experienced divers opinons wanted

[seadancer]

Hello

 

The wife and i are looking at going to Dominica next year and possibly getting PADI ow certified. We are being told 3.5-4days of training and some homework. Is this to much to take on during a vacation and really get our education level up to a rank beginners level??, WE are also looking at taking the nitrox course at the same time.

 

 

Thanks

Jeff

[jt_83]

Do it beforehand so you can enjoy yourself on vacation, especially since you live in a place where the weather is nice year round, and you could easily get a few dives in before your trip. The class is enjoyable, but it's not ideal diving for a vacation. You spend most of your time working on skills.

[sddiver]

You live in Florida? Get certified at home before you go. I'll be most likely cheaper at home than at a resort, and easier to do at your leisure than on vacation. AND.. most importantly Dominica is an amazing island with great diving, hiking, and nature sports. I've been there and it's on my list of places to return to. I wouldn't want to waste a minute of time there, reading, taking tests ect, ect unless I had to. The diving in the marine park in Soufferie at the southern end of the island is majestic. Nature Island dives is who I dove with there. Enjoy your trip.

 

Rich

[kgraham56]

Do it at home. You can take the course at a more leisurely pace and it will stick with you better.

 

Just my opinion, but you would be better served getting a few dives under your belts after the basic certification and then getting Advanced Open Water certified before picking up Nitrox. It is just one more level of complexity thrown at you while you are still getting your feet wet. Get comfortable with the skills required for enjoying diving and then build on those. Don't try to rush in, just because it is the "in" thing this week.

 

ken

[CB5150]

Get certified BEFORE your vacation. This will make your vacation more enjoyable and you can focus on your training.

Plan on doing multiple post-training dives BEFORE your vacation. This will improve your skills, make you a better dive buddy and help to protect our fragile underwater environment.

[gliner]

Definitely before your cruise. You live in Deltona, there are plenty of dive shops around you. Find a PADI or NAUI shop and you can finish up over a weekend and be ready for your cruise.

[seadancer]

Thanks for the opinions everyone.

 

We have decided to go looking for the instructor that fits us.

[HookedonSXM]

There is no sense diving Nitrox until you have a fair bit of experience. Most beginning divers suck back a tank of oxygen long before they exceed their bottom time due to nitrogen build up. Until you are surfacing with excess air in your tank routinely diving nitrox is a waste of money. Also there are some dangers inharent with nitrox use that do not mix well with being a beginning diver, the most important of which is you can not exceed certain depths (dependant on the % oxygen you are using) or the oxygen toxicity can kill you.

By all means do at least the classroom and pool portion before you go to Dominica. Get your open water certification and dive Dominica. Get comfortable with all that diving involves, and after you have a fair bit of experience you can decide whether or not you need to be Nitrox certified.

Happy diving!

Beth

[Colorado Kat]

You'll enjoy the dive lessons more if you do them at home before vacation. And they'll stick with you better. Then take a few practice dives on your own. Enjoy!