Doing a PADI Open Water course with an injured knee.

[Andyinbp]

Hope you heal soon; diving with any sort of limitation that causes pain may not be the best idea, especially if you have already felt some panic on your DSD dive. The only thing I'd add to the sound advice above is that the PADI OW certificate does require a non-stop swim and a timed treading water exercise before you start - with no fins. If you find these exercises painful, or if they cause further injury, it may be that you won't be able to continue as planned anyway. To give yourself the best chance to enjoy SCUBA (and your holiday) to the maximum, I'd focus on healing and getting fit again first. How else will you do your victory dance once you pass?


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[UnexpectedDreamer]

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for all the advice.

I also sent a question to DAN, and to be honest I seem to be getting the same answers and advice from everyone.

I will still see what my othopeadic surgeon says, and see a diving physician if it's possible where I live (haven't been able to find anyone here. The only one I have found, I would pay a lot to see, if I have already paid for an expensive OW course here that I don't want to do, where I won't even get a full refund if the doctor says no.)

Unfortunately it looks like my dream of becoming an Open Water diver before the end of the year won't happen.
Hopefully I'll find something else to do with my holiday, but I'm gutted at the moment. But I suppose my health is more important.

Fingers crossed I'll get a chance to do a OW course at a later stage!

 

[freewillie]

If you are unable to certify before vacation all may not be lost. Depending on availability you might inquire if snuba is available at your resort or nearby. My 9 year old son and I tried it while on vacation in Maui. If you are not familiar it is like diving with a regulator and tank but the tank is on a float and stays at the surface of the ocean. You then breath off a regulator just like scuba and get to stay 10-15 feet underwater. It gives you the sensation of diving without having the need for the training. If all else fails then snorkel!

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

As an option while you're waiting to heal is the fact that swimming is amazing rehab. If you're medically cleared to do some light in water exercise it will build your endurance for when you can dive and need to pass swim tests, increase comfort in the water, and rehab the joint.

 

[UnexpectedDreamer]

freewillie: Thanks for the tip! Not sure they do have it though, my plan was to go to Koh Tao and do the OW course there. Think normal snorkelling would be my only option there? I'll look into it, but I'm considering just going elsewhere in South East Asia and stay far away from nice diving places

Dive Right: At the moment I'm not even allowed to put weight on it and absolutely not allowed to do any exercise, as my physio is desperately trying to fix it without surgery. At least 3 more weeks of no weight on the knee, which gives me just under 2 months until I'm going on holiday. So it's not looking good. Hopefully I can go back to somewhere nice and warm and do the course another time (I'm not keen on the ocean diving in Norway, it's too cold for me!)