Scuba diving in Brasilia

As an experienced scuba diver I must warn any prospect diver that the Paranoá Lake is nothing like the picture above. The lake has little life, it's muddy, dark and cold.

That's the naked truth, but not all of it. Scuba diving in the lake has many advantages, and over the years I've convinced a lot of friends to get started on diving here in Brasilia rather than any paradisiac location.

The main reason to learn it here is the price, not only in actual cash but mainly in time. Getting certified as a scuba diver is pretty much like getting a driver's licence. In order to get certified you must enroll in a course and take theoretical classes and exams. After that you will take practical classes in a swimming pool and at least two check (exam) dives in open waters.

One other thing you should keep in mind is that right after you get your c-card you'll be licensed to dive but you'll suck at it. It will still be an amazing experience, but very limited.

So you're not only paying some cash but investing about a week of your life to get certified, and think it makes sense to use your normal at home time rather than super scarce vacation time for that.

Sure the lake is not as beautiful as most caribbean dive spots, but it happens to be the best training ground. And who knows? In time you may even start to appreciate its own desertic beauty like most of the local divers do.

When approved on the course you'll get a certification card that's valid worldwide and instead of having to dive on the leash of an instructor you'll be free to do whatever you want when you finally get to dive in that paradisiac place.

BTW, the best season to dive is the dry season, roughly may to october.

You should also know that there're plenty of diving schools in town. Don't worry about the choice of certification agency as they are all internationally recognized and the curriculum for Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver is pretty much identical. Confidence on the instructor and his/her teaching abilities should be your priority so talk to a few instructors and decide on the one that you feel most comfortable with.

About diving gear... it's nice to have your own mask and snorkel not only due to covid but mainly because most your diving experience depends on what you can see and a good vision and comfort is highly affected by the mask fit in your face. They're also relatively cheap and there's usually plenty of opportunities to use them so there's very little chance they will sit in your closet collecting dust. Choose a basic, simple design with no valves as they're absolutely not needed after you learn how to properly use it. Lastly, keep away from full face snorkels. They can be very dangerous (i.e. fatal).