After half an hour of basic instruction and an underwater breathing test in my scuba gear, I was diving in waters 35-feet deep as coolly as Jacqueline Bissett in The Deep.Wearing a more practical wetsuit, rather than white T-shirt, which she famously wore, I followed undersea paths of soft pink sand and crushed coral past magnificent reefs draped in violet sea fans and plump golden finger sponges.Schools of colourful fish passed almost by my nose.An eel lurked in a crevice. Huge grouper and large snapper came and went.Focusing so heavily on your breathing, and the amazing blue colour of the ocean created by the sunlight, you can think of nothing else but the majesty and serenity of the deep.Any stress floated away with the gentle current under Bermuda's South West Breaker, a location used in the 1977 movie "The Deep".There are not many places left on the planet where a smartphone can't ding you, but being underwater is one of them (for now).What an incredible way to spend an afternoon joining the ranks of just a small percentage of the world's population lucky enough to go scuba diving.Like many people, you might think scuba diving isn’t something you can learn — and do — all in one day after less than an hour of instruction.But most PADI dive shops offer a version of a dive-in-a-day package. And you don't even have to blow your budget.Whether local, or tourist, Dive Bermuda at the Fairmont Southampton resort and its team of professional PADI Master Diver instructors will have you scuba diving within an hour for $175 inclusive of all gear.The Discover Scuba Diving course allows you to dive up to a maximum of 35 feet.To do it, you just need to be in fairly good health and have a sense of adventure.Take it from me, the idea of diving in the ocean off Bermuda with a 30-pound tank on my back, while breathing through a regulator and mask used to sound pretty scary and not something someone like me would ever try (I backed out of bungee jumping and zip-lining and hated para-sailing).But the opportunity came along and I ‘dived in’ and discovered my new passion for diving.Owned by Mark Diel, a director in a leading Bermuda law firm, and re/insurance veteran David Brown, Dive Bermuda is the only Instructor Development Centre in Bermuda offering PADI training courses, from beginner to instructor level.And as the "wreck capital of the Atlantic", Bermuda has more than 300 intact and historic wreck sites ringing the Island in depths ranging from 32 feet to 70 feet.Treasure finds in Bermuda have been famous.In fact, some of the wrecks around the reefs are still turning up extraordinary finds such as 150-year-old bottles of perfume and wine, which were recovered in 2011 from the 1864 Bermuda wreck Mary Celestia.The most famous find of all, though, was a gold cross with seven perfectly matched emeralds that local diving legend Teddy Tucker discovered from the 16th century treasure ship San Pedro, which he found in 1951.It is said to be the single most valuable piece of treasure ever recovered from the sea. Alas the Tucker Cross was stolen from a Bermuda museum display and its whereabouts today remains unknown.So if you are comfortable snorkelling, why not take it a step further, and see what treasure you come across, although Bermuda’s reefs, with their cool ‘swim-throughs’ and abundant marine life are spectacular enough to explore.Donning the heavy tank, weighted jacket and using your buoyancy compensator device are challenging, but the hardest part is getting used to breathing underwater with the scuba gear.But I found the instructors at Dive Bermuda so safety-focused and reassuring I was inspired to stick it out and I managed to eventually pass my shallow water scuba diving test with flying colours.The main thing is to take your time and learn at your own pace, and you will catch on.The instructors will not greenlight you until you and they are confident you are ready to take the plunge.It's also important to descend very slowly at your own pace, remembering your instructions to “equalise” (pinch nose and blow softly) often to avoid ear pain, and to move slowly once you have reached the bottom, taking time to get used to all your gear and of course, to take in the incredible undersea sights.Two critical safety lessons you will learn are clearing your mask while underwater and retrieving your regulator if necessary.But the instructors will be at your side at all times, even holding your hand and guiding you at first as you discover the underwater paradise that awaits.And remember — a “thumbs up” means I want to end the dive and go up, not this is awesome!* More about Discover Scuba DivingWhile not an actual scuba certification, during the Discover Scuba Diving experience you'll learn how to use scuba equipment and the basics you need to dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional at all time.The basic scuba gear you will wear includes a mask, snorkel and fins, buoyancy compensating jacket that also carries your scuba tank, a scuba regulator to breathe from and instrumentation to monitor depth and air supply.You will wear a wetsuit (shorty) and weight system depending on where you do your Discover Scuba Diving programme.You will learn what wearing scuba equipment feels like and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it.You will learn some basic skills and safety rules that will carry over to your full scuba certification course when you take the next step and you will!For more information: http://bermudascuba.comDive Instructor Profiles:Matthew NoelFrom London, England, diving 15 years.Having learnt to dive in the Cayman Islands at the age of 12, Matthew looked on with admiration at the dive instructors on the island and told himself that one day that would be him."So, many years later, after graduating from university and trying my hand at the 9-to-5 I decided to follow my dream, and I haven’t looked back since! He has since dived throughout the world including Thailand and Malaysia, Egypt, Tenerife, Malta and the UK.Favourite dive: "Spectacular walls off of Grand Cayman's East End."On diving in Bermuda: "The Island's pink sand make the sea a stunning turquoise colour, inviting you to explore what’s underneath. The wrecks of ships lost on Bermuda's shallow reefs make for great dives, but the Island's naturally created swim-throughs are spectacular and exciting to explore."Emily MiltonFrom Berkshire, England, diving ten years.A science graduate, Emily worked for a pharmaceutical company in sales and marketing before tiring of corporate life in England."I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand, became a dive instructor and never returned."Favourite dives: Diving with a whale shark in Koh Tao, Thailand, magnificent macro life in Bohol, Philippines and a wonderful night dive in Koh Tao with highlights of octopus shooting ink and barracuda hunting and winning.On diving in Bermuda: "Easy access with only short boat transfer, calm beautiful blue waters with great visibility, lots of exciting wrecks … But also great reef dives with beautiful swim-throughs."Sergio Cruz AlvarezFrom Huelva, Spain, diving ten years.A paramedic for 13 years, Sergio decided to take a break and travel around the world."I arrived at this amazing island, Koh Tao, and once there I decided to become a diving instructor because I love diving."Favourite dive: In Koh Tao I was diving for 30 minutes with a whale shark, and probably the best dive site was Sipadan (Malaysia), simply gorgeous and full of underwater life.On diving in Bermuda: "The conditions are very good, nice visibility, pretty warm water and then diving here is good chance to dive on amazing wrecks."Luke SmithFrom Liverpool, England, diving eight years.Luke worked in finance, management and studied accountancy. But he left England at the age of 24 to travel, seeing South-East Asia, Australia and South & Central America before coming to Bermuda."My ambition from a very young age was to travel. I realised I would have to earn a living whilst travelling so I decided to take my love of diving and make a career of it and become a dive instructor.Favourite dive: Wondering where the sun went … only to look up and find a giant Manta Ray above me!On diving in Bermuda: Great visibility, great wrecks.Aneata FriendFrom Cairns, Australia, diving four years.Aneata grew up in North Queensland near the beach, but moved to a farm in the mountains surrounding Cairns."I have always loved the ocean. Living on the beach and always being in the water gave me a great fascination of the underwater world. My uncle was a certified diver and he always used to talk about how great it is.“I looked into it and it was everything I desired, also since I’ve always wanted to travel this was the perfect job and lifestyle for me."Favourite dive: On the outer Great Barrier Reef, we jumped in and were surrounded by curious minki whales! They followed us for the entire dive and came so close you could see eye-to-eye with the amazing mammals.On diving in Bermuda: Everyone has heard of the Bermuda Triangle. But it’s so much more than just a beautiful Island littered with ship wrecks. The swim-throughs throughout the reefs are awesome and really exciting to explore.Kevin LutonFrom Somerset, England, diving 20 years.Kevin was a stage and venue manager for live entertainment production in the US and Europe for 15+ years before he left for a dive instructor career."I loved the ocean and was given the opportunity to turn my hobby into a job."Favourite dive: Elphinstone Reef in the Red Sea, strong currents and amazing marine life from the big stuff to the tiny stuff.On diving in Bermuda: It has history, an amazing reef and diverse marine life. Every dive is different and there is 'so much more … to find'."Christopher BrownFrom St George's, Bermuda, diving 15 years.Bermudian Chris got hooked on diving after his first dive in the British Virgin Islands.“I always wanted to be a dive instructor from day one. Love being in the water and diving was a way of getting closer to the reefs and fish.”Favourite dive: “I would have to say diving in Africa was the best. We got to dive with sharks and dolphins. The water was cold but there was so much marine life. The reef was also very alive.”On diving in Bermuda: Bermuda’s waters are full of shipwrecks. This allows you to explore history hands on. The reefs also are full of swim-throughs. This mixed with the health of the reef makes for amazing diving!