RCI Sea Trek Scuba Certification?

[agc291]

Has anyone participated in this? http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experience/html.do?exCode=611

 

We are debating getting certified, we took a discover scuba class in St Thomas and fell in love. I came across this offering from Royal Caribbean and thought I would check it out as it is much cheaper than us getting certified at home. I am concerned about hidden fees as well as it says it is 2 open water dives and I thought you needed 4 to be certified?

 

Any info is appreciated!! Thanks!

[pamawi]

If I'm reading this right you wouldn't be fully certified with this class and you would be limited to diving with a dive master and only to 40ft. I recommend taking the full Open Water class with pool sessions at a home town dive shop where you won't be rushed and use the PADI referral program through RCCL to do your checkout dives in the cruise ports.

 

 

 

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/scuba-diver/default.aspx

 

 

This certification allows for ample dive experience and is a good warm-up for the Open Water Diver course, if that’s your ultimate goal. PADI Scuba Divers are qualified to:

 

• Dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor to a maximum depth of 12 metres / 40 feet
  
• Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in other diving activities as long as they have the required supervision
  
• Continue their dive training and complete PADI Open Water Diver certification and other courses such as Project AWARE and equipment specialty courses
  

[Kryssa]

They are offering the Scuba Diver certification, not Open Water certification. I would do the full certification at home before you go, even if its more expensive.

 

The Scuba Diver certification is difficult to dive with. You are limited to 40 feet and most dive ops take their regular certified divers deeper, so you would have to hire a private DM for yourself when you want to dive. I think in the long run, its cheaper to pay for the full certification, plus you'll get to visit better dive sites.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Capt_BJ]

search and you'll find older threads on this topic

 

this RCI program can result in 'SCUBA Diver' certification .... NOT 'Open Water Diver'

 

From PADI.com:

 

PADI Scuba Diver Course

 

Short on time and long on the urge to become a certified diver? The PADI Scuba Diver certification might just be for you. This course requires less time than the PADI Open Water Diver course, covering only the first three of five sections of knowledge development, the first three of five pool sessions, and the first two of four open water training dives, resulting in a limited certification. Particularly if you expect to go scuba diving primarily in the company of a dive guide or if you have limited time to devote to scuba certification, consider becoming a PADI Scuba Diver.

 

One problem I have with this course is it would seem logical that someone who completes it would want to continue on the full Open Water but good luck finding class that just gives you part two .... IME you are going to end up taking a full Open Water course. You'll notice that the official PADI list of courses does not include just a 'part two' .. and you don't just need 2 more dives, you've only done part of the pool work as well.

 

You CAN complete PADI open water certification in a weekend. dd did this just last year. You can now sign up for PADI eLearning and complete all the book work on line. Once completed you contact a dive store and set up to do the 'wet part'. dd did the book part at school and on spring break we went to Key Largo. Saturday morning was a pool session and ALL the pool drills were done. Next off for a two tank dive that afternoon. Sunday another two tank dive with the instructor and BINGO ... Open Water cert' is done. In theory you could arrange the dives during two port calls - these are allowed and called 'referral dives' - you must dive with an instructor on the 4 checkout dives.

 

You can even do the checkout dives in Northern VA .... when I lived in Woodbridge many dive shopes used a quarry in Triagle I think it was .... kinda cold and not exactly the Carrib' but you COULD do it . . .

 

Here's dd and I about to step off for a night dive at Sunset House just a couple of weeks ago

[Capt_BJ]

THIS appears on another section of this site today:

 

He took an extra class ( on board) and has his open water certification. We think he paid an additional $100. The Sea Trek "office" called our stateroom toward the end of his instruction to see if he was interested in the additional training. This was on Oasis in 2010.

 

I make no comment ..... 'cept it worries me . . . .

[agc291]

Thanks all . We are most likely going to get certified before hand or wait until after. Either way we are opting out of the Royal program. Oasis is a massive ship with a lot to be seen and we would rather spend our time exploring her than in "class". There is a dive center 2 minutes from my work that I will check out this week and see so that we can get all the necessary info before we start.