First time Scuba

[jctf]

Hi,

we are going on a western caribbean cruise on Explorer of the Seas - stops in

Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I have never done any

scuba diving or snorkeling, but I would like to learn.

 

- what's the best way to learn? Do they offer any lessons on the ship? or is

it best to learn at one of the stops?

- any particular operators recommended for beginners?

- which of those places would be best for a beginner for scuba and snorkeling?

 

Thanks

[marly]

Most of the ships offer a Discover Scuba course. There is a big difference between scuba and snorkeling. In scuba you have a tank of air strapped to your back and you are breathing through a regulator. Training is required and you can get hurt if you are not careful or if you panic and surface too quickly. Most beginner dives are at about 20 feet. Don't mean to scare you, but there is an element of risk. Also, people who are claustrophibic may have a difficult time.

 

Snorkeling, you are floating on the surface of the water on your stomach with your face in the water and breathing through a snorkel. Really, there is no training required. In both you wear fins so you kick your way through the water; you use your arms very little if not at all to swim.

 

I'm not sure about Costa Maya, but the other ports you mentioned all have good diving and snorkeling. I think my choice would be to go with the ship.

I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter which you choose. It's truly another world.

Good luck!

[katienycgrl]

We also have the same line up of islands, when are you going? We leave in a week (sat) and we signed up to do the discover diving in cozumel. We booked it on cozumelcruiseexcusions.com, it looks great.

[jctf]

we are leaving Feb 27th, on Royal Caribbean Explorer.

I'd like to take the scuba course as early as possible on the trip. Ideally

some kind of intro on the ship pool would be great.

 

Else, I'll probably try to get the intro in Belize.

[HalfWhit]

Did you take the PADI diving course on your cruise and if so how was it.

 

 

Thanks for your help. We are considering it in December. :)

[sportsterjohn]

There are about 70or so dive operaters in Cozumel. I did a discover scuba there about 2 yrs ago and became hooked. Belize has a bit of unrest going on in it right now so I wouldn't count on anything I scheduled in advance there. The problem with doing a DS with the ship is that they usually are crowded and more expensive.

[Jerry_G]

I've been diving for over 3 years and my recomendation is get certified before you go on the trip. That way you will be comfortable in the water and will really enjoy the beautiful sights of the Carribean. I've gone on dive vacations and I've dove from cruise ships. They both work for me. I believe if you do a discovery scuba on the ship you will only be able to dive on the ships excursions. In some ports like Costa Maya, Royal Carribean does not offer diving. Therefore you will not be able to dive in that location. I don't believe that you can get certified on cruise ship other than the discovery scuba, since you need to do pool work, classroom work, and 4 open water dives over two days. Also keep in mind that the discover scuba is only good for the trip you are on. The next time you cruise you will need to do it all over again. Don't screw around just get certified it makes life a lot easier.

[BullinOhio]

I don't believe that you can get certified on cruise ship other than the discovery scuba, since you need to do pool work, classroom work, and 4 open water dives over two days. Also keep in mind that the discover scuba is only good for the trip you are on. The next time you cruise you will need to do it all over again. Don't screw around just get certified it makes life a lot easier.

 

 

Both Royal Caribbean and Princess offer PADI Open Water Certification courses onboard in the Caribbean for 7+ day cruises. You have to check into it ahead of time for home study (at least on Princess).

 

Discover scuba in Cozumel is what got me hooked to get certified. Doing a discover course is not screwing around, and could determine if diving is something one would want to continue with in a full certification.

[rram1234]

i hihgly recommend that you get certified before you go.... the cruise lines do offer scuba certification, but its not enought time to learn everything and be comfortable with it. you will probably only be able to dive at the last port, the cruise lines certifiaction will probaly not be complete until near the end of the cruise. we are booked on a cruise in september and one of our members is not certified and wanted to dive with us at our first port, called the cruise line about their certification and said that the class would take several days and they would not be able to dive until near the end of the cruise.

[KazinSD]

If you're going to Dive a lot, I agree that you get certified. If you're not sure or you live in colder US climates, do the discovery dive. I did a discover scuba in Grand Cayman and like the above post, that's what got me pumped to get certified. I had to wait 3 months for the lake to thaw though. The water was still 49 degrees when I did my open water dives, so doing it on vacation on a RCCL trip would have been right up my alley.