On board PADI certification and then Cayman

[scarlett1]

My husband wants to get his PADI recertified while we are on RC. They offer certification for Cozumel and Cayman. We stop in Cozumel first. If he gets recertified in Cozumel (they have a dive connected with certificatin there), can he then do a tank dive in Cayman? He'd like to do both, if possible.:)

[NM_Eman]

My husband wants to get his PADI recertified while we are on RC. They offer certification for Cozumel and Cayman. We stop in Cozumel first. If he gets recertified in Cozumel (they have a dive connected with certificatin there), can he then do a tank dive in Cayman? He'd like to do both, if possible.:)

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "re-certification." PADI does not re-certify. If he has an open water certification and its been a while since his last dive I'm assuming he wants to do a refresher course. If that is the case, he can dive as much as he wants. If you're talking about his initial certification, he can dive within his training and experience after his four open water dives and his instructor has signed off on his certification.

Kent

PADI OSWI

[ColumbiaMDCanadian]

Just a quick heads up... from what I've seen the ship's courses are not open-water certification courses but rather only 'resort' courses (PADI's 'Discover Scuba' course).

[drew sailbum]

These course descriptions are for courses through a PADI instructor. Most, though certainly not all, dive centers in teh Caribbean basin have at least one PADI instructor on staff.

 

 

Discover Scuba Diving sometimes called a resort course. This is usually a one day program with a short theory discussion (often poolside), a short skills practice session, and a dive. Depth limit is 40ft, and the first dive must be accompanied by an instructor. This is not a certification course. There are procedures for doing additional dives to a max depth of 40ft under supervision, which may be conducted by an instructor or a divemaster. You have to repeat the entire procedure on your following vacation.

 

PADI Scuba Diver is an abbreviated course and is commonly conducted in the resort and cruise industry. It is a certification course, but the certification comes with restrictions. The course is normally about 2 to 2.5 days, and involves some bookwork, quizzes, pool training, and two training dives in open water. The certification still requires you to dive accompanied by a dive professional (Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, Instructor, etc...) to a maximum depth of 40ft. You do not have to repeat this training every vacation, unlike a Discover Scuba Diving course. AFAIK, PADI is the only agency promoting this lower level introductory course.

 

Open Water Diver is a full training course designed to teach you the skills necessary to dive with any certified dive buddy and without professional supervision. The course usually takes at least 3 to 3.5 full days, though is often taught as one or two nights per week over a month at dive centers in the States. The course involves academic work (including quizzes and a final exam), more swimming pool training, and at least 4 open water training dives.

 

 

It is always a good idea to get a cruise line or any dive center to explicitly state which of these courses is being offered.