Certification for diving?

[drake]

Does a person need to be certified before diving? I am not yet certified to be eligible for diving, but I know how to dive in the waters. What do I need to do to get certified?

[camp1]

I bet it depends on the area where you live. The laws are different everywhere when it comes to water safety.
If you go diving on vacation with a group you don't have to be certified, but the person in charge of the group does.

[Wild Bill]

Becoming a certified diver is easy. You just have to find a class in your area and take the classes. Depending on the size of the class it make take a few weeks or a few months to become certified, but its not very hard to do.