BoldspiritTravels on a budget: PADI Open Water here I come #1 [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]

I arrived at a scuba diving school around a quarter past 8 am. I did not even stop in a hostel to leave my backpack, I came directly to the school. I was already late, the meeting with “pupils” was starting at 8. Or should I say was supposed to start. I run from a bus stop to their office, with 20 kilograms on my back, so yes, I wasn’t running too fast ;) but sufficiently to lose my breath. ;) To my surprise, I was there first and had to wait for the rest of the group. We started a presentation around 9 am.

Just before my very first dive!😍

My school’s name was “Oceano Scuba”. It was located in Taganga in Santa Marta (in Colombia). If you are interested this is their website: www.oceanoscuba.com.co I choose them because of their very positive reviews and opinions. The second super important factor was the price. They were reasonably priced, not too cheap, and not expensive. So the combination of both - price for quality - made me choose them. By the way, you must have heard about the psychological fact that most of us tend to buy things from the middle of the price range? Companies know this fact and use it to their advantage so instead of putting minimum price they locate their product in the middle so that it will be more visible and attractive. In this regard, it is crucial that we stay smart and not only choose products taking into account the costs but, more importantly, verify the quality and features. Our responsibility as consumers is to be informed, cautious and aware (not naive).

I signed up for PADI Open Water Certificate. It is a course that lasts 3 full days and ends with an exam. In the beginning, I was informed that I would be the only participant. It sounded great, cause I would have my instructor’s full attention. Apart from me, there were three other persons going to scuba dive that day: a middle-aged man with his two daughters, both in their early twenties. They wanted to spend a couple of days to scuba dive for the first time.

We were asked to change to our swimming suits and then were distributed basic equipment like masks, fins, and wetsuits. I always have problems with this part in any occasion because I am rather petite so I frequently had to wear children size. 😅 The same with any kind of masks or casks - my head is just too small for an adult size 😅 (well, what can I do, I guess I’m (just like Winnie-the-Pooh ), a girl with a Very Little Brain. 😂 😂

My instructor

We left the office and headed to the beach side, where “Oceano Scuba” had its boats. One of them was already ready to leave the shore. There were two instructors, one for me and one for the family. While we were on the way we talked and I explained why I want to do the PADI certificate, how much it is and so on. The girls wanted to scuba dive, just like me, for the first time in their life but didn’t really consider doing the certificate. For me, it was obvious that it is much more interesting to finish the scuba diving adventure with a certificate ;) The result? One of the girls decided to do the course with me. I was a better marketing person than their stuff onshore. 😂

As you can see, the weather wasn't perfect. 😂

Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy your journey! 💛

• Some of my recent stories from South America:
  Boldspirit and the death road - la ruta de la muerte - Bolivia # 1 and # 2
  [BoldspiritTravels on a budget: “CICLOVÍA” - when bikes take over the city! Weekly! 😍 💪🏻 Bogota (Colombia) Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America
  BoldspiritTravels on a budget: So you are travelling and you refuse to pay twice the regular price? (Cali, Colombia) [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]