THE recreational sport of scuba diving is very safe.

There are, of course, inherent risks when divers explore the underwater world.

However, these risks are greatly reduced when a diver receives sound training and dives within his or her experience level.

The first step to gaining basic scuba diving certification is to enrol in an open water scuba course.

A typical course runs over four days.

The first two days is taken up with training in a swimming pool and the final two days is the exciting part when four guided dives are undertaken in the ocean.

Some instructors offer pool training over just one day.

My experience is that the longer a diver spends mastering the vitally needed skills in the safe confines of a swimming pool, the safer and more comfortable the diver will be when he enters the ocean.

The open water course sets a maximum depth limit of 18m.

Divers are encouraged to stay within these limits until they gain further experience in various conditions or ideally continue further training under the guidance of an experienced instructor.

Like most things in life, gaining experience is the ideal way to become a safer and better diver. To do this, divers should try to dive in differing conditions including low visibility, cold and warm water but also in currents.

When possible, divers should always dive at new locations under the supervision of a local dive guide.