vacation certification?

[Kwbyron]

OK, so my wife baited me with the idea of going to mexico for christmas... : D but, she isn't certified yet and she would not be able to handle the cold water of the sound in a wet suit, so getting it up here(seattle) wouldn't really work. I don't really like the idea of a crash course in mexico, but that may be our only option... Any sugestions on how to do this? Can I have her do all the class room and pool work here and just hook up with an instructor there for the open water portion?

 

[scubadobadoo]

Can I have her do all the class room and pool work here and just hook up with an instructor there for the open water portion?

I suggest this.

 

[imaswfan]

Yes, you can probably find a local instructor that will be willing to do a refferal course. Not an ideal situation but if it's the only option...then go for it. One thing though, I would call the dive shop you are going to do her check out dives with before you travel. This way you can make sure you have something scheduled and you can make sure you have ALL the paperwork the certifying instructor will need.

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

Although it is not ideal, it is a very common occurance. I live in Michigan and I see it all the time. As previously stated, make sure you coordinate everything at home and in Mexico before you start the classes. If you have not already found a dive outfit in Mexico, you might use some SB searches to find a reputable outfit were you are vacationing. This will be more important than usual, as you will be using there instructional services as well as the expected boat services.

 

[c555]

Just do the referal like recommended but if you don't like it you could try her in a drysuit to start with. Some shops rent them.

 

[DBailey]

1. Do the classroom and pool work locally to you. Make sure the instructor knows that you will be going elsewhere for the certifications dives. The instructor willl need to fill out and sign a few pages of your logbook.

2. Schedule the certification dives with the shop in Mexico. SB members are a good resource, but you could also check with your dive shop for recommendations.

3. The certifying instructor has paperwork to fill out and submit. Some people will try to get you to bring back the information and have your original instructor finish it, this is wrong. The person you do the check out dive with needs to fill out, sign and submit the paperwork.

 

[RJP]

Referral certification is one way to do it - and how I did mine* - but it's not ideal.

However the reason it's not ideal is NOT why you might think!

Do you want to spend all that money/time to do 4 dives in Mexico where your wife will be doing mask flood/removal, fin pivots, CESA, gear removal, etc?

NO!

You want to do some real diving when you're in Mexico!

Try to convince her to put up with the cold for training dives at home so she can do "real" dives in the warm waters of Mexico. I'd also argue AGAINST doing her training dives dry if she's gonna be doing vacation diving wet, if it's at all possible. Key early on (and believe me, I'm early on) is getting familiar with equipment characteristics vis-a-vis bouyancy.

Clearly she'll use a different suit home vs Mexico, but will be "more similar" than dry home vs wet in Mexico.

* = I did my OW checkout dives last February in West Palm Beach FL vs NJ, but that was a quick weekend trip JUST to do the checkout dives (grabbed a $99 r/t airfare) so that I wouldn't have to spend two days on our March Hawaiian vacation doing training dives.

 

[Damselfish]

The dives should take only 2 days, if scheduled near the beginning of the trip will allow time for some real diving. (Doing the whole course there would definitely kill vacation.) Doing the dives there is better than not doing it or convincing someone to dive in cold water if they don't want to and might wind up hating the whole experience.

If she did do it at home, personally I don't think wet or dry matters relative what she would be wearing in Mexico. A thin wetsuit will be no comparison to either to a 2 piece 7mm or drysuit, it will just be so much easier no matter what I doubt it would be a problem.

 

[divingjd]

1. Do the classroom and pool work locally to you. Make sure the instructor knows that you will be going elsewhere for the certifications dives. The instructor willl need to fill out and sign a few pages of your logbook.

2. Schedule the certification dives with the shop in Mexico. SB members are a good resource, but you could also check with your dive shop for recommendations.

3. The certifying instructor has paperwork to fill out and submit. Some people will try to get you to bring back the information and have your original instructor finish it, this is wrong. The person you do the check out dive with needs to fill out, sign and submit the paperwork.

This is only true for a PADI certification. Other agencies, such as SSI, NAUI, YMCA, PDIC, and some others, participate in the Universal Referral Program. In the Universal Referral Program, the referral instructor fills out the referral paperwork, gives the new diver a temporary card, and sends the paperwork back to the originating instructor to obtain the permanent card.

Kwbyron, if your wife would be taking a PADI course at home, you probably won't have a problem finding a PADI instructor in Mexico to do the referral. In that case, the referral instructor in Mexico will take care of the card. If she does something else, make sure to follow the Universal Referral system and don't let some PADI instructor in Mexico insist on doing it his way. You do want to check with the referral shop before hand to make sure they will do it the way you want, either the PADI-to-PADI referral or the Universal Referral.

I did my certification as a referral and I have had lots of students do it that way. Damselfish is right, doing the cert dives won't kill the vacation. Actually, the skills only take a short time, usually at the beginning or end of the dive, and the rest of the time, you are just taking a tour and enjoying the critters. A referral is often a good way for someone who is interested in diving but not in braving cold water at home. Do some research, but don't hesitate over the idea of a referral. There are lots of very good instructors in Mexico.

 

[Charlie59]

You could fly to Hawaii for a pre-holiday tune up and your wife could learn to dive there. Probably not too expensive since you live on the left coast, right?

Or visit your cousin ralph who lives in arizona and learn to dive there.

or, move out of that hell hole and live in a warm water climate.

Seems to me the choices are endless, only your imagination and checkbook can stop you.