Learning to dive with Red Sail Sports
"After moving to the island and snorkeling several shallow reefs, Dean and I quickly realized we were missing out on some of the world's best dive sites by limiting ourselves to the surface. I did my research and decided Red Sail would be the perfect company to do our open water dive course with, due to their experience and eagerness to get us in the water as soon as possible.
Our first day of the course was held in the pool where we met our instructor Serena. Serena was professional, full of knowledge and super fun and energetic! After a quick test and refresher of all the equipment we were quick to jump straight into the action! My first breaths underwater were slightly panicked as it was such a surreal feeling. The panic quickly turned to awe as I relaxed and set my mind to the tasks given to me. The pool training ranged from practicing buoyancy, clearing masks, breathing from your buddy's alternate air source, learning controlled emergency swimming ascents and much more! At the end of the pool training I felt that I had all the skills necessary to feel comfortable leading up to the ocean training.
On our second day the water was too rough for us to do the planned shore dive. Luckily for us Red Sail organized one of the boats to take us out to the reef off Seven Mile beach which we were super stoked about! We spent the day reiterating what we had learned the previous day in the pool and continued to learn new skills such as navigation. Diving for the first time in the ocean was the best feeling!! Being able to get up close to the beautiful reef and marine life was absolutely breathtaking and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! One of the best things about our instructor Serena was after we completed the designated tasks for the day, she took us on a tour around the reef and pointed out all the amazing marine life and later explained what they were and provided us with several facts about their behavior and characteristics. We even got to get up close to a sea turtle and watch him graze calmly- this definitely beats frantically chasing a turtle from the surface when snorkeling!
On the third day the weather was rough again and so we headed back out on the boat. This time we ended up at the ex-USS Kittiwake which we were so excited about! I had always wanted to see this wreck and to be able to do our last tasks on and around the Kittiwake was so much fun! We couldn't go inside of the wreck due to still being in training though I will definitely join Red Sail for their full interior tour of the Kittiwake in the next few weeks. Our whole team passed the course with flying colors thanks to the excellent training and support from our instructor.
Overall our open water dive course absolutely exceeded my expectations! It provided Dean and I with all the knowledge necessary to comfortably go out diving around the island. I definitely feel confident in knowing how to react in certain situations and how to dive safely and not harm myself or the environment.
After completing the open water course Dean and I have been on several dives around the island. It has opened up a complete new world to us and we are super grateful for our wonderful experience with Red Sail. We plan to continue our training with Red Sail and complete our Advanced Open Water training in the near future."
Are you interested in learning how to dive? We offer training courses for absolute beginners through to professional levels. Email dive@redsailcayman.com and ask us how!
