Scuba diving is as wide open as the waters

There's no age limit or particular fitness training needed to get scuba diving certification

- Pulasta Dhar

Anyone who is medically fit can attempt scuba diving.

Fitness standards have seen a huge shift. From being inspired by Bruce Lee or the Karate Kid movies to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone's body types in The Terminator and Rocky or Rambo to today’s activity-based style, fitness has become more inclusive.

You could be fit today if you are not ripped but regularly run, cycle, do Pilates, or swim. One could play a sport twice a week. Pickleball has opened racket sports to all age groups and is easy on the joints.

Then comes adventure that could make you fitter: hiking, climbing, surfing, and for those who really want to push the boundaries, scuba diving. The most advanced (and possibly the most expensive) of these adventures in terms of risk and reward seems to be the most inclusive one too. Scuba does not discriminate when it comes to fitness levels or body types, and has the widest age range. The minimum age for open water diving certification for both PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International) is 10 years. There is no maximum age limit as long as the instructors feel the person is fit enough.

But what is “fit enough” is completely different when it comes to diving standards. “It is more about medical fitness than physical fitness itself,” says Bengaluru-based Mia Raghavi, a PADI staff instructor who has been teaching diving for over six years. She says instructors must be able to trust what a prospective diver tells them about their habits (eg. smoking), health issues and limitations in a questionnaire which has more than 40 queries on overall health.

“It’s unlike skydiving where they check if both my arms are strong enough. This is more about knowing if you can swim back if you surface slightly farther from the boat and how comfortable you are in water,” adds Raghavi, who is currently training for a triathlon scheduled this month.