DBL007 Posted January 2, 2006 #1 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hello everyone, I just recently found this website; and I have to say it's been a wealth of information. Greatly appreciated! :) I am going on my second cruise, leaving in a week, yay, on the Jewel of the Seas, western carribean. Has anyone ever gotten their certifcation offered by RCL? How much "class/pool" time is required, afterall, this is my vacation! Are the open water training dives in Cozemel good or more like a training session? Also, is $250pp high? I can't decide whether i should just stick to snorkeling (which I've never done either) or spend the $$. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funforsun Posted January 2, 2006 #2 Share Posted January 2, 2006 My daughter did this 3 years ago on NOS and the certification was a "Scuba Diver", not an "Open Water Diver". The difference is that a Scuba Diver cannot get tanks refilled on their own, and must dive with a certified Dive Master. It does take some time, and unless this is something that you really want to do, you would spend your time better by getting the Open Water cert before you go. I don't know if this has changed, but just wanted you to be aware of the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou_70 Posted January 2, 2006 #3 Share Posted January 2, 2006 My daughter did this 3 years ago on NOS and the certification was a "Scuba Diver", not an "Open Water Diver". The difference is that a Scuba Diver cannot get tanks refilled on their own, and must dive with a certified Dive Master. It does take some time, and unless this is something that you really want to do, you would spend your time better by getting the Open Water cert before you go. I don't know if this has changed, but just wanted you to be aware of the issue. nope your right on the money... my brother in law got it on our last cruise... takes all day (12 hours) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuitMyDayJob Posted January 2, 2006 #4 Share Posted January 2, 2006 We just did it on NOS in Dec. First I would say, if you can do the whole open water course before you go, you should--more time, more detail and at the end you have an Open Water certificate. The other poster is right, you only do the Scuba Diver certification through the ship, which among the things listed also limits the depth you can dive. Having said all that, I will say it was very much worth the money and the time. We had class sessions and homework and pool dives and open water dives (in St. Thomas for us.) The instructor was Shane Roberts and he was very knowledgeable and helpful and did not cut corners at all. He was very clear, as others have also said, that this is JUST THE BEGINNING of the training that's necessary to be a safe diver. (Someone likened it to a driver's license, you are by no means a good or even totally safe driver just because you passed the test and got your license.) We had done three Discovery dives prior to this experience, and one of those dives was with a very good instructor, which made some of what we learned in the Scuba Diver course review (clearing your mask, using your buddy's alternate airsource, etc.) I might not have done it if I had never scuba dived before. Having a thorough instructor makes ALL the difference in my opinion. So I guess my advice would be to consider a Discovery dive on this trip, if you've never dived before-they're almost always offered-and do some snorkeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamkidc Posted January 2, 2006 #5 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Do it before you go! Espically if you are going to dive in cozumel because most dives there are drift dives. I remember the first ocean dive I ever went on, I was scared, and I already had 10 dives under my belt at the time. So the more "REAL" experience you can get in before you go will make for a better dive on your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertArtist Posted January 2, 2006 #6 Share Posted January 2, 2006 If you enjoy scuba - or think you might - read Shadow Divers. Excellent book and gives you a true feel for the "weight" of the experience. It is not to be taken lightly even if it is a "leisure sport". Open water diving is serious business and I have seen people *pop* to the surface because they did not know what they were doing. Good instruction is key. I would agree to take your time and do it right over a period of time. Or try SNUBA ( if offered - no certification needed as you are tethered to a surface floating tank ) to see if you even enjoy the underwater experience. I think you are limited to 40 feet - but you get the feel of underwater breathing. So - which is better diving experts out there? I got my OW cert in Cayman and that set the bar high. Doing the Explorer for thanksgiving & will hit Cayman, Belize and Cosumel on that trip. If you were to dive once on that cruise......which is the prime spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mombandy4 Posted January 2, 2006 #7 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I did a discover scuba in Barbados a couple of years back and loved it! My friend ,however, decided that she didn't feel comfortable enough with the training and opted out of the dive portion. The dive company let her snorkel around the wreck while we dove. I guess it all depends on the individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgraham56 Posted January 2, 2006 #8 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Most dive shops offer an open water course that can be completed in a single weekend. The cost was about the same as what they want to charge on the ship and you get a full certification at the end of it. If you have time, you can also take the course during the week (most shops do it two nights a week for 2-3 weeks) where you get book work one night and wet the other or if your local dive shop has a pool, you get book work and pool work each night. Then you take the open water dives, usually the following weekend. If you want to get an open water certification you will need to go through this anyway, so save yourself the duplication and added cost; get the open water certification from your local dive shop first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funforsun Posted January 2, 2006 #9 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Most dive shops offer an open water course that can be completed in a single weekend. I hope this isn't true. To get my Open Water cert, I had to attend class on 2 thrusday nights, pool work on two weekends and two dives, one off a boat and one off the shore. I can't see how you can get all this work done in 1 single weekend. There is a bit to learn, and I hope that PADI hasn't dumbed down this program to allow for "faster" cert program. Diving is difficult enough without trying to cram all that info into a single weekend.....but that is only my opinion. I realize that part of your post included my description above as the normal way, and I hope that is how everyone actually does it to remain as safe as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBL007 Posted January 2, 2006 Author #10 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Thanks everyone for all your advice; I think I will stick to "discover scuba" or maybe snuba and snorkeling. We have a dive shop locally, but i think i will wait until the summer months. New England waters in the winter would be a bit much for me; even with a full suit!! ;) What exactly does snuba and discover scuba entail? Again, this is only my second cruise, my first was a bit overwhelming and we didn't do the excursions. Leaving on Sunday, yay!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou_70 Posted January 2, 2006 #11 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I have never taken any kind of scuba diving class at all, but I did stay at a holiday inn select last night? will that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbrooks34 Posted January 2, 2006 #12 Share Posted January 2, 2006 If you enjoy scuba - or think you might - read Shadow Divers. Excellent book and gives you a true feel for the "weight" of the experience. It is not to be taken lightly even if it is a "leisure sport". Open water diving is serious business and I have seen people *pop* to the surface because they did not know what they were doing. Good instruction is key. I would agree to take your time and do it right over a period of time. Or try SNUBA ( if offered - no certification needed as you are tethered to a surface floating tank ) to see if you even enjoy the underwater experience. I think you are limited to 40 feet - but you get the feel of underwater breathing. So - which is better diving experts out there? I got my OW cert in Cayman and that set the bar high. Doing the Explorer for thanksgiving & will hit Cayman, Belize and Cosumel on that trip. If you were to dive once on that cruise......which is the prime spot? Dive all three! I think it depends on the dive conditions at the time. And the type of dives you want to do. There are more advanced dives in Cayman and Cozumel. I am not that familiar with Belize since I have not dived there. I think if the decision was between Coz and Cayman, I would choose Coz. Good drift diving there and surface intervals on the beach with a cool drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_BJ Posted January 2, 2006 #13 Share Posted January 2, 2006 If anyone mentioned this I glossed over it..... It is possible to do all the classroom and pool work @ home then do the check-out dives 'by referal' on your trip. The dive shop will document what you've done and you arrange with a dive master either on your own or via the ship. It takes a little coordination but you can get the best of both worlds. Stop by a dive shop and ask about it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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