Open Water Certification

[FreshAirCure]

I am currently enrolled in a PADI Open Water Certification course offered by my University & local dive shop, but I will be unable to to take the trip to the Florida caves to complete my open water certification.
I will however be on the Northwest Coast (WA, OR, NorCA, & B.C.) a few weeks after my course is completed (in May) and am interested in finishing my certification there. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where would be the best area & dive shop for this? Thanks!

 

[grantwiscour]

It sounds like you might be wanting a PADI referral for the Check Out dives. I'll defer to someone that knows more about PADI. You should talk to your instructor also.

 

[Islandheart]

Yes, a Referral is what you want. Most likely your group is going to the Florida Springs and not caves.....

I'm sure one of the Northwest Instructors will jump in soon and fix you up.

 

[k ellis]

If its a padi course go to www.padi.com and tey have a link that will show you a map and list of dive shops padi affiliated all over the country along with contact information.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

I was hoping Lynn or Bob might chime in by now, since they dive in the Northwest.

The concern I would have is that the water is cold, and I think dry suits are the norm. If you have not used a dry suit, there are hazards/issues/problems you may be unaware of. If your training has been in a pool in a swimsuit, or even a wetsuit, you may not be prepared for an open water experience in the northwest.

As far as can you get a referral to finish elsewhere, most agencies offer such a practice. The normal use of them is for folks who vacation to warm water and finish up there.

Hopefully some of the Northwest gang will come along soon!

 

[FreshAirCure]

Thanks. I plan to talk to one of my instructors, but I just realized I won't be able to make the trip with the class. Thusfar, my training has been in a pool with only a swimsuit needed. I have used a wetsuit for surfing in cooler water temperatures, but obviously not yet for diving. I have had zero experience with dry suits. The climate is a concern of mine and that's why I thought I might get some advice from someone in the Northwest area.

& I assumed cave could be used interchangeably with cavern, but yes, the trip is to Devil's Den & Blue Grotto caverns : ) pardon the error.

Thanks for the assistance!

 

[TracysaCADiver]

If you come to NorCal, a lot of the check out dives are done in Monterey. There's a dive shop right at Breakwater Beach that should be able to help you with your needs if you go there. I believe it's called Glenn's Aquarius. Google is your friend here. Look up "Scuba Diving Monterey."

 

[LowDrag]

I am in Portland Oregon. Most shops around here go to Hoodsport on the Puget Sound in northwestern Washington. Last month when I went up for my OW dives the water temp was 38° with an ambient air temp of about 33° - 36°. I was very cold for my dives where I had exposed skin but inside was warm after moving around. My buddy and his girlfriend went back up there this last weekend and he reported that water temp was the same but the air temp was 55°. He said some people in wet suits were saying they were sweating in their 7 mil F/J wet suits. Many people dive dry up here but there are some that swear by wet suits. Just depends on how you do with colder temp's. For accommodations there is Sunrise or the Yellow House (I think that is what is called) there is a dive shop that could possibly help you out with info on Hoodsport. Their link is listed below.

Good luck on your check out dives.


http://www.hoodsportndive.com/

 

[TSandM]

Most of our students wear bathing suits in the pool, and go to 7 mm wetsuits with 7 mm core warmers for the open water dives. It's quite a dramatic transition, but most people cope with it reasonably well.

Water temperatures here are in the mid 40's, and won't change much until June or so. But Seattle area instructors are quite used to the thermal issues of OW dives, and we have a lot of strategies to help students avoid getting too cold to dive.

Seattle is a good place to consider, if you are thinking of a West Coast referral, because weather very, very rarely leaves us unable to hold OW dives -- and as Spring approaches, that gets even more unlikely. Our waters are very sheltered, and even in high winds, there are generally places one can dive. This is quite different from the California coast, which can easily get weathered out if there are offshore storms producing high waves.

Where exactly do you think you might end up? Even the Seattle area alone is quite large, and who you might consider as an instructor really depends on where you are, because drives from one end of Puget Sound to another can be several hours at the wrong time of day.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Thanks Lynn - I was hoping you and Bob would share your vast knowledge of local challanges!