How come Discovery scuba is so expensive in Key Largo?

[The Chairman]

I already signed up for the Creature Feture dive with Capt. Slate for March 12. I look forward to that. Like to get my family snorkeling and figuring out which trip(s) to have them snorkeling.

You're in good hands then.

 

[myalibi]

Just a thought for next year (or the year after)...take them to an AI in the Caribbean to have them certified. Cost hubby and I 370 each for everything, and it was all boat diving, all gear included. Plus you get a great vacation too! If we had done it here in Atlanta, it would have been well over a grand each.

 

[mselenaous]

Torontonian, you and your family will have a blast! Enjoy your trip with Capt Slate. At creature feature your kids (and you) will be mesmerized by the goliath groupers, nurse sharks, turtles and eels at one of my alltime favorite dive sites, City of Washington wreck. Stay safe and don't hesitate to ask questions of the crew. When your kids are ready, that dive will have been their inspiration for pursuing certification. Do post a trip report when you get back home.

 

[DebbyDiver]

And take a camera!!! Even if all you buy is one of those $20 waterproof cameras at the drugstore, you'll regret it if you don't.

 

[Web Monkey]

We live in Toronto. We don't dive in the cold water here. Only when we go to warm vacations would we snorkel/dive. I got the 2 boys doing Discovery scuba before to get them interested. They have lots more time in their future to do their own vacation and certification if they like it. At this time, the dad doesn't have unlimited budget.

The St. Lawrence, Great Lakes, and Lake Champlain have some of the best diving in the world, less than a tank of gas from your home, and Caribbean DMs just about drool when I tell them that I regularly dive on wrecks from the 1800s, and that some locations are so clean that the water is drinkable.

My suggestion would be to save the money from your trip, wait until next July, get them a nice long, local OW class with checkout dives in the St. Lawrence. The water should be in the high 70's by then. Before the water starts cooling down, your kids can do more local diving than they'll get in decades of "Discover SCUBA"

And once they get their own equipment, a local dive costs the price of an air-fill (generally in the $6-$12 range for air).

Terry

 

[Torontonian]

Just a thought for next year (or the year after)...take them to an AI in the Caribbean to have them certified. Cost hubby and I 370 each for everything, and it was all boat diving, all gear included. Plus you get a great vacation too! If we had done it here in Atlanta, it would have been well over a grand each.

I used to have very bad eye sight. In 2001, my company started to cover for lasik, so I got it. Then in 2003, my wife and I went for a chance special AI vacation at Beaches Ocho Rios. At Beaches the scuba diving is included, so I tried it. I liked it so much I got certified then. After that, I take a warm water vacation every year to keep up diving. Now Sandal/Beaches charge $75 for the scuba lesson, but still include diving.

This year is a special vacation. My eldest son will be going to university this Fall. I keep on hearing kids begin to have their own agenda and it'll be difficult to plan family vacations with eveyone together. So at least we are taking this vacation, all together, this March.

I like cruising, better than AI land resort vacation. Because we get to see different ports, learn much more about different places, different culture/history, etc. But if we do take an AI land vacation, then that'll be a good time for scuba certification.

 

[Torontonian]

And take a camera!!! Even if all you buy is one of those $20 waterproof cameras at the drugstore, you'll regret it if you don't.

I'll be taking my MX10. Good diving digital cameras cost a lot, so I'm saving up for that.

 

[Torontonian]

The St. Lawrence, Great Lakes, and Lake Champlain have some of the best diving in the world, less than a tank of gas from your home, and Caribbean DMs just about drool when I tell them that I regularly dive on wrecks from the 1800s, and that some locations are so clean that the water is drinkable.

My suggestion would be to save the money from your trip, wait until next July, get them a nice long, local OW class with checkout dives in the St. Lawrence. The water should be in the high 70's by then. Before the water starts cooling down, your kids can do more local diving than they'll get in decades of "Discover SCUBA"

And once they get their own equipment, a local dive costs the price of an air-fill (generally in the $6-$12 range for air).

Terry

I really don't like the cold weather. I also catch a cold easily if I'm not kept warm. When I was at Catalina Island in Aug. diving, which required 7mm, I got cold at the SI. I had to go into the sun (rather than shade) to change, and wrap a towel around me.

So St. Lawrence has good diving. At a Toronto dive shop, they guy told me about diving in Lake Ont. In the heat of the summer, one needs to wear 6-7mm inside and outside (i.e. 14 mm in total) or dry suit. Wear 30+ lb of weight. Get to a thermocline at 30', and when you get to 60' it's dark, muddy, low viz, hardly see any fish, but may see sponges. Although many people kept saying Ocho Rios has poor diving, Ocho Rios sounds many times better than Lake Ontario.

 

[HowardE]

I'm taking my family to Key Largo in mid-March, before we go on a W. Caribbean cruise in FLL. I'm going to dive, and my wife and 3 kids (2 boys 17 and 15, and girl 12) to snorkel. My 2 boys are good swimmers and had done 2-tank Discovery scuba 1.5 yr ago in Taiwan. They did well (I was with them) and quite enjoyed.

In the Caribbean port stops, I've seen Discovery scuba at $75, and at most $125. I was going to have my 2 boys try the Discovery scuba again, but was shocked to find the rates in Key Largo at $150 or more. Why is the rate in Key Largo so high? Or maybe I didn't check enoug ops.

Unless I can find better rates in Key Largo, we'll wait and have my boys scuba again during Caribbean port stop(s).

Why don't you dive in Fort Lauderdale?

 

[grf88]

So St. Lawrence has good diving. At a Toronto dive shop, they guy told me about diving in Lake Ont. In the heat of the summer, one needs to wear 6-7mm inside and outside (i.e. 14 mm in total) or dry suit. Wear 30+ lb of weight. Get to a thermocline at 30', and when you get to 60' it's dark, muddy, low viz, hardly see any fish, but may see sponges. Although many people kept saying Ocho Rios has poor diving, Ocho Rios sounds many times better than Lake Ontario.

Yes it is cold and you will not see too many fish and none of them are brightly coloured but you will see things that you can see in very few other places outside the Great Lakes.

ScubaQ Kingston

Maybe think of joining a local dive club and training you kids that way. I am a member of Canadian Sub Aqua if you want more information just PM me.

I regularly dive the wrecks just off Toronto.

Glenn