Drysuit certification course vs. familiarization course?

[Paco II]

So I just bought a new drysuit. I've never dived with a drysuit before, so I am planning to take a course with my LDS. They offer two options: An actual cert for about $140, or a 'familiarization' course for $75. They are really pushing the certification course, telling me that without the certification, I would never be able to rent a drysuit from any shop. I would love people's opinion on whether or not they think the cert course is worth the extra $65, or just do the familiarization course?

P.S. I hope I put this thread into the right forum. If not, I hope a Mod will correct that. TIA!

 

[noreastDIVER84]

I would go for the full course. It is a brief class that is informative and will get you some supervised time in the water with the drysuit.

 

[Scott]

So I just bought a new drysuit.

I would never be able to rent a drysuit from any shop.

I'm not sure what is in a 'familiarization' course, did they tell you what the differences betwen the two are?
To me a dry suit is one of the courses that can provide some value. Like every course it will depend on what addtional skill or material the instructor adds.

 

[fisheater]

Most places "throw in" the cert. course when you buy a new drysuit.

 

[Peter Guy]

One of the very few times I've actually ever had to use a cert card for something was my Drysuit Cert Card. My wife had blown out her neck seal while on a trip and the shop wouldn't rent her a suit because she didn't have a card (merely 500+ dry suit dives!). I did have a card so they rented a small suit to me that just happened to fit her perfectly!

 

[flots am]

So I just bought a new drysuit. I've never dived with a drysuit before, so I am planning to take a course with my LDS. They offer two options: An actual cert for about $140, or a 'familiarization' course for $75. They are really pushing the certification course, telling me that without the certification, I would never be able to rent a drysuit from any shop. I would love people's opinion on whether or not they think the cert course is worth the extra $65, or just do the familiarization course?

P.S. I hope I put this thread into the right forum. If not, I hope a Mod will correct that. TIA!

Tell the shop owner that you just spent $2,000 (or whatever) on a drysuit and you expect the full class and the card for $75. This would cover the cost of the c-card and book and a few bucks extra.

Most shops I'm aware of are more than happy to toss in a drysuit class for cheap or free, considering that dry-suits are very expensive.

flots.

 

[spectrum]

Tell the shop owner that you just spent $2,000 (or whatever) on a drysuit and you expect the full class and the card for $75. This would cover the cost of the c-card and book and a few bucks extra.

That's where I was going to go....

If you can't get them to include the full cert as part of the deal then push for the upgrade.

Pete

 

[Paco II]

Great replies. I hadn't even thought about pushing for a freebie or free upgrade. Is that fairly common when making a large purchase like a drysuit?

Consensus seems to be to go for the full cert. If I can get a discount, that will make that decision that much easier :cool2:

And to answer Scott's question, from what they told me, the familiarization course includes one dive instead of two, and does not include the theory aspects of drysuits/drysuit diving. My big hesitation has been that I consider some of these 'certifications' to be somewhat silly, and that it is simply a way for the LDS's to make money.

 

[fisheater]

Like I posted, it's common that the LDS will throw in the cert. class for free when you purchase a new drysuit. That's a major purchase and the out-of-pocket cost to the LDS is pretty small for the cert.

For sure, you should push for, at a minimum, getting the full cert. for the price of the "familiarization."

I just noticed that you're from S.F. Feel free to PM the name of the LDS that's trying to charge full bore for a DS class when you're buying the DS from them.

 

[noreastDIVER84]

My LDS threw in the cert class when I bought my drysuit. I had already been in the water with a drysuit and they knew I was capable of it. They told me to do the reading, get in the pool and practice the scenarios (feet up ascent, disconnect inflator hose, etc). I did this, and was going on a trip the next day with them, I was supposed to do an open water dive with them, but they got there late and I had been in the water already with my DM buddy. They got in the water with me later and signed off on the cert. It was the quickest and easiest class I had done. Although I had already had some drysuit experience.