Need advice - Get OW cert now or wait?

[oreocookie]

I'll try to explain this as best I can so I can get some advice more quickly and hopefully get closer to a decision by writing all this out. (hopefully I won't confuse myself in the process )

I'm planning on taking an OW class with a friend of mine and we're looking at a class that starts June 9 (it's a 6 week class, which we both prefered over the 1 weekend courses that seem to be more commonly available around here, at least in English). We've looked at a couple of shops that are closest to us that offer courses in English and found something that would work for us, though if anybody knows of any independent instructors around here, I'd be open to looking into that option.

We're both college students and I have a limited amount that I can spend (while I have enough for the course and personal gear, a successful summer-job search will make this a non-issue) so I don't want to be wasting money if it would be better spent at a later date (possibly next summer). I say this because I don't know how much diving I'll be able to do after I get certified in mid July. Diving locally is possible until about the end of september unless you've got a dry suit, which I won't have nor will I know how to use one. The school year kinda rules out trips except possibly during Christmas or Spring breaks, so it's very possible that I may find myself at the beginning of next summer with 10 (or less) dives under my belt including the check out dives.

I've wanted to learn to dive for a while now and considered it briefly last summer, though ended up settling for a Discover Scuba in August (which got my friend hooked) and I'm looking forward to finally taking the course and blowing some bubbles in a lake nearby. I just don't want to spend the money and find out I'm not going to have the chance to do any diving for who knows how long.

So here's the question: Should I get the cert now and try to dive as often as possible (and as I can afford rental gear) this summer or should I wait until I know I'll be able to dive more often?

 

[spectrum]

So here's the question: Should I get the cert now and try to dive as often as possible (and as I can afford rental gear) this summer or should I wait until I know I'll be able to dive more often?

If you honestly believe that you can afford to dive monthly in the tolerable months then I say go for it. That's a whole lot better than waiting until life gets in the way and you're 48 years old.

Do some reference checking but the 6 week course is HIGHLY PREFERABLE to a weekend affair. Even if it is 2 days that add up to the same hours as the weekly sessions the time between classes will allow you to visualize and process the experience. Also doing it right in 2 days will be exhausting or slipshod easy. Since the open water dives alone require 2 days I assume they will follow in either scenario.

Pete

 

[H2Andy]

i would say get certified ASAP and try to dive as often as possible

if you put it off, that's time lost doing nothing, whereas you could be learning and reading and thinking about what you've learned between dives

 

[don Francisco]

Oreo- Carpe Diem. There will always be a million and one reasons to put off the course. And trying to second guess the future is impossible. Take the course now. At the very least it'll create opportunities to dive. If you end up not diving until next year, what have you lost? Worst case scenario, you'll take a refresher when you're ready to dive. If you don't take the course now when you have the time & something opens up, it'll be a sad case of coulda, shoulda, woulda. Good luck dF

 

[Sas]

I think you should take the course as soon as you can And just dive whenever you can even if you have to have a break during the colder months (there are always refresher courses to help you catch up). If you can only do 10 dives this year then there are always many years after that to make up for it.

I am fairly biased though as I had to wait nearly three years after diving first to get certified due to lack of finances, so find it a shame if other people have to as well. Now I go every weekend

Anyway, good luck with your diving, it is well worth getting certified. Let us know how it goes.

 

[ucfdiver]

I'm a college student too, and I'd say go for it. Actually a large portion of the people I dive with are from my college.

 

[oreocookie]

Thanks for the input, guys. It's occured to me that I did pose the question to a what is quite likely a biased group but the responses did make me think that if I don't do it now, there's a likelihood that I'm going to be asking myself the same question next summer, and that at some point I'd probably end up in Hawaii or the Caribean or some similar place with lots of dives ops without a c-card in my wallet and I'd be stuck going snorkeling with a leaky mask in the general vicinity of careless people who pay no attention to where they've just been or where their fins are about to go (directly into somebody else's face)... yeah, I think I'll be getting certified pretty soon... hopefully there'll still be spots left in the class we want.

I've just done a little poking around online and found that at certain times (twice a week) there are times reserved for diving in a pool about 50ft deep at the Olympic sports complex here, where they'll rent you gear for $8 more than the pool entry price... should be good during the winter months

 

[RJP]

I faced the same decision when I was in college. I put it off. I got certified 2 years ago, which was EIGHTEEN YEARS after college!

 

[mig_diver]

Do it NOW!

 

[shark girl]

Dive! Dive! As Saspotato says, you can always do a refresher course if you have been out of the water for a while, they're usually inexpensive and help you get used to everyhing again. My own diving has been rather sporadic over the last couple of years (mainly holidays), I'm only just in a position where I am starting to build up some gear and joining a dive club. I've found that even when I haven't been in the water for 9 months, re-reading my manual followed by a bit of practice sorts me out fairly quickly. Have never had my buoyancy revert back to new-diver state- in that way it's a bit like riding a bike. I don't think you'll lose anything by taking OW now- you've got a good couple of months to dive ahead of you, you can make the most of any trips that come your way and can jump in the water again as soon as it warms up next year!