Can you scuba dive if you cannot swim? What to know in India

The short version

You can often do a first dive without being a strong swimmer, but a complete non-swimmer should say so before booking. A try dive has no swim test, and the line Coral Circuit prints on every try dive is that you do not need to be a strong swimmer. A certification course is different: PADI and SSI both ask you to swim 200 metres and float or tread water for 10 minutes.

PADI's own wording for its try dive is that you should feel comfortable in the water and able to keep yourself at the surface. So the honest answer is: it depends on the shop and on how you feel in water. Ask first.

Try dive or course: two different rules

A try dive is called Discover Scuba Diving by PADI and Try Scuba by SSI. It is a guided first experience, not a certificate. Our guide to your first scuba dive in India covers what it costs and what the day looks like.

Neither PADI's nor SSI's try dive page that we read states a swim test. SSI lists Try Scuba as "fit to swim" with no certification prerequisites. PADI says you do not need to be an Olympic swimmer, but you should feel comfortable in the water and be able to maintain yourself at the surface. Shops apply these standards in their own way, and some may ask for more than the agency does, especially for a dive from a boat or in the sea.

A certification course, such as PADI Open Water Diver or SSI Open Water Diver, has a set water test. That is where not swimming becomes a real barrier.

The swim and float test for a course

PADI

PADI says you must swim 200 metres, or 300 metres in mask, fins and snorkel, without stopping. There is no time limit and you can use any stroke. You must also float or tread water for 10 minutes, using any method. PADI adds that anyone who can meet the performance requirements qualifies, and that adaptive techniques exist for people with physical challenges. If that applies to you, talk to an instructor.

SSI

SSI asks for a water fitness evaluation before any open water training. You swim 200 metres without swim or buoyancy aids, or 300 metres with mask, snorkel and fins. There is no time limit, but it must be done without stopping or standing. Then you float or tread in water too deep to stand for 10 minutes, with your face clear of the water.

Both tests are about staying afloat and keeping going, not speed. SSI says scuba diving is not about swimming long distances. Still, you cannot skip the test, so if you want a certificate you need to be able to pass it.

What the instructor does on a try dive

You start on land with a briefing: how to breathe from the regulator, how to clear your ears, and the hand signs. Then you put the kit on and practise in shallow water, sometimes in a pool. Coral Circuit's wording is that an instructor stays within arm's reach for the whole dive.

The agencies cap the early part of the dive. PADI gives a maximum of 6 metres for the pool session, with an optional open water dive that goes no deeper than 12 metres, and says your instructor is by your side from start to finish. SSI caps the confined water session of Try Scuba at 5 metres.

How much the instructor holds, steers or supports you differs from shop to shop, and we cannot tell you that from a listing. Ask.

What to tell the shop

Say it plainly in your enquiry. A good shop will want to know.

• That you cannot swim, or how far you can swim, and whether you can float.
• If water over your head, waves or the sea frighten you.
• Any medical history. PADI has every student fill out a medical questionnaire, and if any answer applies, a doctor has to sign you fit to dive. Tell the shop, and see a doctor if you are unsure.

Then ask: does the dive start in a pool or shallow water, is it from shore or a boat, how many minutes will I be underwater, and will one instructor stay with me? If a shop does not ask you anything and just takes the booking, consider another one.

Fear of water is not the same as not swimming

PADI says the most important thing is your level of comfort in the water. Not being able to swim is a skill gap. Being afraid is about how you react. Someone who cannot swim but stays calm in a pool is in a different position from someone who swims well but panics in the sea. Both should tell the shop, and they may get different advice.

How to prepare

• Take swimming lessons. PADI suggests a few swimming lessons or classes before your course if you are not yet comfortable.
• Look for a survival swim programme. SSI runs a Survival Swim programme for non-swimmers and beginners aged ten and older, covering floating, breathing control and buoyancy. We cannot say which Indian centres offer it, so ask a shop.
• Practise floating. The 10 minute float is the part many people find hardest, and a pool is the place to learn it.
• Snorkel first. Calm, shallow snorkelling with a guide shows you how you feel in open water before you commit to scuba. Pool try dives are also listed in some cities, which the first dive guide mentions.

When to choose something else

If the idea of being below the surface worries you even in a pool, snorkelling or another activity may suit you better for now. You can browse experiences for other options.

If you want a certificate but cannot pass the swim and float test yet, do a try dive first, keep practising, and come back to the courses later. The same goes if the shop will not answer your questions about your swimming. For help picking a course, see our beginner scuba diving guide, and for safety questions read is scuba diving safe in India.

Next step

Open scuba diving in India, pick a shop, and tap Check availability. Tell the shop your date and group size, and say whether you can swim. They reply by phone or email. Nothing is paid now.