RCCL PADI scuba certification

[rbw141]

We are going to the Carribean on RCCL next month and are interested in scuba diving. The cruise line shows and excursion that includes certification. Does anyone know if this is PADI Open Water Diver certification or something less?

Thanks!!!

[scubaran]

We are going to the Carribean on RCCL next month and are interested in scuba diving. The cruise line shows and excursion that includes certification. Does anyone know if this is PADI Open Water Diver certification or something less?

Thanks!!!

 

Hi,

 

Doubt it's a certification but most likely a discover scuba where they show you some basic safety and then allow you to do a dive with a certified instructor (kinda an intro to scuba sort of thing). These don't count towards any certification. PADI requires several hours of book work, two hours in a confined area like a pool, four checkout dives. But I could be wrong, might post the description here so myself and others can see what you're looking at.

 

Randall

[bruce-r]

Royal Caribbean offers scuba diver certifitcation course on their Voyager class ships. It is not the full Open Water certification as it only has 2 open water checkout dives, but it is more than just a Discover Scuba dive.

 

The better choice is the Referral program where you do the class work and pool dives with your local dive shop, then do the 4 open water checkout dives on the cruise to get the full Open Water certification.

[Katdb]

Hi rbw141,

 

Just wanted to let you know that you CAN be fully certified on certain RCCL ships. I was certified as a scuba diver one year, and then as an open water diver the next year on the Navigator of the Seas. There was the option of doing the both scuba diver and open water diver in the same week, but we already had excursions planned on the 2nd day of qualifying dives.

 

PM me if you have any more questions!

Katdb

[xSandman3`]

Just want to clarify SCUBA Diver vs. Open Water Diver. SCUBA Diver certification requires you to dive with a PADI Pro, Divemaster or higher. It is basically half of the OW course. An Open Water Diver may dive without supervision, and is fully certified.

 

My advice is to find a local instructor, get certified first, and don't waste your cruise time sitting in class.

 

Dale

PADI OWSI

[Katdb]

My advice is to find a local instructor, get certified first, and don't waste your cruise time sitting in class.

 

To offer my experience rbw141, I don't feel that I 'wasted my cruise time'. It was

- one morning of learning in the pool (which I would have been sleeping in anyways)

- some on my own studying time (completed while basking in the sun poolside & had I not been taking the course, I would have been just been reading a novel),

-a few hours of 'class time' and then our qualifying dives at the port.

 

I LOVED completing my first ever dives in the warm, beautiful clear blue caribbean waters and I found the instructors on the ship were great. I'm taking my advanced open water this summer at my local dive shop, but I definitely checked to see if RCCL would offer this (unfortunately they don't :P) Bruce-r brings up a good point, another option would be to do the classwork at home, and then the qualifying dives on the ship.

 

Hope this helps!

[xSandman3`]

- one morning of learning in the pool (which I would have been sleeping in anyways)

- some on my own studying time (completed while basking in the sun poolside & had I not been taking the course, I would have been just been reading a novel),

-a few hours of 'class time' and then our qualifying dives at the port.

 

Exactly my point. This is the problem with resort type courses, they allow no extra time for remediation. One day of pool work is not enough. A typical OW class has at least 12 hours of work in the pool, split over multiple sessions so you have time to reflect on mastering skills. The academic portion of the class can be completed at home using PADI's eLearning, but if you are completing it during a class, a few hours of class time is simply inadequate. There are 6 hours of videos that you are required to watch before being certified, as well as at least 10 hours of class time for Knowledge Reviews, Quizzes, and the Final Exam.

 

I'm glad you had a positive experience, but I know that if you had had "issues", there would not have been time to complete the course safely, which is what it's all about.

[Jimmers]

My dw and I were scuba certified last year on the Navigator. We also completed the classroom/pool part of the open water certification. We did another cruise a few months later and did our final two open water dives in Grand Cayman on our own.

 

Here's a link to another discussion on a similar question from the RCI board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=771145

[satxdiver]

I agree with you xSandman3. Get your certification at home before going on the cruise and perhaps some underwater experience. The instructor will take the time to make sure you have mastered the techniques. You will not be rushed to get it done in a short time. If you live in a cold clime, then at least do the pool work at home and finish in the warm Caribbean.

 

It is important that you get the skills down and are able to react immediately to any problems (i.e. broken hose, mask knocked off, regulator stops, etc). I have seen several divers panic underwater when something simple happened. Be forewarned, SCUBA dives do die every year because something happened and they panicked.