Scuba info for a newbie

[Mike&Nancy]

From the PADI Instructor's Manual:

 

• Conduct no more than three open water training dives in a single day, night or combination thereof.
  
• PADI Scuba Diver: 2 open water dives.
  
• Open Water Diver: 4 open water dives.
  

 

The shop in St. Croix can certify you as a PADI Scuba Diver but they need 2 days to certify you as a Open Water Diver. From the PADI Instructor's Manual:

 

 

 

There is no way any of the shops in any port would be able to certify you as a full Open Water Diver. A PADI Open Water Diver can dive independently or under the supervision of a non-PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor. They are also trained to dive to a maximum depth of 18 metres/60 feet.

 

If you want to be Open Water Diver certified, you would get the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor on the ship to accompany you on two shore excursions. On the first 2 tank scuba diving shore excursion, the instructor would conduct open water dives 1 and 2. On the second 2 tank scuba diving shore excursion, the instructor would conduct open water dives 3 and 4. At that point you would be certified.

 

You should be able to immediately book more scuba diving shore excursions and go diving without the instructor. The only thing stopping you would be if the instructor doesn't do the paperwork. I'm sure if you point out to the shore excursion desk that you would like to book more shore excursions but you need the instructor to finish his/her paperwork, they'd get right on him/her about it. The shore excursions must be on different days. You cannot book a morning 2 tank dive and an afternoon 2 tank dive.

 

I know that the port PADI shops can't certify me ALL the way because we're not in port long enough. And I also knew the limitations on the dives. What I'm hoping to do is.......get the ship to do 2 OW dives with me and log that in my book, then either go to a port PADI shop, be able to show them that I have 2 OW dives already logged, and then have them do my last 2. Hence the St Croix shop that offered me a 2 tank dive in 4 hours. I would really rather have the ship do it so I can dive by myself, but I know the ship packs all those excursions tight as hell and I really don't need a whole lot of people on my first time.

 

Mike!!

[scubadiver888]

I know that the port PADI shops can't certify me ALL the way because we're not in port long enough. And I also knew the limitations on the dives. What I'm hoping to do is.......get the ship to do 2 OW dives with me and log that in my book, then either go to a port PADI shop, be able to show them that I have 2 OW dives already logged, and then have them do my last 2. Hence the St Croix shop that offered me a 2 tank dive in 4 hours. I would really rather have the ship do it so I can dive by myself, but I know the ship packs all those excursions tight as hell and I really don't need a whole lot of people on my first time.

 

Mike!!

 

Normally, when I go on a scuba diving shore excursion, the staff from the ship checks our paperwork and hands us off to the person from the dive shop handling the shore excursion. They don't come with us.

 

Once there was someone getting certified. In that situation, the staff from the ship came with us. When we got to the dive site, the shop staff took us for the planned dive (there were 22 of us) and the ship staff went off in the other direction with the student. So the student and the OWSI kept clear of the certified divers. I never saw the student doing the skills.

 

This is what should happen for you. It is best to have one instructor do your skills test. There are 4 dives and 20 skills but the instructor doesn't have to do them in exactly the same order. Additionally, if you have some difficulty with one of the skills the instructor can skip it and come back to it at the end. If the ship staff does dive 1 and 2 then skips a skill because they plan on trying again after dive 4, you might miss out on that skill.

 

Additionally, when I was on a cruise with a student, the instructor had the student get in the pool and practice a little before we got to the first port. Hopefully your shipboard instructor will do the same thing for you. You might even want to connect with the instructor as soon as possible.

[Mike&Nancy]

Normally, when I go on a scuba diving shore excursion, the staff from the ship checks our paperwork and hands us off to the person from the dive shop handling the shore excursion. They don't come with us.

 

Once there was someone getting certified. In that situation, the staff from the ship came with us. When we got to the dive site, the shop staff took us for the planned dive (there were 22 of us) and the ship staff went off in the other direction with the student. So the student and the OWSI kept clear of the certified divers. I never saw the student doing the skills.

 

This is what should happen for you. It is best to have one instructor do your skills test. There are 4 dives and 20 skills but the instructor doesn't have to do them in exactly the same order. Additionally, if you have some difficulty with one of the skills the instructor can skip it and come back to it at the end. If the ship staff does dive 1 and 2 then skips a skill because they plan on trying again after dive 4, you might miss out on that skill.

 

Additionally, when I was on a cruise with a student, the instructor had the student get in the pool and practice a little before we got to the first port. Hopefully your shipboard instructor will do the same thing for you. You might even want to connect with the instructor as soon as possible.

 

I see, now, where you're going with all this and I totally agree with you. I would love to have the ship do all 4 dives and it would be nice if just myself and an instructor went off by ourselves. I'm a little worried about doing some of the skills out in water that I can't run to the surface. That's always a nice thought in the back of your mind when you're in the confined pool. Taking the BCD off and putting it back on troubles me some since I've had shoulder surgery on both shoulders. But I did accomplish it in the pool, albeit kinda slow. Maybe if I wear a bigger BCD it will help.;)

[scubadiver888]

I see, now, where you're going with all this and I totally agree with you. I would love to have the ship do all 4 dives and it would be nice if just myself and an instructor went off by ourselves. I'm a little worried about doing some of the skills out in water that I can't run to the surface. That's always a nice thought in the back of your mind when you're in the confined pool. Taking the BCD off and putting it back on troubles me some since I've had shoulder surgery on both shoulders. But I did accomplish it in the pool, albeit kinda slow. Maybe if I wear a bigger BCD it will help.;)

 

First, dive 1 and 2 are restricted depth. Once certified you will be able to go to 60 feet but for training they restrict the depth for the first two dives. The idea is that you will perform a Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent (CESA). Once you show you can do this safely, you move on to dives 3 and 4, were you will go a little deeper.

 

Even once you go to 60 feet (or less) you'll find it is actually REALLY easy to swim to the surface. Take your time. You will be surprised, even if you are totally out of air, how much time you have to swim to the surface. As you swim up, there will be more air. The tank is never completely empty. At 60 feet, the water pressure will stop the last bit of air from coming out. Plus the air in the hoses will not flow due to the pressure. As you swim up, the pressure decreases and you'll get a little more air.

 

The other thing is if you gently kick and swim up, you'll use less air and therefore not run out of the air in your lungs.

 

Add to this the fact that the instructor will ensure you have plenty of air and good equipment. So you never REALLY run out of air; you just pretend.

 

Bottom line, 8 feet of water or 60 feet of water, it is all the same. Don't psych yourself out.

 

Also, you hit on the best advice someone can give you. Take your time, it is not a race. If it takes you a while to do the skills that is fine. I actually find if the student doesn't rush they complete the skills faster than if they do rush. Scuba diving should be really easy. If it is not, slow down and relax.

 

When taking off your BCD, remember to loosen the shoulder straps. There is a plastic buckle which the shoulder strap goes through. If you hook your fingers under the bottom of the buckle and pull up, it loosens the strap. Have the instructor show you how to do that before you get in the water. This will help you get the thing off. When you put it back on, pull the rings on the end of the straps straight down your body. This will tighten the shoulder straps. Don't pull away from the body or it won't tighten. I hook them with my thumbs and slide my hands down my stomach.

[Mike&Nancy]

First, dive 1 and 2 are restricted depth. Once certified you will be able to go to 60 feet but for training they restrict the depth for the first two dives. The idea is that you will perform a Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent (CESA). Once you show you can do this safely, you move on to dives 3 and 4, were you will go a little deeper.

 

Even once you go to 60 feet (or less) you'll find it is actually REALLY easy to swim to the surface. Take your time. You will be surprised, even if you are totally out of air, how much time you have to swim to the surface. As you swim up, there will be more air. The tank is never completely empty. At 60 feet, the water pressure will stop the last bit of air from coming out. Plus the air in the hoses will not flow due to the pressure. As you swim up, the pressure decreases and you'll get a little more air.

 

The other thing is if you gently kick and swim up, you'll use less air and therefore not run out of the air in your lungs.

 

Add to this the fact that the instructor will ensure you have plenty of air and good equipment. So you never REALLY run out of air; you just pretend.

 

Bottom line, 8 feet of water or 60 feet of water, it is all the same. Don't psych yourself out.

 

Also, you hit on the best advice someone can give you. Take your time, it is not a race. If it takes you a while to do the skills that is fine. I actually find if the student doesn't rush they complete the skills faster than if they do rush. Scuba diving should be really easy. If it is not, slow down and relax.

 

When taking off your BCD, remember to loosen the shoulder straps. There is a plastic buckle which the shoulder strap goes through. If you hook your fingers under the bottom of the buckle and pull up, it loosens the strap. Have the instructor show you how to do that before you get in the water. This will help you get the thing off. When you put it back on, pull the rings on the end of the straps straight down your body. This will tighten the shoulder straps. Don't pull away from the body or it won't tighten. I hook them with my thumbs and slide my hands down my stomach.

 

You have been a LOAD of info and let me tell you, I really appreciate it. I'm an older guy that isn't exactly making his "bucket list" complete, but I am doing **** now that I should have started years before. I try not to worry about the skills part, but if I start out to do something, I want to do it correct and completely. That's the way I was brought up. I'm hoping they will keep in mind that I'm an older dude(notice me playing that "old" card) and that I'm not gonna be going extremely deep or by myself. I think maybe if I take my time AND not panic, I will be able to complete it. It would be a huge feather in my cap to be able to say......I'm a scuba diver.;)

[pinkie1]

I'm learning so much about diving, thanks for all your posts.

 

How long did it take to get certified, from start to finish? Our lives are pretty busy and we do have an 8 yo son who won't be participating on all this, so I'm debating if I should go foward on this adventure at this time. I would be VERY suprised if my husband and I get certified before our April cruise, bust because of our busyness. Perhaps when our son is old enough to get certified, then we can go out as a family and dive.

 

Plus, what is the cost, generally? Are we talking about hundreds of dollars or more?

[scubadiver888]

I'm learning so much about diving, thanks for all your posts.

 

How long did it take to get certified, from start to finish? Our lives are pretty busy and we do have an 8 yo son who won't be participating on all this, so I'm debating if I should go foward on this adventure at this time. I would be VERY suprised if my husband and I get certified before our April cruise, bust because of our busyness. Perhaps when our son is old enough to get certified, then we can go out as a family and dive.

 

Plus, what is the cost, generally? Are we talking about hundreds of dollars or more?

 

You have three parts to Open Water certification. Class work, pool work and open water.

 

You can do the class work online or in a traditional classroom setting. If you do it in a traditional classroom, you can get the manual from the shop ahead of time. Read through the manual and write down the answers at your own pace. This will make the class work go faster. If you get any answers wrong, you are just required to understand the correct answer and why your answer was wrong. So long as you leave understanding the right answer you pass.

 

If you select online class work, you pick a shop which will do your pool work. They are also available to help with questions as you go through the online material. You have up to 12 months to complete online training.

 

Once you have completed your class work, you do pool work. Some shops will have you do some class work, some pool work, more class work, more pool work. For example, you might be in class Friday night and Saturday morning, pool work Saturday afternoon. Class work Sunday morning and pool work Sunday afternoon. Then you are done. If you do online, you finish all the online training then spend two days doing pool work.

 

It is requirement to spread the pool work over two days. No getting around this with a reputable shop.

 

Most people complete the pool work in the allotted time. Some shops I have worked at allow students to come back to the pool and practice if they aren't completely comfortable with the 20 skills. Another shop I work at will offer one on one training if you need more than the two days of pool work but at a price. Mind you, this shop has a REALLY good instructors and I have never seen anyone need the extra pool time.

 

The open water work is two days. It is pretty much the same as the pool work. In the pool you learn the 20 skills and practice them without having to deal with current, visibility, etc. In open water you do the 20 skills again. You are more demonstrating that you know the 20 skills. If you have trouble however, the instructor will help you. You typically have a half day in the pool but a longer day in the open water.

 

As far as cost goes, it depends. Most the shops in my area charge $199 for the class and pool work. The open water depends on where you do it. Most shops around here have a mud hole and they charge maybe $200 for that (includes the rental equipment). Sometimes they do a dive trip where there is a boat. You are expected to cover the cost of the boat ($75 to $125 a day depending on the charter). One shop will also book a dive trip to the Caribbean, all-inclusive, and certify students on the trip. That usually costs $599 and includes a week of diving.

 

You can also get a referral letter. The shop who does your pool work gives you a referral letter, good for 12 months. You then go to any other shop in the world and complete the open water. Many people start here but do the open water in tropical waters. If you never plan on diving locally and the conditions are harsh, this is a good option.

 

After you are certified, there is renting or buying gear. You can buy gear from $1000 to $10000 (depending on the brand and accessories). Most people rent. If you are diving 5 to 10 times a year it isn't worth buying. When I started diving 30+ times a year I purchased all the gear I needed to dive without renting. Now I just need tanks filled with air (which is usually $5 to $10 a tank).

 

Summary: class work is whenever you have time if online, up to 12 months. Pool is usually two half days. Open water is two days.Total costs is typically $500.

[Mike&Nancy]

Hey Pinkie1, isn't scubadiver888 the greatest?? I'm kinda like you, however. I have completed my confined water and lessons part and just waiting on February to do my OW dives on a cruise. I wasn't sure that the cruise line would have dive instructors and scuba told me to check with them, which I did, so hopefully now I can do all 4 on the first leg of our B2B. That way I'll have the 2nd week to dive with a group. I'm worried, of course, about passing the "skills" test in open water. As I've said before, being in a 10' pool and you absolutely KNOW you can make the surface if something happens, and being in 30' of Caribbean water and WONDERING if you can make it plays a lot on my mind. But, I've started this venture and I'm gonna see it thru;).

[SailawayKC]

Mike&Nancy and pinkie1, Since I just did all of my certification work last month I will share my experience. Scubadiver888 gives all the right information about both the CW and OW dives. In my case I got the books about 2 weeks before class and started reading. I spent most of one weekend studying plus more time each night. I was able to complete all of the self quizzes and watch the DVD before class. My CW class was Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. The next weekend I did my OW checkout dives in a combo PADI/SSI class. We spent all day diving on Saturday and half day on Sunday. Since there were SSI students in the class I think we did some skills that might not have been part of the PADI course but it was all good. We also repeated the surface swim and did a free dive which is optional for PADI. On the first day of OW we basically repeated the skill from CW class including removing your BCD both at the surface and underwater. We also practiced our tired diver tows including a fourth method (rescue breathing) that wasn’t taught in CW. On the OOA exercise did both the CESA and dropping our weights. On the buoyancy accent (dropping weights) the instructor turned off our air and did not turn it back on. We were only in 16 feet of water but it was an experience to ascend with no air and trying to inflate my BCD when you are out of breath.

 

On Sunday we did some underwater navigation, buoyancy control and then explored with our buddy for about 25 minutes (I was low on air since I’m an air hog). One thing that you get to practice in the OW that you don’t in the pool is control ascent. I was too fast most of the time. In 10 feet of water you can’t tell as much as in 25-30 feet of water.

 

Two of the students in our class were parents of young (3 and 5) girls. They left them with the grandparents for the weekend to take the class. So pinkie1 if you want to do this then make the time.

[scubadiver888]

SailawayKC,

 

One of the shops I work for is a PADI/SSI shop. They applied to PADI for a special course called PADI+ OW because the requirements of SSI were greater than PADI. So you are correct. By being in a PADI/SSI class you learned more than the minimum requirements for PADI. That said, I took a strictly PADI OW course many years ago and the instructor had worked for various other agencies. I was taught more than the minimum requirements for PADI. In other words, some instructors will teach you more than the minimum requirements. Actually, most the instructors I have worked with teach more than the minimum requirements.

 

Also, ascending too fast is a common problem. You should be coming up around 1 foot per second. Most people don't have a good idea of how long 10 seconds is. So in a 10 foot pool they will reach the surface in 4 to 5 seconds. I like to look at the time on a watch with a second hand, cover it, wait for what 'feels' like 10 seconds and look at it again. First few times I could look at it, be early, cover it and keep counting, look at it again and still early. One foot a second is very slow and gentle if done right.

 

Darrell

[agc291]

Hi Pinkie,

 

You are right, the Discover Scuba does not give you certification, but it will count towards open water certification for up to one year if you do decide to proceed with the scuba training...

 

PADI open water training consists of theory (book work), pool sessions, and 4 open water dives. How you complete these steps is up to you and there are many options. You can do the theory on-line through PADI.com, spend a weekend at your local dive shop doing the pool portions, and then complete the open water dives while on a cruise if the dive shop at the port is willing to do them. This will take some planning and commitment from both yourself and certifiying shops you are dealing with.

 

I see that you are in So.Cal and for this reason, I would suggest that you do all of the PADI certification with a dive shop close to you before you leave. Assuming you have at least a month before the cruise, phone up some dive shops and see what they offer. Then use the cruise to experience the dive world with your new certifications! IMHO, you get much better service, comprehensive learning, and usable results when you do the certification all together, at the same time with one outfit. Doing it on the cruise is like passing an english course with only Coles notes!

 

Hope this helps.

Dawn

 

 

Can someone please explain this to me...

 

I did a DSD class in St. Thomas at the end of March and will be doing another in Cozumel over Thanksgiving. I have not taken a class locally but have recently been looking into it (which is why I am doing the 2nd DSD).

 

So if I want the dive in St. Thomas to count I need to be certified by the end of March or else that dive "expires"? Or because I am slowly working toward certification does it still count?

 

 

Also, does it matter than I will have done these 2 dives prior to any classes? I am very confused and certainly don't want my dives to go to waste. I fell in love with diving instantly and are for sure going to be certified by the end of 2012 ( hopefully sooner). The expense of it has kind of frightened me but I would rather spend more on the 4 OW dives in warm amazing Caribbean waters rather than the local Quarry:(

[scubadiver888]

Can someone please explain this to me...

 

I did a DSD class in St. Thomas at the end of March and will be doing another in Cozumel over Thanksgiving. I have not taken a class locally but have recently been looking into it (which is why I am doing the 2nd DSD).

 

So if I want the dive in St. Thomas to count I need to be certified by the end of March or else that dive "expires"? Or because I am slowly working toward certification does it still count?

 

 

Also, does it matter than I will have done these 2 dives prior to any classes? I am very confused and certainly don't want my dives to go to waste. I fell in love with diving instantly and are for sure going to be certified by the end of 2012 ( hopefully sooner). The expense of it has kind of frightened me but I would rather spend more on the 4 OW dives in warm amazing Caribbean waters rather than the local Quarry:(

 

The truth is that Open Water training requires 5 confined water dives. Confined water dive 1 requires:

 

1. Putting on your gear with assistance.
   
2. Inflating/Deflating BCD using low pressure inflator.
   
3. Breathing compressed air without holding your breathe.
   
4. Clearing the regulator using both exhalation and purge button methods.
   
5. Recovering your regulator from behind your shoulder.
   
6. Clearing a partially flooded mask.
   
7. Breathe from an alternate air supply.
   
8. Swim with equipment and equalize ears as necessary.
   
9. Locate and read pressure gauge.
   
10. Recognize and demonstrate hand signals.
    
11. Ascend using proper technique.
    

 

An instructor has the option to teach all these skills during a DSD. If they did and you move on to Open Water Diver training, then you can skip confined dive 1. If you did not learn all these skills, you cannot skip confined dive 1.

 

If you took a DSD course some where and came to my shop, the instructors would not be guaranteed you were adequately taught all these skills and therefore would insist on teaching them to you again any way. Additionally, if I have some DSD students going into Open Water Diver and the rest are going straight into Open Water with no DSD (or inadequate training) then I can have the DSD student wait, outside the pool, while I conduct confined water 1. Once that is complete I'd allow the DSD students in the water to do confined water 2 and 3. Would you want to seat on the deck, no scuba gear, watching the other students do confined water 1? Or would you be happy to do confined water 1 again (extra practise, not boring).

 

Some shops will conduct the DSD class as if it is confined water 1. If you like it they will credit it towards your Open Water training. There is an 8 to 1 ratio (instructor to student) for DSD and 10 to 1 for Open Water. If you are in an area where they have enough DSD students going on to Open Water, it makes sense to credit them for confined water 1. But if they have to combine DSD students with totally green students they will have everyone do confined water 1.

 

I did DSD twice. When I took my Open Water training, I did confined water 1 again because I wanted the practise and the costs was the same.

[agc291]

The truth is that Open Water training requires 5 confined water dives. Confined water dive 1 requires:

 

1. Putting on your gear with assistance.
   
2. Inflating/Deflating BCD using low pressure inflator.
   
3. Breathing compressed air without holding your breathe.
   
4. Clearing the regulator using both exhalation and purge button methods.
   
5. Recovering your regulator from behind your shoulder.
   
6. Clearing a partially flooded mask. I STRUGGLED WITH THIS!!!
   
7. Breathe from an alternate air supply.
   
8. Swim with equipment and equalize ears as necessary.
   
9. Locate and read pressure gauge.
   
10. Recognize and demonstrate hand signals.
    
11. Ascend using proper technique.
    

 

An instructor has the option to teach all these skills during a DSD. If they did and you move on to Open Water Diver training, then you can skip confined dive 1. If you did not learn all these skills, you cannot skip confined dive 1.

 

If you took a DSD course some where and came to my shop, the instructors would not be guaranteed you were adequately taught all these skills and therefore would insist on teaching them to you again any way. Additionally, if I have some DSD students going into Open Water Diver and the rest are going straight into Open Water with no DSD (or inadequate training) then I can have the DSD student wait, outside the pool, while I conduct confined water 1. Once that is complete I'd allow the DSD students in the water to do confined water 2 and 3. Would you want to seat on the deck, no scuba gear, watching the other students do confined water 1? Or would you be happy to do confined water 1 again (extra practise, not boring).

 

Some shops will conduct the DSD class as if it is confined water 1. If you like it they will credit it towards your Open Water training. There is an 8 to 1 ratio (instructor to student) for DSD and 10 to 1 for Open Water. If you are in an area where they have enough DSD students going on to Open Water, it makes sense to credit them for confined water 1. But if they have to combine DSD students with totally green students they will have everyone do confined water 1.

 

I did DSD twice. When I took my Open Water training, I did confined water 1 again because I wanted the practise and the costs was the same.

 

 

We did all of these skills but I am the type to be better safe than sorry! I guess I will try to start saving to do my regular classes as soon as possible so that I can thoroughly enjoy my diving! Wow I didnt realize there were so many to a class. Where we did our DSD they could have no more than 4 people per instructor!

[SailawayKC]

My DSD was a chance for me to decide if I enjoyed diving. And my open water DSD was what made me want to finish my OW certification so I can go diving on my next cruise. Diving in a pool and cloudy lake not my ideal of fun but I still get excited about it and can't wait for the next four weeks to past when I'm diving in the ocean again.

[scubadiver888]

We did all of these skills but I am the type to be better safe than sorry! I guess I will try to start saving to do my regular classes as soon as possible so that I can thoroughly enjoy my diving! Wow I didnt realize there were so many to a class. Where we did our DSD they could have no more than 4 people per instructor!

 

As a Divemaster and DSD Leader I am allowed to conduct DSD but I must limit the ratio to 4 students. It is possible the person doing your DSD was a Divemaster with a DSD Leader rating. Although the shops I work with typically have 4 to 8 students with one Instructor, one Divemaster and the Course Director is usually onsite or in the pool monitoring everyone (OW, Rescue, DSD, etc.). Plus the facility has two lifeguards monitoring the pool.

 

And mask clearing is usually the biggest challenge for new divers. It is a skill you should master. I've had my masked kicked off my face a few times, my buddy occasionally makes me laugh (this will flood your mask), a strong current pulls on my mask and makes it leak, my mask gets old and starts to leak (I'll keep diving with it if I'm on a trip), my buddy fails to clear my hair from my mask skirt, etc., etc..

 

I practice mask clearing all the time. It is second nature to me now.

[agc291]

As a Divemaster and DSD Leader I am allowed to conduct DSD but I must limit the ratio to 4 students. It is possible the person doing your DSD was a Divemaster with a DSD Leader rating. Although the shops I work with typically have 4 to 8 students with one Instructor, one Divemaster and the Course Director is usually onsite or in the pool monitoring everyone (OW, Rescue, DSD, etc.). Plus the facility has two lifeguards monitoring the pool.

 

And mask clearing is usually the biggest challenge for new divers. It is a skill you should master. I've had my masked kicked off my face a few times, my buddy occasionally makes me laugh (this will flood your mask), a strong current pulls on my mask and makes it leak, my mask gets old and starts to leak (I'll keep diving with it if I'm on a trip), my buddy fails to clear my hair from my mask skirt, etc., etc..

 

I practice mask clearing all the time. It is second nature to me now.

 

 

It is definitely something difficult at first. I am just glad my instructor was so helpful and made sure I got it before he continued with the class and the dive. I will most certainly take a full certification course at my local dive center. Thanks for all these helpful answers!

[atog254]

Also, my training included giving my mask to the instructor at the beginning of the pool session, who placed duct tape over the glass so you saw NOTHING! Surprised how many could not continue! The entire session was blacked out. And you had to perform several task underwater.

 

Unique training - 2 hour class room followed by 2 hour pool with 1:1 with asst. instructors in a 12' pool.

 

During the "Out of Air" training, just as I got to my partner, his tank fell out of his harness. Not installed properly. Both of us removed the tank and reinstalled it properly while Buddy Breathing and then swam together back to the shallow end of an Olympic size pool. When asked why we didn't surface right away - we both said that if it had happened in deep water we would have had to do what we did anyway.

 

Enjoy diving!

 

I hope to be diving at St. Croix this Thanksgiving while on the Silhouette.

 

Certified NAUI OW 30+ years

 

Steve :cool:

[scubadiver888]

Also, my training included giving my mask to the instructor at the beginning of the pool session, who placed duct tape over the glass so you saw NOTHING! Surprised how many could not continue! The entire session was blacked out. And you had to perform several task underwater.

 

Unique training - 2 hour class room followed by 2 hour pool with 1:1 with asst. instructors in a 12' pool.

 

During the "Out of Air" training, just as I got to my partner, his tank fell out of his harness. Not installed properly. Both of us removed the tank and reinstalled it properly while Buddy Breathing and then swam together back to the shallow end of an Olympic size pool. When asked why we didn't surface right away - we both said that if it had happened in deep water we would have had to do what we did anyway.

 

Enjoy diving!

 

I hope to be diving at St. Croix this Thanksgiving while on the Silhouette.

 

Certified NAUI OW 30+ years

 

Steve :cool:

 

Things have changes quite a lot since 30 years ago. If you were diving 30 years ago odds are your instructor was ex-military. Also, there were a lot of unknowns at that time. A lot of the stuff you learned because you had to be prepared for anything. Today, the average dive is much more predictable. If you were diving in certain areas, they would teach you to dive with a blacked out mask. For example, cave or wreck diving. This would be overkill for someone diving open water in the Caribbean above 60 feet.

 

Also, there are procedures for a buddy check before you get in the water. They are in place to ensure things like your tank falling out don't happen. Wet your BCD straps so it can stretch during tightening. Using a dry BCD will most likely result in a tank slipping out. Studies have shown avoiding a situation were buddy breathing is required is safer than buddy breathing. So buddy breathing is no longer taught to beginners.

 

Divers getting hit by boats is a common accident. Learning to deal with problems underwater, without surfacing, helps to reduce the risk of getting hit by a boat. You still learn to take your gear off, check it and put it back on. In St. Lucia, the best dive sites are underneath some busy fishing boat channels. If you lose your mask, heading for the surface will most likely result in getting hit by a fast moving boat. Before a dive, the staff have you do a mask clear to be sure you aren't going to panic if your mask leaks.

 

In order to make scuba diving more accessible they have eliminated things like diving with a blacked out mask and put proper training and skills to avoid situations rather than training to deal with the situations when they occur. They also put limits on what you can do based on the training you have received. The limits are removed IF you get the appropriate training. Some people will never go beyond Open Water Diver but for people like me (I do wreck penetration, drift diving in commercial ship channels, etc.) they have extra training you can get. I have no problem if you throw all my gear into the water, I swim down, put it on and continue my dive.

 

If everyone had to be RACE qualified before driving a car or motorcycle, a lot of people would never buy a car or motorcycle. :)

[atog254]

I imagine you were also trained on breathing off the tank while getting your gear on under water as well! :eek:

 

Yes I agree things have changed over the years!

 

While twice the age of when I took my training, I can still free hold longer than most!

 

Steve :cool:

[kgraham56]

Sorry for chiming in at the end. There has been a lot of good information, but one helpful hint has been overlooked. Many people keep asking if they can get certified or how to rush around and squeeze the OW dives in on a cruise ship. I would just like to point out that most (if not all) ships sail from ports that are resort destinations. Most (if not all) resort destinations have dive shops. Just take 2 or 3 extra days before your cruise, book youself into a nice resort and have one of the local dive shops do your OW certifications. Then when you are on the cruise, you will be OW certified and not subject to the whims of the cruise line as to whether you can get time with their dive master (if they have one). If you are leaving out of the Miami area, there are tons of nice dive resorts just down the road in the Keys.

 

Do your paper training and pool time at your local dive shop. Get the referral letter and treat your spouse (assuming they are not going diving also) to a couple of days of kick back and relax before the cruise, while you get certified. You won't have to worry about getting it done on the ship and you will be a God (or Godess) to your spouse for the extra unwind time.

 

As anyone who has gone through it knows, that's why they call it getting certified, as in "who is crazy enough to bail out of a perfectly good boat in the middle of the ocean?" instead of just getting licensed....:D

 

ken

[scubadiver888]

kgraham56, this is an excellent suggestion. The only exception would be a cruise from San Juan. There is good diving in Puerto Rico but on the other side of the island. Diving in San Juan is possible but not something I would recommend, especially if you are getting certified.

[Mike&Nancy]

It's been awhile since I've posted, and yes, I am one of the guys kgraham is talking about. I completed my confined water classes and study classes and had every intention of getting ow certified when we cruised out of SJ. Didn't even think about going down early and getting certified. But not everyone can do that due to work or finances or both, and I do have to consider both. However, something has come up that we'll be going to Ft lauderdale the first part of December and I was told to try and get to Key Largo and complete certification or at least get 2 ow dives in. So, I looked up on PADI and contacted a couple of dive shops there and can't seem to get a response from either. Any suggestions from anyone?? Thanks in advance.

 

Mike!!

[scubadiver888]

It's been awhile since I've posted, and yes, I am one of the guys kgraham is talking about. I completed my confined water classes and study classes and had every intention of getting ow certified when we cruised out of SJ. Didn't even think about going down early and getting certified. But not everyone can do that due to work or finances or both, and I do have to consider both. However, something has come up that we'll be going to Ft lauderdale the first part of December and I was told to try and get to Key Largo and complete certification or at least get 2 ow dives in. So, I looked up on PADI and contacted a couple of dive shops there and can't seem to get a response from either. Any suggestions from anyone?? Thanks in advance.

 

Mike!!

 

Hi Mike,

 

There are literally dozens of shop in the Ft. Lauderdale and Key Largo area. I doubt there are more shops anywhere else in the world. Not all shops are tech savvy. They might not get around to emails for days, weeks or even months. Did you go to www.padi.com and use the Locate A Dive Shop link?

 

I would pick shops which have a website. If they just have an email address, odds are they are not a tech savvy. If you go to the website and it looks like something from the nineties then they are also probably not tech savvy.

 

Your other option is go to Ft. Lauderdale prepared and spend the first day hitting a few dive shops until you find a shop you like and can accommodate you. If you are going for this option, go to the shop which did your confined water. Ask them for a referral letter. This is a standard package for PADI. They give you all the paperwork to show you completed and passed the classroom and confined water work. Any PADI shop will take the referral letter and conduct the four open water dives with you. Many will also do a little pool work with you, just to be sure (a) the original shop did a good job and (b) you remember everything.

 

Darrell

[BigRed93]

It's been awhile since I've posted, and yes, I am one of the guys kgraham is talking about. I completed my confined water classes and study classes and had every intention of getting ow certified when we cruised out of SJ. Didn't even think about going down early and getting certified. But not everyone can do that due to work or finances or both, and I do have to consider both. However, something has come up that we'll be going to Ft lauderdale the first part of December and I was told to try and get to Key Largo and complete certification or at least get 2 ow dives in. So, I looked up on PADI and contacted a couple of dive shops there and can't seem to get a response from either. Any suggestions from anyone?? Thanks in advance.

 

Mike!!

 

Sorry you are having a tough time getting a response from someone.

 

We had the same thoughts about getting everything but the open water done here and then going down early. When I started adding up the costs, it was definately more economical to just complete everything at home. Yes, it was nasty diving in 60 degree green water with 3-5 ft visibility. But hey, if I can do it there, I should have no problem in the clear, warm water of the Caribbean, right? And when all was said and done, I was extremely happy that I stayed with the instructor we had been working with. He helped me through some issues that almost made me quit on the first day of our OW dives. If I had been with someone I barely knew and didn't have that trust level built, I would have quit and let it get the best of me. But I have happily made it through and actually got my c-card in the mail today and I have been busy planning my next dives in warm, clear water.:D

[Mike&Nancy]

Way to go Big Red. I had a similar problem in our confined water classes. I just could not get the BCD off and back on. I ended up surfacing, throwing my mask and heading out the door, and one of the instructors talked me back in. I felt like a fool for causing a scene, but frustration is not one of my biggest friends. I sometimes wish I would have gone with the group to the muddy lake and gotten it over with, but sincerely, I'm not sure I could pass it there. I really do need the clear water. I'm somewhat claustophobic, so maybe that's it.

 

Darrell, I did, indeed, use the PADI sight and the locate a dive shop and finally got an answer back from 1 out of 4. I think I'm only going to be able to do 2 of my 4 dives with them, then finish up on the cruise ship.

 

I have a question for you, Darrell. Is the certification for a "Scuba" diver different than for an "Open Water" diver?? I'm only going to be diving once, maybe twice a year if I'm lucky. If the scuba part is simpler, I would probably just stay with that and be happy for the time being. I know there's a 40' limit to depth, but I can't see myself wanting to go any deeper for awhile anyway.

 

Thanks for all your help from everyone that's pitched in. It helps me keep focused.

 

Mike