Never Been Diving...How Do I Start?

[Don Burke]

Thanks again for the many helpful replies!

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. If you're asking whether we're taking our vacation with divers, the answer is no. We're traveling as a couple, and will not be with a tour or group of any kind. We plan to hire nature guides and such along the way. We are, obviously, not planning on diving alone -- my thought was that we'd do some sort of training, then go out with someone who can rent us gear and tell us what to do.

If you have your open water certification, the guide will not need to be a divemaster.

I'm willing to consider learning here if that's what is best. I'm sure that Monterey Bay, which is nearby, would be a great place to learn if one had the right instructor. But it would be a very big decision for us because of the expense -- I don't think we plan to dive enough on vacation for it to actually save us money, as we only plan to dive in about 4 places. It looks as though most places around here are about $275 per person including books, and I'd definitely need to save up to afford that. If we decided to go ahead and take the course here, would there be lots of hidden costs for gear? And how much help would we need during diving after finishing the course?

Every resort course I know about is not valid after the diver leaves the resort. That means you have to start over at each place. At the fifty dollars or so for a resort course, that could add up pretty quickly.

The cost for a divemaster/guide (or a divemaster and a guide) instead of just a guide needs to be considered.

The hidden costs for equipment vary widely. Some shops include everything except boat rides in their price. Some beat you up on rentals. Ask first.

Being certified may give you more options on which shop you deal with since you can go through a shop that does not offer a resort course. You may save a bit that way.

How much help you are going to need when certified depends mainly on the site. I have sites here in Virginia that I will send nearly anyone down to. There are others where I want some idea of what you can handle. Every place I have been has some version of that variety due to current, temperature, visibility, boat traffic, and things like that. If you practice until you get very good at setting up your gear before you leave for your trip, you will be well ahead of most passport divers.

I would go OW, get in as much practice before the trip as I could, and dive within the OW limits on the trip.

On the trip, make the decision about whether to take AOW when you get home.

 

[alijtaylor]

I think if you posted a question that asked how many people had done a resort course or 'resort dive' or 'try dive' as their first experience of scuba and how was it? You might get some interesting responses. It was great for me and got me interested - admittedly it took ten years but that made me want to do it. I don't know from your post whether you are seeking to spend a week diving lots (do the full course) or just see the underwater world once or twice.

Yes it is better to do a full course, ideally AOW and probably Rescue as well, but if you want to get underwater and find out if it is for you I and can only afford the resort course then I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.

But I would not book it ahead. I would want to walk into those places, do they look like they are struggling or well maintained, talk to the staff, ask about their certification, look at the gear, and ask around a bit.

All the best.

 

[Seabear70]

I think if you posted a question that asked how many people had done a resort course or 'resort dive' or 'try dive' as their first experience of scuba and how was it? You might get some interesting responses. It was great for me and got me interested - admittedly it took ten years but that made me want to do it. I don't know from your post whether you are seeking to spend a week diving lots (do the full course) or just see the underwater world once or twice.

Yes it is better to do a full course, ideally AOW and probably Rescue as well, but if you want to get underwater and find out if it is for you I and can only afford the resort course then I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.

But I would not book it ahead. I would want to walk into those places, do they look like they are struggling or well maintained, talk to the staff, ask about their certification, look at the gear, and ask around a bit.

All the best.

My first dive consisted of the instructions, do not hold your breath and follow me.

I am lucky to be alive today.

Since then I have taken Naui's courses up through Master Diver, Commercial Dive training, Nuclear Dive training, Hazmat diving, Explosive Environment Diving, Confined Space Diving, Advanced Offshore Survival Training, (Don't look on Naui.org, they are not there) and what else.....

Oh, yeah... Underwater Photography.

Due to a Minor Mishap involving my ex, I didn't take the dive medic trainingg, I really wish I had.

 

[Tampabay]

If you are going on a trip and don't have enough money to take a course that will allow you to become a better Diver...At this time...I would wait and just go snorling for now and take the course the right way and at your ability..O

 

[Tampabay]

If you are going on a trip and don't have enough money to take a course that will allow you to become a better Diver...At this time...I would wait and just go snorkling for now and take the course the right way and at your ability..Once you return....Just my 2cents...

 

[sleepyhead]

I think Kat was looking at the ads and she was 'misled' by the prices. If i'm not wrong, resort courses $50 would be for discover scuba. I saw it here in resorts in australia.

The prices seem right. You can't take the program anywhere and it's not valid after 2 weeks i think, she noted that she saw something for $300 maybe it was for OW.

I think we should all encourage Kat and her other half to go check it out first. She should go look at the diving classes in action before deciding on entering a full scale OW class.

Lots of people don't see the fun when they see the dragging of the enormous weight on the shoulders the first time. The fun comes after the certification and u do some nice dives to see the fishes. So let's ask her to check it out..

 

[matt_unique]

I think if you posted a question that asked how many people had done a resort course or 'resort dive' or 'try dive' as their first experience of scuba and how was it? You might get some interesting responses. It was great for me and got me interested - admittedly it took ten years but that made me want to do it. I don't know from your post whether you are seeking to spend a week diving lots (do the full course) or just see the underwater world once or twice.

Yes it is better to do a full course, ideally AOW and probably Rescue as well, but if you want to get underwater and find out if it is for you I and can only afford the resort course then I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.

But I would not book it ahead. I would want to walk into those places, do they look like they are struggling or well maintained, talk to the staff, ask about their certification, look at the gear, and ask around a bit.

All the best.

Ditto for me...my first dive ever was through a resort course with a good instructor. He was extremely attentive and made it a great experience. I was totally hooked from that day forward. With a good instructor a resort course can be a great experience. I have friends who had resort courses that were a nightmare.

If you choose to dive in Coco, Terry at Deep Blue Diving Adventures will do a great job.

--Matt

 

[Blackhawk9898]

Since neither of my parents go diviing and i dont have that many friends who go diving i usually just tag along with my instructors other classes.

 

[Web Monkey]

The resort course won't get you anything at all once you leave the resort. I'd suggest getting all the training and practice you can, get a normal Open Water certification and skip the resort course.

The cost of the course is probably one of the least expensive items you'll be paying for, since you'll either need to buy or rent equipment, pay for air-fills and boat trips (if you're doing boat diving).

Terry

Oops, sorry, I wasn't being clear. We're not going to a resort -- we'll be traveling independently through both countries, mostly by bus, and staying in small places. We're budget travelers. A number of the dive shops/instructors have a "resort course" listed on their pricelists, and it's much cheaper than certification. At one place, for example, Open Water certification is $300 while the resort course is $50. The OW cert takes a few days, while the resort course is a one-day thing. I'm wondering about whether the resort course is enough, and what I'll get from certification that I can't get from the resort course.

 

[mstudley]

The resort course will let you get the feel of SCUBA and help you to decide whether or not you want to continue but don't think that you are OK to go OW diving with only that class.

Diving takes money, time and dedication if you want to do things right (I don't mean DIR here) and therefore safe.

My advice would be to enjoy your vacation without the diving (snorkel maybe?) and come back to SCUBA when you have the resources. Take the resort course while you are out there for fun, but don't think of it as training in any sense. I don't want to discourage you from diving but I do want to emphasize the importance of proper training before jumping in.