In which country/place should I get my OW certification?

[Mike.D]

Why leave Australia? Still one of the best trips we've made in the eight years I've been diving was to Byron Bay. The water was 75 degrees, and I was totally comfortable in a 5 mil suit (and I get cold easily, and HATE being cold). The variety of sea life was astonishing, and the diving was actually pretty darned easy. The town is lovely, and there is a wide variety of places to stay, at various price points.

But of course, I have to offer my own experience . . . when I reluctantly agreed to learn to dive, I told my husband I would do the classroom and pool work in Seattle, but he had to take me to my in-laws' place in Maui to do the dives, because there was no way I was EVER setting foot in Puget Sound. It was too danged cold! (The Sound ranges from a high of about 12C to a low of about 8.) But I ended up liking my instructors and my classmates, and they twisted my arms and MADE me do my open water dives in the Sound. It was the best thing that ever happened to me! It turns out you can stay very comfortably warm in cold water in a dry suit with the right undergarments, and the richness of life in our local waters has kept me happily occupied for the last eight years.

Don't give up on diving locally. It just takes the right gear.

Totally agree with you. Plus Byrons accomodation is quite cheap as they get alot of backpackers.
The diving there has to be one of the most diverse and AWESOME on the east coast (apart from GBR).
If you intend on making a road trip out of it (save $$ on flights) theres great diving along the whole east coast that you could take advantage of such as Forster, South West Rocks, Nelson Bay, Broughton Island, Terrigal and Jervis bay to name a few in NSW.
Plus you could get away with a 5mm wetty (maybe a shorty underneath) during winter.
I'd save an overseas diving holiday for after you have been certified so you don't have to spend valuable holiday time in a pool as oppose to over a reef/wreck. Just my two cents worth.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Damselfish]

I was also wondering why you don't consider starting in Australia, just head further north like to Cairns if you want warmer water. You might want to mention your overall budget, not just for flights, as it's the bottom line that really matters. It's common enough to find places that are expensive to fly to and inexpensive once you get there - and vice versa.

As far as being sensitive to cold - if you've never used a wetsuit or drysuit, you may not realize how warm they keep you. Everyone needs to stay warm while diving, it just varies from person to person what they need to wear even in the same conditions. If you're cold, you're not wearing the right thing, and/or it doesn't fit properly. I admit I no longer dive my cold local waters (which I think may be similar temps to yours, with the seasons reversed of course.) But that is due to lots of factors and has nothing to do with being cold.

 

[Mike.D]

I was also wondering why you don't consider starting in Australia, just head further north like to Cairns if you want warmer water. You might want to mention your overall budget, not just for flights, as it's the bottom line that really matters. It's common enough to find places that are expensive to fly to and inexpensive once you get there - and vice versa.

As far as being sensitive to cold - if you've never used a wetsuit or drysuit, you may not realize how warm they keep you. Everyone needs to stay warm while diving, it just varies from person to person what they need to wear even in the same conditions. If you're cold, you're not wearing the right thing, and/or it doesn't fit properly. I admit I no longer dive my cold local waters (which I think may be similar temps to yours, with the seasons reversed of course.) But that is due to lots of factors and has nothing to do with being cold.

Diving in Cairns would probably be just as expensive as a week of diving in thailand. Including airfares!!!

 

[cbm32]

Hopefully no one takes this as tooooo offensive, but I dont get the campaign to convince someone they have to dive in their own back yard if they have considered it and rejected it. I spend about 8 months a year in Southern California but have yet to do a dive here. I have dove HI, St Thomas, Coz, and several areas in Fiji.....but not ONE dive in SoCal. I am an adult and I dive where I want to dive. I probably will try the diving here at some point, but only when I decide that I want to do so and not when, or because, a bunch of people decided to ignore my question and tell me what I had already indicated I didnt want to hear.

Let the OP go someplace warm and get her cert and learn to love diving. Later they may decide that they love it so much they cant wait to be able to afford to go someplace else to dive and then they may just learn to love their more local diving.

Heck I love love love diving Fiji, but I when someone asks where in the caribbean they should go dive I dont jump in and tell them Fiji. Where in South American should I dive??? Well Fiji or the Philippines or Catalina Island isnt really a helpful answer to that question is it? All great places to dive but NOT what was asked about.

 

[mayur]

Don't let cold water deter you away. I hate the cold. Live in California, but decided to do the open water piece right here in Monterey. On a good day (like when I had my OWD), the water temperature was 50*F or about 10*C. I was wearing a farmer johns, and a shortie, but 6.5mm, along with hood, gloves and 6.5mm booties. The only time I could feel that the water was cold was when we entered the water (on the feet for about 10 seconds), on the face when they ask us to remove the mask and just dunk our heads, and a little when we did the mask removal piece. Other than that, it was not cold at all. Though having so much gear on did make moving around a bit difficult than with just a thin wetsuit (from what I've heard). Saw good sea life (Octopus, nudi branch, lots of fish, lots of starfish) and even had a seal play with us for about 10 minutes.

 

[Mike.D]

Hopefully no one takes this as tooooo offensive, but I dont get the campaign to convince someone they have to dive in their own back yard if they have considered it and rejected it. I spend about 8 months a year in Southern California but have yet to do a dive here. I have dove HI, St Thomas, Coz, and several areas in Fiji.....but not ONE dive in SoCal. I am an adult and I dive where I want to dive. I probably will try the diving here at some point, but only when I decide that I want to do so and not when, or because, a bunch of people decided to ignore my question and tell me what I had already indicated I didnt want to hear.

Let the OP go someplace warm and get her cert and learn to love diving. Later they may decide that they love it so much they cant wait to be able to afford to go someplace else to dive and then they may just learn to love their more local diving.

Heck I love love love diving Fiji, but I when someone asks where in the caribbean they should go dive I dont jump in and tell them Fiji. Where in South American should I dive??? Well Fiji or the Philippines or Catalina Island isnt really a helpful answer to that question is it? All great places to dive but NOT what was asked about.

Australia is a huge country with lots of different types of diving, from cold adelaide up to tropical queensland. She never asked specifically about diving overseas. So it IS what she asked about. Maybe read her question again?

 

[teknofly]

Personally I've done all my courses in Perth and by November it's been off with the wetsuit and into the water on the surface interval. Out of Perth most of the OW courses are completed out at Rottnest which offers reasonable diving.

I know quite a few friends who ventured up to Bali to do their courses and have sung the praises of the operations up there. I can recommend Aquamarine Diving in terms of service and quality of instructor (based on feedback from friends and using them for a couple of dives). Absolute Scuba (based in Padang Bai) were great when we stayed with them. They also offer accommodation and have their own pool in Padang Bai which is in a nice laid back location with a great local vibe.

I'm looking forward to getting over to South Australia and hitting up Mt Gambier!

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

 

[cbm32]

I read her question and re-read it as well. She specifically asked what country she should do her cert in and then indicated she lived in Australia which she deems too cold. When one asks me what country to do something in, my natural assumption is that they do NOT intend to do it in the country in which they live. If that was an option the question should simply be "where" should I do it, not in what country. I really think is was pretty clear that the OP was set on going outside of Australia.

But the OP can certainly clear that up.

 

[Mike.D]

The title is what country/PLACE..... Whatever mate. At least provide some advice instead of putting down what other people have SUGGESTED.

 

[TSandM]

The OP asked what country she should do her certification in because the water in Australia is too cold.

My answer had two parts: One to say that there are places in Australia where the water is not as cold as where she lives, and where a student preferring warm water could be quite comfortable, and the other to say that her fear of the cold water may be misplaced. If people had not said that to me, I would never have tried Puget Sound, and I certainly would not be the diver I am today. (And by the way, I think it's EXTREMELY sad that someone would be a certified diver in a place I think is one of the most amazing in the world, and never have seen what their own home water has to offer.)