Bonaire operator for Dec 1, Wednesday

[DaaBoss]

I want to dive and I need to hook up with an operator.

I'm arriving Wednesday, December 1st in Bonaire on the Celebrity Constellation at 8AM and sailing away at 400PM.

I'd like to go on a one or two tank dive-I'm the only one going. My situation is a bit unique, however. I'm NOT certified, but I've done several open water drift dives in Cozumel, and several other open water dives in Caymans. Without tanks, I free-dive to about 25-35 feet for a few hours at a time, have my own mask and snorkel.

Although I'll likely get certified this year, I'm not right now. But since I'm not a complete novice, I'd prefer for someone to just allow me to demonstrate my skills, signs, and then dive a reef, burning a tank or two. I can demonstrate a good buoyancy test and hover, ascend or descend by breathing alone. I'm now trying to work on extending the time I'm down. The last time I went, I had 1,000 lbs left after 45 minutes.

Please let me know If you have an opening VIA EMAIL or a post.

 

[Lead_carrier]

I want to dive and I need to hook up with an operator.

I'm arriving Wednesday, December 1st in Bonaire on the Celebrity Constellation at 8AM and sailing away at 400PM.

I'd like to go on a one or two tank dive-I'm the only one going. My situation is a bit unique, however. I'm NOT certified, but I've done several open water drift dives in Cozumel, and several other open water dives in Caymans. Without tanks, I free-dive to about 25-35 feet for a few hours at a time, have my own mask and snorkel.

Although I'll likely get certified this year, I'm not right now. But since I'm not a complete novice, I'd prefer for someone to just allow me to demonstrate my skills, signs, and then dive a reef, burning a tank or two. I can demonstrate a good buoyancy test and hover, ascend or descend by breathing alone. I'm now trying to work on extending the time I'm down. The last time I went, I had 1,000 lbs left after 45 minutes.

Please let me know If you have an opening VIA EMAIL or a post.

Chances are you won't get to dive. No certification, park tag, most operators are very vigilante about the park tags, as they should be.

But IF you really can to 25-35 feet for a few hours at a time why would you even want to bother with a tank?

 

[DaaBoss]

Free diving... ... 25-35 feet... Yes, I can and have done this. However, if I get more than about 15-25 seconds down there I'm lucky. Plus, how many dives like that can I do in an hour? 10? 15? Seems to me tanks are a bit safer, far easier, and can give me 45-60 minutes at 35' vs 5 minutes down there.

No diving?? So, first learn to dive BEFORE diving with an instructor?? I thought that you'd learn THROUGH the experience of diving with an instructor beside me, so I learn while not screwing up, or hurting myself or someone else. This has been what I've experienced so far in diving with an instructor on five different occasions. I've learned a lot, and learned enough so now I DO want to get certified.

I'm also a commercial instrument rated pilot. I became a professionally "certified" pilot by first flying around with an instructor. We flew to the Bahamas, in all kinds of scary weather, and actually went to places that were fun and valuable, WHILE learning. Sure, I spent plenty of time in skill drills going nowhere. But I don't think I'd be very good without going on actual flight missions as well, BEFORE I was certified, as a means to become certified.

I'm a SCUBA novice in both the sport and the community. But it seems the attitude of, "everyone must be certified, or you can't ever go on any reef dives no matter what", seems to be more than a bit short sighted for your industry. Maybe I will change my mind, but I doubt it.

It seems to me that operators could very well have a perfectly safe means of taking non-certified divers on some dives, by removing virtually all of the significant risk out of diving. I'd call this category a "sub-certified" diver. One who, in the opinion of the instructor, has enough common sense, training, and pre-conditioned responses to survive the following, without help from the instructor in these worst cases:

Losing a mask:
--> Putting in back on and clearing it without panic.
Exhaling, and then the regulator not allowing the next breath to be drawn:
--> Surfacing immediately with enough air to get there without panic. (which means of course, you can't already be too deep).
Other significant risks: (study what kills first time divers and find a way to prevent 99.999% of them)

When flying, we typically require a check ride before allowed to rent a plane, which takes about 10-15 minutes to demonstrate a reasonable competence. Your industry could institute a similar program. The goals of most pilot training is to produce a self-sufficient pilot. But this doesn't or shouldn't preclude trips designed more for pleasure and purpose than just to become a pilot. SCUBA training as well should accommodate those that would just as soon pay to dive with an instructor 100% of the time, limited to 35-45 feet.

I find it hard to believe that the industry wouldn't benefit by promoting something like this. It should grow the sport, would also require many more instructors, and would produce MORE certified divers. Feel free to move this post to a different thread.

 

[RJP]

It seems to me that operators could very well have a perfectly safe means of taking non-certified divers on some dives, by removing virtually all of the significant risk out of diving. I'd call this category a "sub-certified" diver.

This exists. It's called "Discover Scuba Diving" in PADI parlance. Check with whatever dive op the cruise ship typically uses and see if you can do a DSD with them.