Howdy and Help !!!!

[domesticdiva]

Howdy....

I need some advice tips and any general information I can get my hands on.....
Here is the situation....
I am planning a surprise trip for my husband. He loves to scuba dive and doesn't get to do it very often. (i know more about a hole in the wall than I know about scuba diving) I am looking to book a trip roughly a week long. For starters WHERE is a good place to go that doesn't feel like your in the next tourist trap. WHEN is the best time to go? Also I would need to get certified. In the past whenever he has gone diving I have been on the beach watching the kids... From my understanding I can get certified once we get there and its a short course type thing which is fine but I don't want to take up tons of time on our vacation to get certified. Would you reccomend me getting certified before going or wait to do it there....

Both Costa Rica and Belize look interesting.... Anything domestic (USA) worth while? I was born and raised in Florida (east coast) but looking for something breathless and memorable.
Any suggestions??? HELP PLEASE!!!!

 

[SouthernSCUBA]

Howdy....

I need some advice tips and any general information I can get my hands on.....
Here is the situation....
Any suggestions??? HELP PLEASE!!!!

Consider Cozumel, great place to hang out not too touristy if you stay away from the cruise ship docks. World class diving.

Get certified before you go. The resort courses teach you the minimum to dive shallow under the very close supervison of an instuctor. Your husband won't enjoy those dives and you can't safely make the dives he will want to go on.

Quality of Resort or Discover SCUBA classes varies significantly in Mexico and can be unsafe. There are also some really great operations and safe operators there!

You will need to devote two long weekends or more to get certified. You don't want to do that on vacation.

 

[radinator]

Welcome!! Any question you have, you can probably find a post about it in the archives, or just ask away and someone will steer you to an answer.

I also advise you to get certified before going. While the "short course type thing" of getting certified there sounds appealing, you really want to take your time and get comfortable in the water - remember you are going agianst millions of years of instinct trying to breath underwater. Taking the time to learn it right will help you be a better diver, for both you and your husband (as his buddy).

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Matt the Aquaman]

Hi There domesticdiva,
Welcome to Scuba Board –One of the most informative and dedicated boards on the net. You can meet a lot of helpful people here and it’s an awesome place to get answers to your questions regarding scuba diving. If you ever want to chat feel free to PM me. Take care and Safe Diving

-Matt- almtree::sunny

Click here to greet a new member!
No experience needed and it feels great!​

 

[Tavi]

Welcome to the Board!!!

 

[Lil' Irish Temper]

Welcome to ScubaBoard

 

[ScubaDoobaDo]

Hi DomesticDiva...
You can do most of the work at home then do the Open Water portion when you get to your dive destination. We did ours in Coz and loved it. It really is getting touristy BUT the diving is awesome! We stayed in Belize (San Pedro) last year and it was great but may suggest staying on one of the atolls as the reefs are healthier. We're now headed to Roatan & Utila... can't wait and we've only heard wonderful things about both... will post trip report when we get back... Have fun, and congrats on your decision to learn to dive! You'll love it.

 

[Marek K]

Hi 'Diva, and welcome!

A resort course is usually hurried (and that's bad), and a waste of time while on vacation (also bad, and that's why it's hurried).

On the other hand, depending where you live, the open-water qualification dives at home may not be much fun for a beginner.

An excellent option to have the best of both worlds is what's called a "referral." You complete all your classroom and pool work at home; you local instructor prepares some referral paperwork for you to take with you; and you then complete your qualification dives at the resort where the diving's probably so much better.

It does take some planning ahead and coordination with the resort instructor. In most cases, the instructor where you complete your qualification dives is the one who actually certifies you and "signs" your qualification. I'm not sure where you do your written test, though.

Down side is, both parts together cost a bit more than doing the course all in one place. But I think it might be worth it.

Oh, and the instructor certainly won't allow your husband along for the certification dives -- at least not as a buddy with you. That's understandable.

**edit** Like ScubaDoobaDoo said.

--Marek

 

[ScubaDoobaDo]

When we did ours 2 years ago, we took all of the written tests at home.. You don't want to have to study on vacation...just dive, dive, dive....

I would really, strongly recommend doing the referral over the resort course, as there is just so much to learn. You will feel MUCH safer.

Enjoy!

 

[Marek K]

When we did ours 2 years ago, we took all of the written tests at home.. You don't want to have to study on vacation...just dive, dive, dive....

Yeah, that's right... when my kid did his OWD last year, that's how they did it. I think part of the referral paperwork that went to the certifying instructor was his test score.

Interesting that it's the certifying instructor at the resort who takes ultimate responsibility for certifying the diver. But I guess seeing how he/she acts in the open water is the most significant thing.

I would really, strongly recommend doing the referral over the resort course, as there is just so much to learn. You will feel MUCH safer.

Enjoy!

Yup!

--mk