Do you really need to know how to swim before diving?

Hi I started scuba diving since 2004. I haven't done scuba diving lately due to my busy schedule. Yes, it will be advantageous if you knew how to swim. But... You can actually go scuba diving even if you don't know how to swim. When you are underwater all you have to do is kick your legs and breath through the oxygen. As much as possible you don't have to do any arm stroke. The leg work is very simple because the "fins" will make your "glide" easy. But be sure to relax and breath. Never hold your breath, let the oxygen serve its purpose. Just make sure to check your tank's gauge from time to time so you won't run out of oxygen. Since your boyfriend is a diver then he knows your limitations. Let him guide you & just don't panic, ok? It is a beautiful experience. If you are worrying how to keep yourself afloat in between dives because you don't know how to swim, you can rely on the BC (Buoyancy Compensator)-it looks like a life vest. It will be inflated at first so you will float but since you have to go underwater then you will deflate it slowly so you will go down until you reach the desire depth. And when its time to go ashore then you can use your oxygen to inflate it, and voila! you will float. (Oh your boyfriend knows that) What you can do now is learn the basics...ask him to teach you how to neutralize (its like "popping" your ears. You will need that as you go down because of the pressure. You might suffer from headaches later if you cannot pop your ears hehehe. Believe me, it feels great when your ear pops down there. It feels like heaven. Don't forget to decompress, too. Make sure to familiarize with the gears so you'll know what to do with them. You can bring an underwater camera if you like so you can document your dive with your boyfriend. Wow, its like having a date underwater eh.. ;) Goodluck! You can do it! Still if you are not yet confident and comfortable don't pressure yourself because it will only destroy the fun. When you are ready, go for it! There's a beautiful, fascinating and breathtaking world down there. When you finally dive I hope you will share your experience, too.

I can't really have the final answer for that accurately but then I think it is better to ask your boyfriend about it because at least he knows how to dive. In my case even if I can do swimming routine I would refuse as well not to go with him or with a person who is diving under water because I am not good in breathing. That is my problem. I only know how to swim like doing strokes on water but my problem is diving.

yes . i love swimming but i don't know how to swim :(. i want to know how to swim. i like swimming because this is good for stamina and your health..and making a body good shape..swimming is the best exercise..

I really think that you really need to learn how to swim first before you dive... way back in college, swimming is a pre-requisite subject for diving.

You're gonna be in water, after all, so yes, I'd say you should first learn how to swim indeed, if you want to go diving. Like they say, better safe than sorry! You never know if you might run into some trouble or something else that will require you to swim.

Obviously... you will have to learn how to swim before diving because diving requires you to go into the water.. I think you should learn how to swim prior to diving. He should have told you that first..