Certification 'Vacation" in April

[drrich2]

"Resort course" usually refers to a Discover Scuba program... with no cert issued.

Oops! Sorry about that. I think the issues remain, but good to know. Thanks.

Richard.

 

[freewillie]

Hi and thanks for the thoughts so far.

As mentioned by Scubagolf, we are in NH- northern NH near the VT border. We originally had planned to do the etraining at home (we have already started this with PADI) and then in February, we would have done the pool work in Florida pre-cruise, and the checkout dives in Cozumel and Grand Cayman during a cruise (we aren't big party people or drinkers- the cruise ship is, for us, a relaxing way to get from point A to point B). However, my husband just fell and broke a couple of ribs, so we are revisiting our plans, since scuba, and even swimming, may not be all that fun for him during our originally scheduled timeframe. So we were thinking of postponing our cruise till fall and to instead go on a diving vacation after his ribs heal (April). To be honest, after doing more reading on this forum, I was also starting to worry that maybe our original plan wasn't the best approach to getting certified anyway.

As as far as specific location, we have to be fly out of Boston, so we are likely looking at Florida or the Caribbean. The more that I read on this board, the more I want make sure we choose a good instructor to work with so in addition to recommendations for location, recommendations for a good dive shop would also be appreciated. It may be possible to do the pool work here, but that would likely mean a shorter time away, since we'd probably cut into our vacation time to make time for the pool work. We would have to do the pool work pretty close to Boston, since that is where most of the dive shops I have found are.

While etraining for the book portion of the PADI requirements might be okay for some people you still need to start with the pool and do your skills in the confined water training session then do your check out dives in the ocean. The only flaw in trying to do those checkout dives on a cruise is you leave each port every day and arrive in a new port for the next day. That would require planning to do your check out dives in port A with one dive shop then the next training dive in port B. The paper work would be a nightmare since as I understand the certification you should ideally have on a single instructor sign off on your skills.

I would recommend a large resort hotel that caters to divers and has a dive operation on site. You would complete your pool skills at the resort pool then complete the open water dives at whatever site the hotel uses for beginner divers. You should also plan for a minimum of 4 days since you can only do a certain amount of training dives in one day per PADI regulations. To complete the pool and OW dives the minimum amount of days is 4 days. You also have to plan for a minimum of 12 hours from the last dive to the time you fly, and although more conservative some resorts will not let you dive within a 24 hour window from the last dive.

 

[Bas Harts]

**MAYBE OFF TOPIC*** didnt read the whole post, but i wanted to reply to this:

Basically, it's an OW course run quickly in the tropics (e.g.: Caribbean) perhaps in 'aquarium like conditions) to minimum agency requirements (if that), resulting in a C card the large majority of the time. And a diver who may be, well, half-baked, in need of further refinement to get comfortable in the water.

You know how many divers we get a year that got either certified in the USA or did there pool work in the USA that have no clue???........

Maybe we run our courses a bit faster than in the USA (becaus of logistical advantages), but that doesnt mean we deliver "half baked divers"

I know some shops in the tropics deliver "half baked divers"..... Trust me we see just a much "half baked divers" divers that weren't certified in the tropics, but in the states.

And dont forget the small prints that every PADI student signs for:

"You are only certified to dive in the conditions and areas similar to those in which you were trained in"

 

[drrich2]

Bas:

I was not generalizing to all OW courses run in the tropics, nor do I wish to imply none turn out good divers. I agree there is no shortage of overly rushed courses back in the U.S.

My point is that if the system is, at least if run to minimum standards, already a bit barebones and often rushed back in the states, then the added time pressure when a tourist is barely on-island long enough to take the course can create some added pressure for corner cutting.

Part of the reason I'm sensitive to this is that I did my main training in winter in the U.S., made a very long drive with 2 peers to do OW check out dives in Florida, only had 2 days, and blew 2 check out dives which I then made up on referral one day at St. Thomas on a honeymoon cruise ship stop.

Tightly scheduling your dive training can cause problems. People headed to the tropics may do that, either because they're on island very briefly or the booked other things because they didn't know they'd need some remediation.

I am not dissing tropical instructors.

Richard (wearing out my iPad pecking finger...).

 

[RJP]

My point is that if the system is, at least if run to minimum standards, already a bit barebones and often rushed back in the states, then the added time pressure when a tourist is barely on-island long enough to take the course can create some added pressure for corner cutting.

"You might be spending too much time on SB if..." you condtionalize your comments about the quality of scuba training with more than one use of the word "if" and/or "minimum."

:d

If someone meets standards they have met standards... there is no rating of "met minimum standards" nor is there a range of standards upon which a student can be evaluated. So, by extension "minimum standards" are also "maximum standards."

There is no known correlation between the quality of an instructor or course and a change in geographic latitude. Frankly, I think someone who plans to be on an island like Bonaire for a week, expressly for the purposes of getting certified, is in a far better position than someone who crammed pool and academic work into the rest of their work/life schedule at home and then did a two-day in-and-out trip for checkout dives. Given a student with no day-in-day-out distractions... a week is more than enough time for any instructor to conduct a high-quality course.

---------- Post added January 19th, 2015 at 08:17 PM ----------

And dont forget the small prints that every PADI student signs for:

"You are only certified to dive in the conditions and areas similar to those in which you were trained in"

If we're going to quote the small print "that every PADI student signs for" let's at least get it right...

"As a PADI Open Water Diver, you will be a certified entry-level diver able to rent dive gear, get air fills and dive anywhere in the world in better or similar conditions to those you've trained in."

Note the word "only" does not appear, nor are there any "area" limitations... other than remaining on this planet.

:d

 

[KevinNM]

Given a student with no day-in-day-out distractions... a week is more than enough time for any instructor to conduct a high-quality course.

You could do a GUE rec1 course in under a week, with all 14 required dives.

 

[Bas Harts]

Note the word "only" does not appear, nor are there any "area" limitations... other than remaining on this planet.

I was talking about the small print on the student record file. Not sure what you are quoting....

You are right about "ONLY" not being mentioned.

"AREA" how ever is mentioned on the student record file, which the student has to sign before getting certified:

" I am adequately prepared to dive in areas and under conditions similar to those in which I was trained. I realise that additional training is recommended for participation in specialty diving activities, in other geographical areas and after............"

(Maybe we are still using old record files in the Caribbean )


---------- Post added January 20th, 2015 at 06:56 AM ----------

I am not dissing tropical instructors.

Maybe I was grumpy when I read your post

I forgive you!!

 

[The Chairman]

Tightly scheduling your dive training can cause problems. People headed to the tropics may do that, either because they're on island very briefly or the booked other things because they didn't know they'd need some remediation.

I agree with this, but it's not just weather. A cold, a funky ear, fatigue and more can put you out of sorts for the day. What if you just can't clear that mask, or run into another skill that your mind can't get around. An extra day or three takes away some of the performance anxiety and allows you to have FUN. That's why you're doing this after all, isn't it? You might want to ask your potential instructor if they have contingencies for crappy weather. I certainly do. But I'm not a pusher either. We learn at your speed and make sure you have it right. I don't do big classes so you can expect one to one or two to one (if you bring a buddy) attention. Unfortunately, many of us independent instructors are not always available. I travel a lot for SB and I'm not about to give that up!

 

[TMHeimer]

Given that the OP mentioned April as the target date, I think we can safely assume they don't mean ME, RI, MA, CT, NJ, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, or even GA or North Florida.



I'd recommend Caribbean vs even Key Largo. The potential to get blown out for one or more days in the Keys in April is unacceptably high as far as I'm concerned. Would really suck to "take a few days off work" to travel somewhere and end up not finishing the course due to weather. Even if you didn't get blown out, water temps will be in the mid 70's... not exactly warm. (Wookie or someone may chime in with

OP - you mention several hours for nearest local training. Does that include someplace where you could do academic and pool work and then travel for your checkout dives? If so, not an issue but I would recommend doing "elearning" which allows you to do all the book work before traveling.

OP: Where are you located? With that info we can probably recommend specific trainng options based on flight routing, etc.

Well, she did say East Coast. Not to spit hairs guys, but that doesn't cover the Caribbean (or Caribbean Sea). Ray, are you saying there are no checkout dives going on in April from NC to N. Fla.? Hard to believe when we start in the ocean here first week of April.

---------- Post added January 20th, 2015 at 09:05 PM ----------

You will need a passport to enter their U.S. from any of the Caribbean destinations.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Passport info.: U.S. citizens don't need a passport going between any area owned by the U.S. (unless of course they touch a foreign country).

 

[RJP]

Well, she did say East Coast. Not to spit hairs guys, but that doesn't cover the Caribbean (or Caribbean Sea). Ray, are you saying there are no checkout dives going on in April from NC to N. Fla.? Hard to believe when we start in the ocean here first week of April.

I would say very few if any in what I would consider "vacation-worthy" conditions.

:d