Learn at home...or On board

[Zark427]

I'm looking for some opinions on where my wife and I should get scuba certified. My big question is, should we do it at home; between a swimming pool, a quarry, and/or the lovely (muddy) Potomac River; or just wait until we get on board; in the on board pool and the lovely Carib water. I know that there are alot of factors, money, time, etc... But, will the excursions be that much better if we do it before hand... What will we be able to do if we do it on board... What should we bring on board if we get the cert at home... How much time is eaten up on board if we do it there... Any help you could offer would be great, thanks.

Explorer 10/02
Honeymoon Cruise - Voyager - 04/04/04
- Cancelled - We got married, but I got a new job... Postponed until...
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Delta Tau Chi takes over the Adventure of the Seas

[Orcrone]

First of all congratulations on your marriage. I got certified locally, so I don't know about cruise courses. If they're of the same level as regular courses there is a large amount of time spent in the classroom and in a pool. As much as I love scuba diving I don't think I'd want to spend my honeymoon on a cruise in a classroom and pool. If the cruise course does not take as much time I'd have to wonder where they're cutting corners.

I think I'd either get fully certified, or at least get my classroom and pool time in at home and do the certification dives in the Caribbean.

On a seperate note, every time I've gone diving in the states the dive masters have [B]always[/B] been very safety conscious. But I've had some less than ideal situations in the Caribbean.

On my honeymoon most people were extreme novices, got certified at home and were doing their first dives in Jamaica. The dives were about 90 feet. Myself and the divemaster (only one for a group of about 10 people) were the only ones diving with computers. According to my computer I was pushing the limits when I got back on the boat. That meant that people who were diving using dive tables (you'll learn about it when you get certified) were way over their safe limits. Also, when you first start diving you tend to suck down air a lot quicker. One person got on board with almost no air left and one person could not complete his safety stop (stop around 15 feet for 5 minutes at end of dive) because he actually ran out of air.

In Cozumel, the divemaster wasn't bad, but I thought he did not pay enough attention to who was behind him, considering once again some novices.

I'm not trying to scare you, just trying to point out why it may not be a bad idea having a couple of dives under your belt before going on the cruise.

[sddiver]

Orcrone gives good advice. You will be on vacation, enjoy yourselves. Get the classroom and pool portions of your certification done at home. If you have time I would also get your checkout dives done. It's been years since my certification and memory is fuzzy but I think we did 4-5 dives before being certified. On a cruise that will entail at least two ports if not more. The open water dives will be much like the pool dives without the pool. You will be performing drills of skills you need to be proficient at. IE removing masks and putting them back on, buddy breathing, bouancy checks ect ect. Wouldn't you rather be exploring and checking out all the fish and corals??
As a side note, I was certified in So Cal where the water is cold, visibility is marginal and entries were made through waves ect. In my opinion this made me a more capable diver because the conditions were less than ideal. My first dives in the Caribbean were a joke in comparison, they were so easy and fun. But in my mind I know if things got rough I've had the experience both mentally and physically that will enable me to deal with most anything.

Have a great time
Rich

[sportsterjohn]

I did the classroom / pool dives at home then did my check out dives in roatan / cancun. I would not want to spend half my cruise sitting in a classroom!! You actual check out dives do have you demonstrate some of the skills that you do in the classroom but it only takes up a fraction of your bottom time. Just make sure that you use the more reputable dive shops at your ports and contact them first to make sure that they will have an instructor dedicated to you and your wife.

NCL Sea 3/03
RCCL Sovereign 10/03
NCL Dream 3/7/2004

[Zark427]

Thank you all for the info... I kindof figured that would be the answer, but just wanted to check... One more question though, what equip should we have if we are only going to be rec. divers.

Explorer 10/02
Honeymoon Cruise - Voyager - 04/04/04
- Cancelled - We got married, but I got a new job... Postponed until...
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;10;17;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Delta Tau Chi takes over the Adventure of the Seas

[w&k]

Zark(2)-

My sweetie learned to dive within 2 months of meeting me, and he's still my favorite dive buddy 11 years and 200 dives later (and almost 6 years married). [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Definitely get certified before you go, or at least take your classes. There is a thread somewhere on this board that has more opinions on the subject.

On the subject of gear -

Buy a high-quality mask that FITS YOU. The mask fits if you can put it on your face, press in very gently, and it stays stuck to your face (no strap). Look for a very soft skirt, replaceable hinges, etc. and keep it in the case!

If you like your hair to stay on your head, then buy a neoprene mask strap.

If you plan to snorkel, get one that has some type of a lower vent, and does not pull the mask out of alignment.

Then buy a pair of comfortable booties & fins & a weight belt.

If you are going to be a once or twice a year diver, then rent your gear (from a reputable shop). Once you get hooked, then think about buying the rest. However, there is nothing like your own stuff for being comfortable and knowing what to expect.

A lot of people forget that scuba gear can't just be tucked in the closet ready for next time. Regs and BC's need yearly checkups and cleanings, and tanks need to be visually inspected and neck tested once a year. The tab for these items can run into a bit of cash. Average price for yearly service down here might be - regs $50, BC $20, VIP 15$ including fill (air only, each tank).

Welcome to the wonderful world of diving!

Wendy

[starsjohn]

I did the Princess program on the ship. First, I received all the class materials at home and did all the questions and pre-class room work.

I then went to my local dive shop and had them outfit me with the gear. I could not do my classes there due to timing.

On ship, I was the only one signed up, so I got private lessons. Because I was a good boy and had studied hard before going, I spent only one morning doing all of the classroom and taking the exam. Spent just one morning in the big beautiful pool on the Dawn Princess doing all the confined dives.

Did my ocean dives with the regularly scheduled dives, but with my instructor.

I was on B2B trips so I had the whole next week for dives. For me, this whole process was a big money-saver over local diving certification, and I had a great instructor who was a bundle of youthful atleltic energy.

John

[randolph]

My wife and I did the full certification
course (open water) on the RCI ecplorer,
From books, to study and classroom tests,
pool work and of course the 2 dives at
Cozumel and two in Grand Cayman. YES, it
would have been easier to have taken the
tests at homes, BUT in our cast wasn't
feasable location or timewise. It can be
done and you will have a lot of fun so you
can dive on all the other cruises in your
lifetime. Now we take 2 cruises a year and
get 4 to 6 tank dives each cruise.