Moving to Gulf side of Florida - recertification?

[torie883]

Hi,

I am new here and moving to the Gulf side of Florida. I was certified over 15 years ago in Washington state and wondered if I have to take the entire class over again or if there is a recertification class I could take. I don't remember much either. Also I think I am going to the Naples/Ft. Myers area and wondered how do you find the best instructor/deals? Thanks in advance.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Certification is for life. However, those who have not been in the water for a while are well advised to take a refresher course, at the very least. After 15 years, I would give some serious consideration to just how much I really remember. After that self-evaluation, I'd decide between a refresher course or retaking the OW certification.

 

[under water]

If you were certified once, then you are certified always. However, it is always a good idea if you have not dived in a while to take a refresher course. Most dive shops will offer these.
There is a forum here dedicated to Florida, a request in there will get you a reference to a good dive shop near Naples / Ft Myers.

Florida Conch Divers

 

[firefighteru7]

HI, i live by the gulf too, i live in naples. you could always take a refresher with a local dive shop, there are 3 in naples, scuba adventures, scuba outfitters, and scuba marco. only scuba marco has their own dive boat. the water here usually runs only 35-45 feet deep, but close to 75 feet if u go out to the towers in the gulf. there are lots of wrecks & artificial reefs here, but not any natural coral, its still fun though since u can be down longer and see a ton of sea life...

- heath

 

[oly5050user]

As others have said a certification is good for life..BUT being that you have not been diving for 15 years the smart thing to do is to take the course over. You probably have very few dives after your inital certification and never did any continue education classes such as advance or rescue. Resort areas like Cayman islands want a refresher if you have not dove in 2 years.If you have not dove in 10 years or more they want you to take the complete ow course over..