Crete, Greece

[joha]

I did my AOWD last summer with www.haniadive.com. The quality of training was average, but I was not satisfied with the rental equipment. Most of the XL size equipment was in quite poor condition, two of the five dives I had leaking O-ring in tank. The dive sites were quite uninteresting as well. I would not recommend travelling there just a diving holiday.

 

[Belushi]

There are two things that strike me from your post.
Firstly the quality of the training. What was average about it? Did they make it too easy for you, did you get the specialties that you wanted, please explain, I am interested.

Secondly you say the dives were uninteresting. With no disrespect intended, how many dives have you done? This is not supposed to be a facetious comment.
The reason I ask is that I am, since becoming a photographer/videographer, a muck-diver. Someone who is quite happy to sit under the boat on a dive site mooching around supposedly dead coral looking for small creatures.

I find the little things in the sea a lot more intersting than the really big stuff.
Two reasons, firstly they are easier to find. Secondly, they dont go anywhere - their territory is limited so they stick to it.

I have dived in the Med (Gozo) and I found it boring. Not because of the limited marine life, but because I was not allowed to stop and examine it. Hurry, hurry, hurry ... nah, not my fave sort of diving.

In your diving life, if you do a little research and find out loads about a couple of creatures, then when you go diving, you will search for these creatures to see if what the books say are correct! Then stop and look and watch them. It is very theraputic

Example. Me, done loads of dives, great places in the world, all over the place. My favourite sites - I love a couple of very simple dive sites off Hurghada (Egypt) that everyone and his sister goes to to do their training. Viz=30m, depth 10m. If I could, I would have stayed there a couple of hours just mooching around slowly checking out the cleaner shrimps, and the gobies.

One training session, I was teaching mask skills to a couple of open water students, and I saw a pod of dolphins!!!!

Boy! was the guy surprised when he had cleared his mask, the first thing he saw was a lumpy-great bottlenose swimming past!

When I was teaching, I could make a swimming pool dive sound attractive, so much so, that you would want to come back to the pool to do it again.

Consequently, if you, as an instructor are infectious in your attitude about diving and the marine life, it will rub off onto your students.


I feel sorry for you that your experience was not as it should be, maybe if I set up a LDS on Crete, I will post it and see if I can make it more fun for you

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I did my AOWD last summer with www.haniadive.com. The quality of training was average, but I was not satisfied with the rental equipment. Most of the XL size equipment was in quite poor condition, two of the five dives I had leaking O-ring in tank. The dive sites were quite uninteresting as well. I would not recommend travelling there just a diving holiday.

Any idea wether we can rent just lead and tanks and do diving on our own, from shore? I've heard it's not legal to dive except with a dive centre. I don't know if this is still valid though. But then will the dive centres rent us lead and tanks only, without the "profit" of guiding us?

We're going with the kids, and I'm not sure a full day out is the thing for us. We're going early in May (low season), and perhaps we can bring the kids with us on a boat. One of the dive centres in Chania (where we are staying) have a nice boat:

 

[Argos]

I can't really tell what these two offer except courses. I mean, 2 dives (Lead/tank) 50 Euro, what is that? Do they take you on a boat tour? Do they provide divemaster to come with you as a guide under water?

I'd be interested in two options. Either a full day out in a large boat, like they have at http://www.blueadventuresdiving.gr/, or just rent tanks and lead and go diving on our own from the shore. There's no way they should charge much for tanks and lead, but they do not specify what's included in their offers. Can you figure it out in any way for us, please?

2 dives (Lead/Tank) 50Euros means that for 50 Euros you get a dbl tank dive most likely on a boat with a guide. Best to ask before booking......
Shore Diving is not allowed STILL in many places. If you read my previous threads you will see exactly what I mean........If you need any more info PM me.......

 

[Argos]

There are two things that strike me from your post.
Firstly the quality of the training. What was average about it? Did they make it too easy for you, did you get the specialties that you wanted, please explain, I am interested.

Secondly you say the dives were uninteresting. With no disrespect intended, how many dives have you done? This is not supposed to be a facetious comment.
The reason I ask is that I am, since becoming a photographer/videographer, a muck-diver. Someone who is quite happy to sit under the boat on a dive site mooching around supposedly dead coral looking for small creatures.

I find the little things in the sea a lot more intersting than the really big stuff.
Two reasons, firstly they are easier to find. Secondly, they dont go anywhere - their territory is limited so they stick to it.

I have dived in the Med (Gozo) and I found it boring. Not because of the limited marine life, but because I was not allowed to stop and examine it. Hurry, hurry, hurry ... nah, not my fave sort of diving.

In your diving life, if you do a little research and find out loads about a couple of creatures, then when you go diving, you will search for these creatures to see if what the books say are correct! Then stop and look and watch them. It is very theraputic

Example. Me, done loads of dives, great places in the world, all over the place. My favourite sites - I love a couple of very simple dive sites off Hurghada (Egypt) that everyone and his sister goes to to do their training. Viz=30m, depth 10m. If I could, I would have stayed there a couple of hours just mooching around slowly checking out the cleaner shrimps, and the gobies.

One training session, I was teaching mask skills to a couple of open water students, and I saw a pod of dolphins!!!!

Boy! was the guy surprised when he had cleared his mask, the first thing he saw was a lumpy-great bottlenose swimming past!

When I was teaching, I could make a swimming pool dive sound attractive, so much so, that you would want to come back to the pool to do it again.

Consequently, if you, as an instructor are infectious in your attitude about diving and the marine life, it will rub off onto your students.


I feel sorry for you that your experience was not as it should be, maybe if I set up a LDS on Crete, I will post it and see if I can make it more fun for you

Same as me......... thats why if your gonna do something do it well so the customers go away big grin from ear to ear........ AND come back again with their friends, best form of advertising.....

 

[joha]

There are two things that strike me from your post.
Firstly the quality of the training. What was average about it? Did they make it too easy for you, did you get the specialties that you wanted, please explain, I am interested.

I was given enough time to read well the course material and was asked to take all the tests too. Unfortunately the open water excersices were carried out rather carelessly. For examply my dive buddy (local guy unknown to me) got lost while trying to navigate square underwater. He never had to try again and we didnt try triangle at all after that.

My Peak Performance Buoyancy (?) course training was done in the beach with plenty of swelling. Its difficult for a beginner to practice buoyancy when the tides are "throwing you around". The owner of the place seemed to be more dedicated to the business than another instructor. Nice people.

Yes, I'm beginner with now a bit less than 20 dives logged in three countries.

There was just a very little for me to experience underwater in the dive sites I was taken to. In fact the hotel beach just next to this dive operator had most life I saw there. And you can enjoy it with snorkel only. But I am happy to try your dive shop in the area if you promise to take me to enjoy the more interesting Chania dive sites

In fact I am still looking for recommendations where to go in Greece for the best visibility&conditions and most the interesting dive spots.

 

[Argos]

Can only say Southern Crete M8.........

 

[mickmct]

I've been diving in West Crete on and off for the last 7 or 8 years.

If you go to the North of the island, Blue Adventures in Chania are very good; big boat,good kit, lots of courses and lots of spare buddies. Only problems are the wind later on in the season - as previously mentioned - and it can get a bit over popular at the height of the season.

Alternatively if you go to Paleochora in the South West, try Aqua Creta (www.aquacreta.gr) Shore and rib dives, excellent kit, very friendly and professional staff and a much more laid back feeling to the area than amidst the night frantic life around Chania! Occasional difficulties with the west wind but if that happens, head for the bar!

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I've been diving in West Crete on and off for the last 7 or 8 years.

If you go to the North of the island, Blue Adventures in Chania are very good; big boat,good kit, lots of courses and lots of spare buddies. Only problems are the wind later on in the season - as previously mentioned - and it can get a bit over popular at the height of the season.

Alternatively if you go to Paleochora in the South West, try Aqua Creta (www.aquacreta.gr) Shore and rib dives, excellent kit, very friendly and professional staff and a much more laid back feeling to the area than amidst the night frantic life around Chania! Occasional difficulties with the west wind but if that happens, head for the bar!

What's with the Greek and websites? :huh:
Just about all websites I visit from around there really, really suck... They are slow, full of vulgar blinking and SOUNDS! Besides the fact that the editors have apparently never even heard of Firefox...

Anyway thanks, because we are going to Chania and we've already been in touch with Blue Adventures and we've seen their boat. We arrive in just a few weeks ans so we will be early in the season with not much traffic. We can even bring the kids on their boat they say!

 

[Belushi]

LMAO, the vulgarity of the sites is amusing. But at least it does the job. We are talking about them, and isnt that the idea of advertising.

I have just arrived in Crete and after a week or so of chilling, and looking around, I will be on the hunt for work and some fun.

Might just say hello.