Check-out dive... what's involved?

[caseybird]

I treat a checkout dive as a freebie, a chance to look around, check my weight, and get to know the DM/guide. Therefore, no sweat.

 

[Biodiversity_guy]

In Bonaire, the main objective of the checkout dive is to ensure you have the proper weights. There was no major oversight or skills checking. They just want the first dive to be right there at the resort, so if there are issues they can be addressed over a sandy bottom, rather than over a delicate reef.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I think I would actually like to see more places do "checkout" dives for a couple of reasons.
First, it gives me a last chance to check all the gear and weighting prior to follow on dives.
Second, the first dive my wife and I went on in Coz last year we were on a boat with two other certified divers who had trouble from the beginning. Despite all the talk about their "vast" experience on the way out to the reef. One entered the water without his reg, then couldn't find it behind his tank. The other wasn't weighted correctly and couldn't descend. Then they had various problems through the entire dive. They finally ascended due to air consumption and we finished the dive in relative peace after that. It cost us only a few minutes on the surface, but the entire dive I found myself watching them and waiting for the next problem to show up.

A checkout dive might have corrected this earlier.

This happens a lot and I'm always up for a check out dive. Most of the time it's just a shallow first dive to check out your buoyancy and control. Helps weed out people who have not been diving in a while so they can do a few easier dives to get squared away. As you observed, the best way to tell how good they are, or not, is to see them in the water.

 

[tvictory]

In Bonaire, the main objective of the checkout dive is to ensure you have the proper weights. There was no major oversight or skills checking. They just want the first dive to be right there at the resort, so if there are issues they can be addressed over a sandy bottom, rather than over a delicate reef.

In Bonaire, you are usually required to do a checkout dive after attending the mandatory orientation session and purchasing your Marine Park tag. By "checkout dive", they mean do a shore dive and check yourself out. No DM accompanies you, requires you to demonstrate skills or pronounces you pass or fail. The only drawback to the system is that most of the resorts don't offer the orientation until after the first boat trip of the day has departed. Also, most won't let you book the second boat trip (11am?) because the orientatio-checkout process makes for a tight fit. If you've prepaid for a certain number of boat dives, your planning may be affected by not being able to boat-dive on the first morning. If you arrive the afternoon before, see if the dive staff will give you a quickiie orientation and let you do a checkout then. If you're planning to do mostly shore-diving, the checkout routine is really no inconvenience at all.

 

[jghflash]

My wife and I went to Bonaire in November and stayed at the Deep Blue View B&B. The morning we arrived Menno did the orientation "lecture" (lots of fun and great tips about dive sites) and then Ester took us on the orientation dive. We did a weight check and worked out some nice weight reduction (which helped for the next two weeks) and then she proceeded to find a seahorse for us! Of course, just being a check out dive, I didn't bring the camera. They very specifically accompany you on the first dive to insure proper weighting and to observe your diving style/comfort/skills etc. I was really glad they did it that way, it was quite helpful.

 

[DeputyDan]

In Bonaire, the main objective of the checkout dive is to ensure you have the proper weights. There was no major oversight or skills checking. They just want the first dive to be right there at the resort, so if there are issues they can be addressed over a sandy bottom, rather than over a delicate reef.

And that your gear works.

My daughter's computer died on her checkout dive in Bonaire this year.

Bruce at Carb Inn fixed it - good fast and a fair price - Thanks Bruce!!!!

 

[spectrum]

Any specific on how it's done at Buddy Dive? What sort of gratuity is customary?

Thanks,
Pete

 

[Martha]

We stay at Belmar and the diving aspect is handled by Buddy Dive. We had an orientation, which went over marine park rules, etc... and then you are to do your check-out dive (at your leisure) on the house reef. No one accompanies you on the check-out dives.

 

[DeputyDan]

Any specific on how it's done at Buddy Dive? What sort of gratuity is customary?

Thanks,
Pete

No gratuity - no one goes with you except your buddy.

 

[DvrRick]

Didn't want to start a new thread so I'm resurrecting this one.

We will be in Bonaire but will not be staying at a resort. We have a dive shop close by that we will probably use for most of our tanks, weights, etc. My question is whether we can rent tanks from a shop after we've done our check-out dive with another? I am hoping we are not locked in to the one shop only or have to do multiple checkout dives with multiple shops.