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Scuba diving is one of Asia's fastest growing adventure travel activities and this region is one of the best places in the world to learn the techniques. Its warm, tropical seas have teeming coral reefs, and there are instructors and dive shops in almost every country, many in great locations. Here we give you the essential information to get started: where to learn, the best dive spots, the best prices, gear required and the latest technology.

Learning to dive
Exploring underwater is a mesmerizing experience that opens up a whole new world. You are the stranger in this new environment, with its amazing coral formations, fantastic marine creatures and multicoloured fish that swim up curiously to inspect you. Everything looks, feels and sounds different and your body reacts differently.

To enjoy this underwater world safely, you need to understand it and develop the knowledge and skills that will allow you to move through it easily. Diving's not dangerous, but it's vital to know the physical limitations that apply underwater and to be on guard against the risk of strong currents and potential injury. The most common form of injury among divers is decompression sickness, a result of prolonged submersion or fast ascent. The only way to avoid decompression sickness is to know the principles of safe diving, which means taking a course.

Most courses take 4-5 days to complete. They consist of academic, confined-water and open-water components. On a course you will learn how to use scuba equipment, the techniques for moving around easily underwater and the codes of conduct you must follow -- such as the "buddy" system -- to guarantee your safety. On successful completion, you are issued with a certification card (often referred to as a C-Card). Apart from safety considerations, this card allows you to rent diving equipment, obtain air fills and to charter a dive vessel. It will also give you a foundation to build on for other forms of diving which require specialized courses -- such as wreck diving.

Among the dive courses, training systems and certification agencies in Asia are PADI, NAUI, BSAC, and SSI. These agencies comply with strict professional standards, and their certifications are recognized world-wide. Each agency sets out its own procedures for diver training and issues certifications for every level, from beginner to instructor. At beginner's level, the courses vary in teaching methods, but all cover the same essential knowledge and skill development. Most reputable dive schools, shops and instructors in Asia are approved by one or more of these bodies (eg "a PADI dive centre", "a NAUI instructor"). The choice between training systems is primarily a matter of personal taste. The following is a quick introduction to the major diving courses available in Asia.

PADI
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the world's largest diving organization, has become the standard for Asian diving. PADI has succeeded because its programmes make diving as accessible as possible to the average person and it gets students into the water quickly and easily. It has been largely responsible for making diving a popular recreational activity. Most PADI courses involve about 32hrs of classes.

NAUI
The National Association of Underwater Instructors, a USA-based, non-profit association of professional diving educators, also has a strong presence in the region. NAUI's continuing popularity lies in the flexibility of its courses. Individual attention to specific needs and the extra time spent reinforcing skills rather than rushing students through courses is at the heart of its teaching style. While the minimum number of hours recommended for NAUI's course is comparable to those of other agencies, in practice it almost always takes quite a bit longer.

BSAC
The British Sub-Aqua Club is considered the most thorough in its training. BSAC was developed in the cold and murky waters of the British Isles, so safety is heavily emphasized. Most members agree that its rigorous (some say exhaustive) training produces some of the safest newly-qualified divers. In addition to diving skills, basic dive-training includes underwater navigation, rescue and artificial resuscitation -- subjects normally covered in more advanced courses. Instruction is free; the only charges made are to cover immediate costs such as pool or classroom hire. But most BSAC instructors are volunteers, so you can only learn on weekends. BSAC schools, the exception, are commercially-run operations with full-time instructors. Only four exist in Asia: in Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu, Phuket and Singapore.

SSI
Scuba Schools International puts strong emphasis on supporting dive retail stores. This extends into instruction. All SSI instructors are affiliated to an authorized dealer and, unlike other agencies, instructors are not allowed to operate independently. SSI's basic beginner's course, Open Water Diver, is similar in content to those offered by the other main agencies in Asia. It consists of six academic classes, five pool sessions, five logged open-water dives and one skin dive. SSI is still getting established in Asia and is most visible in Singapore and Malaysia.

Where to do it
The quickest, most convenient way to learn is to do your whole dive course in one go at a resort. This is a very popular option in Asia, where excellent dive sites are easily accessible. Most "top-end" beach resorts have their own centres which will organize everything for you. Courses normally take 4-5 days. Apart from the convenience and the exotic, relaxed atmosphere, the advantage of a resort course is that your first real dive in open water is likely to be a spectacular one -- because dive resorts are usually located around the region's top dive sites. You can also focus the whole time on diving, which speeds the learning process.

Alternatively, you can learn to dive over evenings and weekends in many major Asian cities. PADI courses usually take place over two weeks, with theory on week-nights and boat dives at the weekend. Another option most agencies offer is a referral system which allows you to do the academic and confined-water training in one location and the open-water in another. An open-water dive at an exotic location makes an excellent grand finale to a beginner's course.

Going places
Scuba diving might almost have been invented for Southeast Asia. The seas here offer an unbeatable range of diving destinations, and some of the world's most spectacular sites. In virtually every country you can find good instruction and buy good gear; and in the countries with good recreational diving sites you'll find good operators with extremely reasonable rates. Add to that cheap airfares and relatively short hops from country to country. If you've ever considered trying scuba diving and never got around to it, Asia is certainly the place to try it.