Requirements for diving: Is diving dangerous?

If you're thinking about taking a diving course, you should first familiarise yourself with the subject of diving and consider whether this hobby is suitable for you personally. Diving is great fun, but only if you feel completely comfortable. It is therefore important to clarify any questions beforehand and to check whether you fulfil the requirements for diving.

Is diving dangerous?

There are several aspects to this topic: Whether diving is dangerous depends on the dive site, the equipment, the weather and your behaviour. If you dive in suitable places with no dangerous currents and little swell, check your equipment before the dive and behave correctly underwater, diving is not dangerous. There are many experienced divers who have been diving for many years and have not had a single accident or problem.

However, always be aware that in normal diving you are going down to depths of up to 18 metres. Some divers dive to depths of up to 50 metres. When such large masses of water act on the body, the pressure and thus the compression on air-filled spaces in the body are enormous. The diving course trains the correct behaviour under water in order to react correctly in dangerous situations in which our reflexes try to gain the upper hand and protect our own health. A too fast, panicked ascent from a depth of 10 metres can lead to serious consequences for the body (barotrauma) - yes, then diving is dangerous. For safety reasons, always dive with a buddy who has the same or a higher level of diving training.

If you stick to the rules and correct behaviour that you learn in the diving course, diving is just as dangerous as any other sport: if you behave incorrectly, it is dangerous and you can injure yourself, if you behave correctly, you can experience wonderful moments under water and discover a wonderful new world.

What are the requirements for diving?

In general, anyone who is in good health, can swim and is at least 8 years old can have their first diving experience. Children do not initially dive as deep as adults. Important prerequisites for the diving course are that there are no diseases of the sinuses, frontal sinuses, auditory canals or airways: These are all air-filled cavities in our bodies that are compressed when we descend. Before diving, every diving centre will ask you to fill in a questionnaire about your state of health - or, to be on the safe side, you can visit a diving doctor to obtain a medical diving certificate confirming your fitness to dive.

All in all, these are the most important requirements for diving. Even if you are thoroughly prepared for it in the diving course and can get used to it bit by bit: During a dive, you will be underwater for around 45 minutes, and it is not usually possible to surface quickly for safety reasons. Be aware in advance that when diving you will learn to keep any panic reflexes under control and to train them away so that you can dive safely. These are not prerequisites for diving, but you will learn this in a relaxed manner under the guidance of experienced diving instructors during the diving course.

Diving helps you to consciously and calmly perceive your beautiful surroundings underwater and at the same time keep a cool head in stressful situations - all qualities that you can certainly use outside the water.