Wanting to get PADI certified

[mierin]

I emailed one of the local guys from this forum privately and also talked to the resident resort guru for where I am going and a acquaintance locally who is into Scuba. Basically here's the rundown.

I travel once or twice a year to Hedonism II in Jamaica it's a Superclubs AI resort. I've always been draw to Scuba but never certified before because I was worried I wouldn't make it through the program. I used to be quite a bit overweight. In the last 10 months I've lost 175 pounds and feel like even though I am still overweight by about 100 pounds that I can and will pass the certification. I workout 6 days a week half of them in hydro training type classes in the pool or swimming laps and have since before I started the weight loss.

I have a few options and fears.

Option #1
I can either try to find a shop around here that does PADI classes. I can go through the pool tests and classroom and do my checkout dives at Hedo. The cost of this is $200 to do the dives there. Scuba is part of the AI package but not checkout dives. They will then test me and mail me my PADI card.

Option #2
I can do the resort certification program completely there. I arrive on Saturday they start resort certification on Sunday. I'll do the swim testing and the classroom on the first day. The second day I can do my first open water cert. at 25 feet with an instructor as a dive buddy. I could technically be PADI certified in as little as 3 days, if I do two OW dives a day and test out after the last one.

Option #3
Find a shop here, do the training and either fly to Florida for a long weekend and do my OW dives over a long weekend. Or possibly rent cold water equipment and hope to find a shop that will OW test out in April.

I'm leaning toward option #1 possibly #2.

I'm headed to Jamaica in May with my roommate who is more excited than me about scuba diving.

My fears are a few fold. I am presently incapable of wearing contacts and do not have the resources to buy a prescription lens mask. I do hope to have laser eye surgery this March. Can you dive in glasses? I am worried about the nose water trickle. I am a mouth breather and always have been but I have never been able to go into the water and not get a snoot full of water which has me spluttering and choking. I just have those nasal passages that let water trickle down into my throat. I am however fairly good at remaining calm. I've read all the tips and plan to do the tests. However I have seen everyone mention clearing the mask but no one explaining how to do this. I would like to start practicing prior to taking classes so if you could explain that would be lovely.

I know a lot of people may jump on the whole resort certification thing, saying it can't be adequate and is rushed. I've talked to a lot of people who dive numerous times a year with these guys including a dive Master and he says that they are top notch. I do have a good snorkel, long and short fins, a mask that sits solidly and a dive suit that fits. It's only a shorts length though but I am told that I won't need anything heavy in the Carribbean.

So any hints, tips, tricks, comments??

mierin

 

[AzAtty]

First, congratulations on your achievement. Improving your weight situation so dramatically in 10 months is commendable and impressive.

Second, on training choices, I advocate longer training periods. You will have a lot of new material presented to you. If you certify over a long weekend, most of your time will be spent merely receiving information. I'm of the school of thought that believes learning is more effective if you have time to think over what you've been taught, devise a few questions, and develop a good understanding of the material. Now, scuba diving ain't rocket science, but you can catch yourself a bad case of the dead if you screw things up too much. So I believe that an integral part of learning to scuba dive (and any other activity) is developing judgment. Judgment comes with time and experience. Granted, you won't have the same level of competence than someone who has several thousand dives under their belt, but even spending a month thinking about what you're doing and how you should do it will be beneficial.

But that's my opinion, and I'll confess that I'm philosophically opposed to "quick" certification or weekend/weeklong classes, regardless of whether they happen at a resort or at a local dive shop. Take it heavily salted.

You've voiced concerns about your ability to perform some of the skills required. I think that is another reason to take your time with training. If you stretch the course over a month, you always have a couple days between classes to work on some of those skills.

And speaking of skills, you asked how to clear a mask. Your instructor will show you how to do it. It's much clearer when you see it demonstrated (no pun intended). Basically, you crack open the mask seal on your forehead, let the mask fill with water, re-seal the mask to your forehead, look up, crack open the bottom seal of your mask (around your nose and cheeks), and exhale through your nose. The expelled air will force the water out of the mask.

Good luck in your training.

 

[nickjb]

For training, I would say the best option is to do the theory and pool work locally then do the referal dives on holiday. This should give you plenty of time to learn and more time on holiday to enjoy yourself. For both parts a good instructor is a massive advantage.

 

[Arnaud]

First, congrats on improving your fitness. Seems certainly impressive.

I completly support the above recommendations. Take your time. Another argument for splitting the training is that the Padi manual is 258 pages. It's significant. There's a lot to read and remember.

Studying in the comfort of your home and doing the pool sessions where you live will allow you to do your open water sessions in a very comfortable way. Plus, you'll probably have enough time to dive more and complete your Advanced level as well.

Before anything else, you should definitely see a doctor specialized in diving. It's a general rule, but it seems even more important in your case considering your important weight loss.

 

[Blue Space]

Also another one of your concerns is the ability to wear galsses while scuba diving you can't. Hopefully you get the surgery before you start your classes or get contacts.

 

[Ontario Diver]

Impressive self control on the weight reduction. (and I was pround of me dropping 40lbs. ) Congrats!!

Ditto on the taking a longer course and ditto on learning locally! You may find that you enjoy diving up here as well. (as strange as that may seem!)

I don't think that you can wear glasses and a mask at the same time. If you have a low prescription, things seem bigger underwater which might help. I had Lasik a couple years ago and have been diving ever since. You have to wait for your eyes to heal first. Check with your eye doc but I think that it was just a couple of weeks with Lasik.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[gfisher4792]

Congratulations! I can barely get the 10 pounds off, and you achieved almost 200? Very impressive. I agree that a month long (or so) course is the best way to go. You will be presented with a ton of info that will most likely be very new to you, and a little bit at a time seems the way to go. In short, the intro class is there to make you comfortable in the water, and rushed people generally don't achieve the best comfort level.

As for glasses, I'm slightly nearsighted, and the effects of wearing a mask underwater helps, but I wouldn't recommend wearing glasses. One, you may have a problem getting a mask to properly seal, and two, imagine what it would be like if you're taking off your mask underwater (something you will do multiple times in class) and your glasses are pulled off at the same time! And, as Murphy's Law goes, that's when they would drop to the bottom and stepped on by yourself or your buddy. Not a good thought.

 

[DaveO]

I've seen corrective lenses you put inside your existing mask- - -

http://www.diversdirect.com/scripts...m?Item=1867&Template=9990000001000999&Group=6

These are $20 per lens. Hope this will do it for you- best of luck!

DaveO

 

[mierin]

Well I didn't do the weight loss completely without help I had gastric bypass surgery last March. My weight was medical related so being able to use a tool to get the weight off is helpful.

On the glasses issue. I am very near sighted. To the tune of 7 diopters. If I cannot get corrective surgery in time I will look into the lenses. At 44.00 plus shipping it is not too bad. I am unable to wear contacts as stated in my original post. It's not a want or wish or whatever. I wore contacts from 1981-1994 where upon a toxin got in my eyes that weakened my corneas and made contact lens wear pretty much forbidden for life.

I've made contact with a dive shop that has classes starting in 4 weeks so will get the eye surgery in swing as well. Their program is 3 weeks long with 6 classes.

mierin

 

[Blue Space]

Good luck to ya. And if you get those lenses for your mask let me know how they are. Something I have been looking into. Since Sherwood dosn't offer corrective lenses for the Magnun ex.