Question on referrals

[parrottheaddiver]

My wife and I are going to be starting our OW class in 18 days (yes, i do have a countdown clock on my computer for just that purpose ) My question is that we live in southern NJ and the water has already gone cold, guess Mother Nature opted to skip fall this year. We would like to go to Florida to do our certification dives where the water is going to be much warmer than here. Has anyone ever done this and how did it go?

 

[pt40fathoms]

Referrals are done all the time durring the winter months up here in Canada.

We look after all the paperwork, and the dive center in the south (usually in Mexico) will charge for the Open Water Dives.

The cost is higher than doing the complete course with the same shop, and the shop doing the final dives with you may ask for one confined water session in order to assess your skills for the open water.

Check with the local dive shop and see if they know someone, or have a business relationship with a dive shop in Florida. This will greatly simplify things, as the dive shop in Florida will have a better understanding of what to expect.

 

[MontereyCADiver]

Since I live in the backyard of the Monterey Bay, I did not go with a referral; however, many divers have had good results doing so.

My biggest encouragement is to seek a recommendation regarding the instructor. I feel it is critical to have this personal referral because instructors' abilities vary. Just like any other profession, there are good physicians, carpenters, etc. and not-so-good physicians, carpenters, etc.

Remember, you're embarking on a fun journey that could prove fatal if you're not properly trained.

Seeking information and guidance through a forum like this is a great start!

Best regards, Jeff

 

[jbisjim]

This time of year our shop has a lot of requests for referrals. Typically our shop recomends a shop in the "warmer climates" Typically they go smoothly.

 

[verona]

I did a referral when I started out for the same reasons as you and it went well. It is quite common. I would suggest you research operators to do your OW dives with to make sure they have a good reputation and are used to handling referrals