Hi Everyone!! I am so excited to be a part of this forum. I am not currently certified but am planning an upcoming trip with scuba instruction and certification. I am quite the novice . Any suggestions and tips are greatly appreciated! Thinking of booking a stay and dive package with ProDive and Catalonia Royal Tulum, any feedback?
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Welcome!!
Yes, the same advice I give all newbies: Don't go into this trying to impress your instructor as you being the 'perfect' student. Go into this wonderful sport trying to understand and 'grok' (showing my age) what is being taught.
Yes, the same advice I give all newbies: Don't go into this trying to impress your instructor as you being the 'perfect' student. Go into this wonderful sport trying to understand and 'grok' (showing my age) what is being taught.
drrich2
Contributor
Welcome. In a nutshell, doing the skills will take up 4 open water dives at a minimum, so there may not be a lot of coral reef touring looking at the tropical fish. On the other hand, if it's very clear, water water with no significant current, then it'll be easier to train in and get certified.
I will mention something that may be before its time, but be aware. There is such a thing as cold water diving, and if I recall correctly, Oregon has that. At that level of cold I'm thinking you'd probably want to be in a dry suit, and this is more of a 'down the road' thing to consider, but especially depending on where you're at in Oregon, it may be something to think about.
Not only does local diving let people dive more often and more economically than just going on distant dive trips via plane, but it offers you the experience of a range of creatures you will not see in the tropics. I visited California to try the Channel Islands a few years back and was quite happy. I don't know whether my research notes on California will be of interest, but just in case -
My Notes For Researching My California Dive Trip - My Notes for Researching My California Dive Trip
I will mention something that may be before its time, but be aware. There is such a thing as cold water diving, and if I recall correctly, Oregon has that. At that level of cold I'm thinking you'd probably want to be in a dry suit, and this is more of a 'down the road' thing to consider, but especially depending on where you're at in Oregon, it may be something to think about.
Not only does local diving let people dive more often and more economically than just going on distant dive trips via plane, but it offers you the experience of a range of creatures you will not see in the tropics. I visited California to try the Channel Islands a few years back and was quite happy. I don't know whether my research notes on California will be of interest, but just in case -
My Notes For Researching My California Dive Trip - My Notes for Researching My California Dive Trip
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drrich makes some good points. Courses today mean much less classroom time due to e-learning. Nevertheless, using up 2 days of ocean dives doing skills, and another 2 in the pool (or calm ocean) learning the skills, is not something I would do on vacation. If I'm spending $ to travel I want to be just diving or doing other stuff.
Some prefer to do the classroom & pool stuff locally then just the 2 days of (4) "checkout" dives on a trip-- usually because on the trip it's warm water. This is called a referral. I'd personally do it all at home and be certified for the trip.
Some prefer to do the classroom & pool stuff locally then just the 2 days of (4) "checkout" dives on a trip-- usually because on the trip it's warm water. This is called a referral. I'd personally do it all at home and be certified for the trip.
Diverlady13
Contributor
Welcome! I agree with most of the responses so far. Go into your instruction with an open mind and be willing to learn more than what you did in the e-learning. A good instructor may have helpful tips that aren't covered in the e-learning. If you're ever unsure about something the instructor says or does, don't be shy about asking why they are teaching "this" when the e-learning says "that". There may be a valid reason and you many learn something new, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Also be aware that those OW course days can be long and tiring. There are lot of skills to complete both in confined water and then again on your OW dives. You may want to consider doing the pool work before you leave on your trip. Otherwise, if you have the time to spare, see if you can schedule the pool work for a separate day than the ocean dives. My husband and I flew to Kauai to do our certification. The first day we did 5 hours of pool work in the morning. Then we had a 90 minute break to eat lunch and get to the shore dive location for 2 afternoon dives. We were already tired and those 2 afternoon dives made for an exhausting day - mentally and physically. We were so tired after all of that work that we only begrudgingly returned the next day for the remaining 2 dives. If I had known better, I would have asked to do the pool work one day and then all of the ocean dives the next (or even over the following 2 days). Plus, if you can break the diving up over 3 days in the mornings, that leaves you the afternoon to just chill or spend time with your travel companions (if you aren't traveling alone).
The only other thing I have to say is to realize getting your OW certification is just a starting point for more learning. When you begin to dive on your own, you'll notice a lot of divers doing a lot of different things...things that may be quite different than what you learned. I think as we dive more and more, we learn what works for us personally and what doesn't. Obviously the basic safety skills need to be adhered to. If you see someone doing something different and if they seem friendly and willing to take questions, it's OK to ask why they do that thing. I'll often ask my question like this: "I'm a fairly new diver and noticed X thing that you do. Can you tell me what the benefit of doing X this way is?" I have found most divers to be really kind about sharing that info. Sometimes I Iearn a better way and sometimes not. I have learned a lot from other divers through both questions and observing how others do things.
Have fun on your trip and with your class!
iamrushman
Contributor
howdy and aloha,,,as you can see a lot of information over a short period of time, it will all come together at the end..most of all relax and enjoy..good luck
Thank you all for the wonderful advice, it is greatly appreciated. We had considered gettin everything done locally but as mentioned by drrrich2, the water here is quite cold. I do like the idea of doing everything here and then the OW dives on our trip. Our vacation is 8 full days, does it seem like that would still be cramming everything in?
Diverlady13
Contributor
I don't think so. There's nothing wrong with doing everything at destination. That's what my husband and I did and it worked out really well. We did like the continuity of having one instructor. in fact, not only did we do our OW, but we also did our AOW that same week. I think it really depends on what you want to do with your vacation.
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Resorts often conduct all the required confined and open water dives in a span of three days.
My personal view is that most divers are better served by a more leisurely pace that affords time to digest what one has learned and be fully rested and prepared for each session.
Doing your e-learning and confined water dives at home also gives you a chance to hear how two different instructors communicate and teach. If they both follow the rules, no skills or learning points will slip through the cracks.
Whatever you decide, welcome to diving and to this site.
Best wishes,
My personal view is that most divers are better served by a more leisurely pace that affords time to digest what one has learned and be fully rested and prepared for each session.
Doing your e-learning and confined water dives at home also gives you a chance to hear how two different instructors communicate and teach. If they both follow the rules, no skills or learning points will slip through the cracks.
Whatever you decide, welcome to diving and to this site.
Best wishes,
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