what do i need?

[madmike311x]

my friend doesnt want to become fully certified, he just wants to scuba dive on vacation is that possible? is there an alternative course he can take?

 

[rockjock3]

Yes that is possible. You can do what is called a Resort course that certifies you to scuba only with DMs and instructors. I believe there are actually many people that do this. It also seems that many of them eventually end up getting a full open water certification. You would just want to check with the resort or charter company to see if they offer the course.

 

[bennedc]

The resort, in additon to a resort course, should have the necessary gear to rent.

 

[Scottri]

The PADI SCUBA Diver course is designed to fit that need. The problem is that some people don't understand that they are not fully certified divers at the end of it. There are depth restrictions as well as the requirement that you must dive with a DM or Instructor which does limit your dives somewhat. If it were me I'd do the entire course just to increase my options.

 

[Dustinh]

There are all kinds of resort courses and discover scuba courses. For someone who just wants to feel it out, I think it's a great idea. No reason to spend all that time on a vacation doing the full course if you just want to try it out. As far as I understand it too, if you take the resort course, some of that can count for your OW class.

 

[DiveMaven]

I actually recommended to my sister that her 16 year old son only do "Discover Scuba" instead of getting fully certified. The only time that he would dive is once a year in Maui, so I think it's safer if he get a refresher of the diving rules and dive while supervised each year. Once he's older (and more mature) he can choose to get fully certified if he wants.

 

[Dustinh]

That's not a bad idea, especially if he's got "maturity issues".

 

[madmike311x]

thanks guys