Question about Cert Dives in Coz...

[Brules]

I have a quick question, if someone did all their class work and pool work up here int he states, how many dives/how long does it take to get your cert dives out of the way in Coz before you can go diving?

And if the different cert agencies have different schedules, please post.....

My dad promised me 20 years ago he would get certed with me and by golly I entend for him to do it one of these days.....thinking of suprising him with a 4 day trip, but I dont want to spend the whole time of him geting certed.

Help!

PS - he did all the class/pool work many years ago, just never did the checkout dives....not that it matters hehe

 

[TheRedHead]

Two days.

 

[oly5050user]

I have a quick question, if someone did all their class work and pool work up here int he states, how many dives/how long does it take to get your cert dives out of the way in Coz before you can go diving?

And if the different cert agencies have different schedules, please post.....

My dad promised me 20 years ago he would get certed with me and by golly I entend for him to do it one of these days.....thinking of suprising him with a 4 day trip, but I dont want to spend the whole time of him geting certed.

Help!

PS - he did all the class/pool work many years ago, just never did the checkout dives....not that it matters hehe

if he did the academics/confined water years ago he has to do it again..There is a 1 year time frame to complete the ow dives..It would take 2 days to do all 4 dive necessary for certification..But he can do dive 1-2 in the am and go diving with you and the dm(need not be instructor)in the afternoon..just cannot do 4 TRAINING dives in the same day..

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

Do the pool/class work before you go. Then it's 2 days of diving. My wife did her dives there a few weeks ago with Javier at Blue XT Sea who was great.

As far as how many dives does it take until you go diving, her 4 cert dives were mostly fun dives. Sure, there are some skills, but halfway through each dive, she and Javier would show up on the wall above us just looking around and having a great dive. In other words, the cert dives are usually really fun dives too. Have fun!

 

[ggunn]

I am about to give my same old response...

I usually encourage folks not to do their cert dives in the Caribbean; I think it's a good idea to be instructed and checked out in more challenging conditions. Doing so will put Caribbean diving well within your comfort zone instead of at the top of it.

 

[Firerescueguy]

I am about to give my same old response...

I usually encourage folks not to do their cert dives in the Caribbean; I think it's a good idea to be instructed and checked out in more challenging conditions. Doing so will put Caribbean diving well within your comfort zone instead of at the top of it.

I would agree 100%.... I was checked out years ago in the murkiest water the instructors could find and still see me for the required checklist. And, plus after diving in black water it made the Caribbean that much more rewarding. Just my 2 cents I hope it helps.

 

[rje634]

Nothing teaches diving like a cold dark quarry

 

[scubawife]

I am about to give my same old response...

I usually encourage folks not to do their cert dives in the Caribbean; I think it's a good idea to be instructed and checked out in more challenging conditions. Doing so will put Caribbean diving well within your comfort zone instead of at the top of it.

I did my check out dives in the Bahamas with the instructor who did my course at home. It was winter and a front had just come through with another one approaching. The calm day was 3-4 ft seas and strong surge for about the first 5 ft down. The shop he uses there thought he was nuts taking out a student in those conditions. They turned away novice divers the days we were there. It took me 3 days to get my 5 dives in (NAUI). The instructor trains military divers and there is no hand holding or coddling with this guy. His attitude was that if you want you be a diver you'd better get used to diving in anything. You will not always get perfect conditions even on vacation. It was no less then a hellish experience but, to this day I would thank him for not offering more assistence and for making me try again dive after dive. I have had several dive days since where conditions have been less then ideal and the dives have still been great. I will never put myself in danger but at the same time, I don't freak out with rough seas, less then perfect vis, or if I surface in conditions that have deteriorated since the dive began.

My personal feeling is that it's best to do the check out dives in conditions similar to what you plan to dive in. If you know you are only interested in Caribbean diving then by all means, do the dives in the Caribbean.

 

[ggunn]

My personal feeling is that it's best to do the check out dives in conditions similar to what you plan to dive in. If you know you are only interested in Caribbean diving then by all means, do the dives in the Caribbean.

OK, but one never knows, do one? I do most of my diving in Cozumel, but when I was given an opportunity to dive Monterrey Bay, I went for it. Since I was cert'ed in conditions more like Monterrey than Cozumel, I was comfortable. If all I had ever seen was 100' viz and 80+ degree water, I would have not have been.