and then life seemed to get in the way of those plans and nothing ever materialized. Now that we’re going to Saba, this trip has proven to be the catalyst for my online course registration. Saba’s marine life is touted as some of the best in the Caribbean and 38 official dive sites are listed for the island’s 5 mi². If we’re going, how could we not dive?

$138 later, I’m happy to say that I’m on my way to getting this certification done with the help of Shoal Bay Scuba (the actual diving piece is an expense separate from the theoretical component). Once the bookwork is done, I’ll go out for the required dives to get certified for open water. Cheers to a whole new world!