Recommendations for a new diver?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My 18 year old nephew would like to get certified for scuba, and is thinking about taking his first dive trip over Christmas break. He tried it once at a resort and loved his one and only test dive. Can anyone recommend a good choice for a beginner's first dive vacation? I think Hawaii would be pretty chilly and possibly choppy that time of year, but what about Roatan, or the Florida Keys, or? I'm a diver and am excited to take him somewhere, but don't want to make his first trip a bad experience - so I'd appreciate any suggestions!

Sometimes people get certified first (my recommendation) or get certified while on vacation (looks like your nephew's preference).
Would your nephew consider south Florida? Say Ft. Lauderdale? Many of us would highly recommend 5-Star SCUBA Dive & Snorkeling - Get Certified, Sidemount, and Technical Diving - run by Ryan Custureri and @LandonL.

He could continue afterwards towards the Florida Keys.

I would recommend finding a place with quality instruction (neutrally buoyant and trimmed during the ENTIRE course, finning, situational awareness, etc.). It is hard to top Ryan's results with open water students.

I guess it comes down to does your nephew want to just go diving or be a diver?

 

[tallomd]

The Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach Florida attracts divers from all over the world. It is the most fun anyone can have in 20 feet of water. Perfect for a beginner.

 

[karinzahorik]

Sometimes people get certified first (my recommendation) or get certified while on vacation (looks like your nephew's preference).
Would your nephew consider south Florida? Say Ft. Lauderdale? Many of us would highly recommend 5-Star SCUBA Dive & Snorkeling - Get Certified, Sidemount, and Technical Diving - run by Ryan Custureri and @LandonL.

He could continue afterwards towards the Florida Keys.

I would recommend finding a place with quality instruction (neutrally buoyant and trimmed during the ENTIRE course, finning, situational awareness, etc.). It is hard to top Ryan's results with open water students.

I guess it comes down to does your nephew want to just go diving or be a diver?

Thanks for the ideas - I really appreciate that. I had considered taking him to Florida, but I've never been diving there and wasn't sure what it was like. How would it be in December or January?

 

[karinzahorik]

The Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach Florida attracts divers from all over the world. It is the most fun anyone can have in 20 feet of water. Perfect for a beginner.

Thanks! I've never been to Florida, and don't know about The Blue Heron Bridge. If I took my beginner nephew diver there, could I find any good place to dive? I've been diving a long time, but am ok to go somewhere easy, for my nephew...

 

[karinzahorik]

Ft Lauderdale area. At time of the year, we have great weather in South Florida. The currents are not really strong and it’s a great place to enjoy beautiful divies, great visibility and amazing sites. You can beach dive at Lauderdale by the sea or you can take one of many boats out to one of the many wrecks (and there are several in less that 60 ft of water and also experience the Thrid Largest Barrier reef in the world.

Thanks for the advice - I appreciate it. We may have to give Florida a try!

 

[karinzahorik]

I love diving Cozumel, but the weather may be a hit or miss due to "Nortes" in December, so I would recommend either Curacao or Bonaire. Given his age, I would probable go for Curacao over Bonaire, staying closer to Willemstadt, for a greater diversity of night life activities. If you like shore diving, I highly recommend The Dive Bus in Curacao, he will find the shore dive entries/exits are a lot easier in Curacao, most being in gently sloping, sandy, sheltered coves. You can also mix/match shore dive with boat dives, but with the shore dives, you will not have to deal with any rough boat rides.

Definitely interested in shore diving, just for the relaxing part of it. Thanks!

 

[karinzahorik]

My first recommendation would be Bonaire or Curacao for nice easy diving and also to get the experience of both boat and shore diving.... 2nd recommendation would be Little Cayman Beach Resort.......especially if you want great vis, little to no current, and basically all inclusive so a very easy and totally relaxing trip for both of you..

I do agree with @Cthippo that it would be best to do the full OW cert locally and then the transition to warm clear tropics will be a breeze... If he's not up for that then you can do a referral and complete all of the academic and confined water work locally and then do the OW dives in the tropics.

Very cool for you as a diving uncle to be gaining a new dive buddy and having a passion that you can share with your nephew!!!

Thanks for replying - it's great that anyone takes the time to answer, and help me with some ideas for my newbie nephew! I'm excited that he wants to do this. I was in Cayman a LONG time ago, and loved it. That's another good suggestion.

 

[karinzahorik]

I'm also going to suggest learning local and gearing up to dive locally. Someone who learns in warm, clear tropical water will probably only ever dive there, and you can't maintain proficiency doing it a few times a year. Being able to say "You know, i feel like diving today" and then going and doing it, even if it is a muddy shore dive, is the way to go.

Good point - my local dive shop said the same thing. My nephew is from SoCal, so he could get certified locally.

 

[karinzahorik]

18 yrs old ,,,Girls are on his mind,,,,with a splash of diving.
Cozumel it is.

That's hilarious! But isn't Cozumel mainly drift diving - and would that be good for a beginner?

 

[karinzahorik]

Pompano Beach and Lauderdale by the Sea are neat. Could get in a mix of shore and boat dives. Both are newbie friendly.

If you do Florida, I’d recommend picking a couple spots to hit that are in close proximity to minimize the time wasted on the road and save some money. I.e. Base out of Pompano Beach for lodging…you’ve got some options for diving just to the north, as well.

Thanks for that suggestion!