Resort Discover Scuba Debate

[Rhone Man]

OK, time to call for a vote on the motion:

Vote now!

 

[Kingpatzer]

There isn't a right or wrong answer here as to which course to take. Nor does the OP have any duty to provide information to his co-worker.

Dropping the topic was the right move. If she decides she wants to talk again, she knows where he works.

 

[Tempi]

I have been certified for a number of years, but have been (sadly) out of diving for almost as long. My fiance and I were in the Dominican last winter with two friends (one certified one not) and the two of them decided to try the DSD. He had previously ruptured his eardrum wakeboarding and wanted to make sure he could try diving before getting certified, and thought this was a good option. The four of us had a pool refresher/class where some of the basic skills were introduced, and during the dive the instructor was never further than arms length away from the two uncertified divers. I think the max depth we went to was about 20 feet. It was a good review for me, and I felt that the boys were being watched over. Since then, they have both become OW certified and I've taken a real refresher <grin> but at least we knew that he could do some of the equalization at shallower depths at least.

 

[robint]

OK, time to call for a vote on the motion:

Vote now!

You can't just say they are all good or they are all bad..... I am sure at some places a Resort course is handled safely and responsibly. But read my previous post about MY reasons why I don't approve of them overall. For as many people as I have met who had GOOD experiences, I have met just as many who had BAD or UNSAFE experiences.
I have also read about too many diver deaths due to lack of experience in diving, either doing a Resort course or just a newbie diver (I feel any diver with less than 50 dives is at risk of self-injury due to lack of experience). I wish all Resort Courses were handled responsibly, divers weren't take below 40', but I know that is NOT the case. Most times the dive op wants to make the person happy and get as much money out of them as they can, Safety is not a concern.

 

[String]

Discover scuba if done properly, ie obeying standards is day 1 of the open water course. Its theory 1, all of confined water 1 and skills then a sea dive to a shallow depth under close supervision. Students after the confined should have the ability to clear a mask, replace a reg and basic idea of buoyancy. *IF* its done properly its no more dangerous than day 1 of an open water course because it IS day 1 of an open water course.

If done properly as per standards its safe. Like anything else if shortcuts are taken, it gets more dangerous. I do a DSD as a full day thing. That gives ample time to teach everything needed to an acceptable standard. If it rushed into a few hours as in some places its not as useful.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Discover scuba if done properly, ie obeying standards is day 1 of the open water course. Its theory 1, all of confined water 1 and skills then a sea dive to a shallow depth under close supervision. Students after the confined should have the ability to clear a mask, replace a reg and basic idea of buoyancy. *IF* its done properly its no more dangerous than day 1 of an open water course because it IS day 1 of an open water course.

The difference being day 1 of of the OW course doesn't place you in open water (just the pool). But you're probably right otherwise, with close supervision and some basic instruction I guess as long as they know not to hold their breath there isn't a whole lot danger wise that can happen that the DM can't help them out of.

 

[k374]

The Discover Scuba experience was really valuable for me because I could get a preview of what is involved without having the pressure of passing the OW tests... and when I take my OW course dives next weekend I am less nervous as I somewhat know what to expect.

 

[Doc]

Maybe...... but possibly NOT! It depends where you do the Resort Course.

More that it depends upon with whom you take the resort course.

I am sure that other training agencies have similar success rates, but paying the money and participating in a PADI (or similar) real deal program is likely to give you a very positive experience.

At the risk of sounding jingoistic, in Mexico, all bets are off- unless you find a legitimate recognized PADI (or similar quality) Dive Center and participate in an actual Bubblemaker/Intro to Diving/Resort Course program.

How do you know if it's right? Check the certifying (insuring) Agency's website for specifics as to course plan and what your instruction will entail.

Here's the PADI version...

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-cour...di-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-cour...iew-all-padi-courses/scuba-diver/default.aspx

 

[H2Andy]

It depends where you do the Resort Course.

certainly .. and with whom

however, i am not aware of a rash of deaths and injuries resulting from these programs. they seem to be exceedingly safe, just like most dive training is, statistically speaking, because of the supervision involved

in fact, dive training has the lowest accident incidence of all diving (i need to find a link to that; can't at the moment)

This is just 3 examples of why I NEVER recommend Resort Courses on vacation.

robin

wait ... i thought you said it depends ... so it turns out you NEVER recommend them?

 

[lmorin]

..........
Example 3: This in Hawaii. My boss several years ago (before I went to work for him) was on vacation with his family. He wanted to do the Resort course at his hotel. They took them in the pool for 30 minutes then out into the ocean for a dive. Well, my boss didn't quite get the ear thing, didn't equalize right, and blew his eardrum within a few minutes of the dive. He ended up at ER, ruined his vacation, and said he would never do the diving thing again. If he had been in an OW course, he would have had lots of classroom time discussing why we clear our ears, and then time in pool to practice... he might be a diver now, too.

This is just 3 examples of why I NEVER recommend Resort Courses on vacation.

robin

I've heard of similar situations in which it was clear that little or no effort was put into the instruction side of the resort course. Basically, the client was told how to don the gear, then to get in the water and swim. Not much else. The experiences related in these tales have sounded rushed and all too dangerous to me, but quite in contrast with my own experience.

My wife and I got certified precisely because we had a great Resort Course! Our instructor was extremely calm and relaxed, a characteristic that greatly reduced my wife's trepidations. We had a 1 hr on-land instruction session in the AM, followed by an hour in the pool where we did a bunch of the certification exercises, including mask clearing and buoyancy drills. Then, because of the dive boat schedule at that resort, we were able to do 3 OW dives. My wife completed the dives despite serious problems with mask failure--all because of the calmness of the instructor. His easy-going competency greatly influenced her whole approach to diving.

Then, the next year, we did the course again with a different, merely OK, instructor. The contrast between, and lack of consistency from, one year to the next actually was one of the reasons we decided to become fully certified.

When all is said and done, I would go the Resort Course route again, and would recommend it to others, as well. How much instruction is gained from such a course probably varies considerably from one resort to the next and from one instructor to the next. Knowing what I do now, I'd try to determine if the particular Resort Course I was considering seemed to have a goal of making a conscientious effort to teach the basic introductory diving necessities or was simply running clients through a scheme designed to collect money from willing-to-pay tourists.