"Discovery Snorkeling/Scuba," etc.

[GoBlue!]

Hello, all-

I have a couple friends that I think may really enjoy scuba diving, and they have a decent level of intrigue, but aren't ready to commit to a full OW course yet.

Personally, I've always been opposed to the quickie certification courses, but I haven't really given much thought to the "discovery snorkeling/scuba" courses that some shops run. For example, a LDS here in Nashville offers an evening in their 12' pool (2 hrs snorkeling...granted, not sure what you can do for 2 hrs in a pool.....and 2 hrs scuba) for $20.

What are the experiences from folks on the board with these type of evenings? Clearly it's not to get certified, but just to give a taste. At the same time, without the proper time to get used to equipment & take things step-by-step, some people may find it a bit overwhelming & then take a dislike to the sport.

I realize that this forum is a biased community, as most of us are likely not turned off by the idea of scuba , but perhaps you have friends/family members who have had negative experiences.

(For what it's worth, the friends in question are both bright adults, athletic, comfortable in the water.)

Jim

 

[JustAddWater]

I know of a few dive shops, including Sports Chalet, that offer a "scuba experience" for a cheap price, if not for free. (Sports Chalet is doing such a promo in my area right now.) I think if you have an interest in diving, but aren't sure if you want to commit, that this is a nice opportunity to get a taste of the experience. Personally, this was not my first experience in diving, but I have helped instructors in such classes at my LDS, and have friends who decided to get certified after such an experience. Pretty much it involves breathing from a snorkle, then a regulator with mask and fins in a very shallow depth. After some instruction, you will kick around the shallow end of the pool, then with the instructor, perhaps going to the deep end of pool. Probably the biggest concern is to make sure the student doesn't bolt to the surface while holding his/her breath after breathing compressed air at any depth. Negative experiences that I've seen include feelings of claustrophobia, difficulty in clearing the ears, and panic due to bouyancy and body control problems. The last two are more easily remedied. I hope you and your friends have a good experience.

 

[griffindm]

My LDS offers a periodic scuba 'splash party' at a pool, usually in conjuncture with a regular class, but at another end of the pool, for about the same $$. I took it years ago, and my wife and youngest son took it this year. It was a great opportunity for them to get a taste of scuba and see if they might enjoy doing the full OW class.

 

[StSomewhere]

The impression I got when I was thinking about getting certified was that "Discover Scuba" is more for people who are apprehensive about the experience, i.e. worried about feeling claustrophobic. But it will give them a chance to get the gear on and breathe from a regulator underwater and by then they'll at least know whether its something they want to do or not.

 

[jaycanwk]

I have often wondered why anyone would spend money to take a snorkeling course like SSI snorkeling course or any other agencies equivelent. If your a semi decent swimmer, all you have to do is buy a mask fins and snorkel and jump in...presto... your snorkeling like a pro. That's what I did.

 

[alcina]

We run Discovers all the time and it is a great way for your friends to see if this is something they have any interest in. Usually ours are run with pool sessions followed by two ocean dives...people can do just the pool session or the whole lot - I'd say 95% of the people do the whole lot straight away with the others deciding to do either another pool session or that the whole thing is not for them.

I'm not sure what the two hours of snorkelling is all about, but getting on the part with scuba in the pool will be a good taster. Keep in mind that some people aren't addicted from the pool sessions but then get addicted as soon as they hit the open water. The pool is just to get a taste of the equipment and some very basic skills.

As long as your friends have realistic expectations I think this will be fun. You may find that the shop offers a roll-over...straight onto Open Water so the enthusiasm isn't lost. I'd talk to the instructor who will be teaching and make sure that he/she isn't going to do a hard sell on other courses but that attention is going to be on creating an enjoyable experience.

Have fun!

 

[knotical]

Discover Snorkeling can be a minimalist (but useful) experience if it only covers the basics required by the agency offering it. PADI includes things like equipment adjustment, basic surface skills, exits and entries. Instructors might also include things like equipment selection and care, including peripheral equipment like wetsuits, local environment and hazards, and even learning to surface dive. Ask the LDS what’s included and let them know what you’d like.

 

[jbd]

Hello, all-

I have a couple friends that I think may really enjoy scuba diving, and they have a decent level of intrigue, but aren't ready to commit to a full OW course yet.

What are the experiences from folks on the board with these type of evenings? Clearly it's not to get certified, but just to give a taste. At the same time, without the proper time to get used to equipment & take things step-by-step, some people may find it a bit overwhelming & then take a dislike to the sport.

I realize that this forum is a biased community, as most of us are likely not turned off by the idea of scuba , but perhaps you have friends/family members who have had negative experiences.

Jim

I have done a couple of these(NAUI's version). The idea is to give the ineterested but undecided person a chance to try it in a reasonably safe environment. I had one young person decide in the end that scuba wasn't for him. Much cheaper for the parents to let him try it without taking the whole class etc, etc.

To some extent I have to disagree with jaycanwk, for exactly the problem that influenced the young person mentioned earlier. He had tried diving to the bottom of a swimming pool, 12 to 15 feet deep, and didn't know about equalizing his ears. This ended up causing him alot of pain and scared him, which was a big issue during his Try Scuba Experience. He just couldn't let go of the fear of hurting his ears. If you are going to just swim along the surface while breathing through a snorkle than you probably don't need any training, but as soon as you decide to dive beneath the surface, whether breathhold diving or on scuba, you need to have the appropriate training to prevent injuries.

 

[spectrum]

My wife and I have both done discover dives, in a local pond for different reasons. The end result is that we start OW class in February.

I did mine in August of 2003. Trying SCUBA was something that I wanted to make sure I "did before I died". I loved it as much as I expected and life went on. She wasn't ready and I knew if I took the next step it would be an obsession and we see too little of each other as it is.

This past summer (2004) we got into skindiving bigtime with 91 dives, 50 for her. In the end she decided she was ready and to make sure I had her book her own discover dive so there would be no question what she was getting into. She did fine in late octiober with the water down to 54F.

I think in both of our cases we came away with the same message that we could certainly do this and we realized skill would come with training and practice. Now we're both heading into class with that under our belts and we don't have any hesitiaion like wondering if we're going to freak out the first time etc. It was a conservative approach but it made sense to us.

Pete

 

[spectrum]

I have often wondered why anyone would spend money to take a snorkeling course like SSI snorkeling course or any other agencies equivelent. If your a semi decent swimmer, all you have to do is buy a mask fins and snorkel and jump in...presto... your snorkeling like a pro. That's what I did.

It doesn't come that easy for everyone, trust me. I did it since I was a kid. My wife on the other hand was very sensitive to any water in her mask and just couldn't relax. We took it one step at a time with her this summer with good gear and she was a quick study, now she'll go almost anywhere on the ocean or in fresh water. Some people are more natural than others but I bet anyone would benefit from the critique of a skilled eye. Now we didn't end up paying for a course but that was my next move if I couldn't help her. We signed up for OW class last week, it will be along wait until mid February.

Pete