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Yes. There is no law that prevents uncertified divers diving. However, most shops require some kind of training for liability reasons.
However, many organisations (including PADI), offer "discover Scuba diving" courses (sometimes referred to as "resort courses" because they are often done on holiday), which take just a half a day, and allow you to dive under the supervision of an instructor to limited depths.
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JudyNo reputable dive operator will allow a non-certified person to scuba dive on their own. In fact, most will not even fill the tank of a non-certified person. However, formal programs do exist to allow people to experience scuba prior to certification. Many dive operators in resort destinations offer what is commonly called a "resort course". These abbreviated courses are sanctioned by most dive certification agencies. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world's largest dive training agency, offers resort course guidelines in what they call the "PADI Discover Scuba® Diving Experience". PADI sanctions this "resort course" for adults and children age 10 and up.
The usual protocol for this type of dive is this: A combination of introductory classroom and pool training is delivered in the morning. Sometimes the classroom portion takes place in an actual classroom. More often it is delivered with students gathered around a swimming pool. This is usually followed by an in-water pool session in which the students get comfortable with scuba gear and diving procedures in the pool. Some operators require a written test at this point, though many do not.
The actual open water dive is typically done in the afternoon. Quite often, the resort course divers are taken to a dive site on the same boat as experienced divers doing their third dive of the day. (Repetitive diving protocol requires that deep dives be performed before shallower dives, so the third dive for a certified diver is nearly always shallow.) This allows a non-certified friend or spouse to actually make a dive with their certified significant other. Tight restrictions are placed on resort course dives. Maximum depth is typically limited to 30 feet, the dive site and water conditions are in the "easy" category and the divemasters work very closely with the resort course divers in the water. Though many resorts do allow certified friends to accompany the resort course diver, a divemaster is always present.
Resort courses like PADI's Discover Scuba Diving Experience are often accompanied by a certificate commemorating the experience, but they do not result in a diving certification. Many resorts, however, will count the resort course as one day toward a longer certification course at the resort. Since most resorts offer a four or five-day Open Water Diver certification, this allows a person to take a resort course on the first day of a vacation and, if they choose to continue on with training, return from the vacation as a certified diver.
Another option sometimes offered by domestic dive shops, particularly those inland or in colder climates, is to offer classroom and pool training locally, prior to a diver's trip to a tropical or Caribbean dive resort. Once at the resort, the diver completes their certification dives and returns from the trip a certified diver. Consult your local dive shop to see if they offer such a program. It's not unlikely that they'll have a warm-weather resort they work with to provide this type of certification.
We should add here that scuba diving is inherently dangerous. One should never attempt to scuba dive without training and certification, unless you're participating in a resort course sanctioned by a major dive training agency. Beware of fly-by-night operators who will offer to take you diving without any kind of training.
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