Ok my first question is this. I have been hearing alot about the epcot centers diving in the aquarium..... Is that worth it and maybe some details about the dive like depth, room Etc.
It's a 45 minute BT and a 27' max depth. Round tank, about 200' across. No gloves, so you'll have to leave them home
We "dove" it on the first day they allowed "
non-mice" to dive. The process has become a lot more focused on the guest preparation now. NAUI is connected with the operation.
All in all, it's kind of a questionable value for people who have had a modicum of
warm water pretty fish travel diving beforehand. It might be likened to tandem parachute jumping or bungee jumping. All of the big-time thrills and none of the preparation or skill~ nor sitting on an airplane for 22+ hours!
I would give 100 Epcot dives in exchange for 1 dive at Weeki Watchee with the Mermaids. Now that would be very cool. I've seen most everything in Disney's tank, and most divers will during the natural course of their career.
Very few have seen a Mermaid. After you log your dive, trust me- very few chicks are going to be all that impressed with your "confronting the Shark" story when you tell them that Mr Grey was wearing Mouse Ears.
Second question is about the PADI national geographic course..... The details on it are vague so any details about the course and whether its overrated ETC.... Thanks
It is a Certification Course- bottom line, it would be no greater of a card than you already have- if you attribute inherent power to those prized pieces of plastic.
In this certification course, you will be taken steps beyond the standard cert course in that they will really work actively and extensively to
perfect your buoyancy, they will demonstrate observational techniques to enable you to see (up close) the natural interaction of the critters. There is also an UW navigation element, and a basic introduction to u/w "mapping", all parts of the AOW process.
It is designed to take willing and eager divers who know there is something more to diving than flopping face first into the water- but just want a quick route to be able to see and see such new vistas through that flat piece of glass.
This is really what diving is all about, at least warm water recreational- which is my #1 goal and thrill in life.
If you don't want the fulll cert card, consider the Underwater Naturalist Specialty as well as the very basic minimum- Peak Performance Buoyancy. There are specific methods to entice creature interaction that can be learned.
And, only half jokingly, after reading of your (the OP) prior travails in acquiring dive gloves, the NG process will likely also disallow them or counsel against their use for anything other than ascending a line. They will clean up your profile in the water, reducing drag, and making certain that you have your gauges tucked-up and not dangling~ and no standing on the bottom, etc.
Likely, the desire and use for the National Geographic course would go well with the appeal of aquarium diving, especially one as nice as Disney's. As an introduction into how to get the most out of your dive trip, it would be money well spent. I would do the NG or U/W Naturalist in a tropical environment that has a lot to see.
Having the NG/PADI skills well in hand would likely enhance your Epcot experience, as well, although I think the three hour pre-dive briefing will teach you all of the classroom portions.
