greatest wish..scuba...can't swim. Need Suggestion

[blackbeauty]

Ok here it goes, .Will be staying in San Juan.. beach resort for 2 day pre cruise August 2 on Carnival visiting 7 different island. My greatest wish is to scuba dive but i can't swim. Is this possible? Any suggestion and possible ? it would cost me

[bruce-r]

Sorry, in order to get certified, you'll need to learn how to swim. It is a requirement.

 

On the other hand, I don't think that is a requirement to do a Discover Scuba dive, but I would not recommend it to someone who doesn't know how to swim.

 

Just take some lessons. It isn't really hard and you don't really have to be an Olympic class swimmer.

[alschmid]

I will be on the cruise with you black beauty....stop over on the roll call forum and say hello!

[jimw]

If you are comfortable around and in the water--maybe try diving. Ask about a Resort Course or Discover Scuba at the resort or look at the excursions for your cruise. The price will likely be more if scheduled thru the cruise line. Prices will range from possibly free at your local dive shop to maybe $125. on a cruiseship excursion. So, maybe try it at home first.

[tombo]

You don't really need to be a strong swimmer in order to scuba dive, and swimming under water is quite different than swimming on the surface (no arms involved). I do believe the certification courses still require you to be able to tread water and perhaps swim a couple of laps in a pool. If you're terrified of the water, scuba is probably not the sport for you, but you don't need to be Johnny Weissmuller either.

[jhmoore143]

I do believe the certification courses still require you to be able to tread water and perhaps swim a couple of laps in a pool

 

I just got certified last week and the swimming requirement was treading water (floating) for 10 minutes and a 200 meter swim. For me, I thought the swim would be a non issue, and I was worried about the treading water timeframe. Needless to say, I almost fell asleep floating for ten minutes (was done immediately after the swim). The swim on the other hand was a killer - and I am no stranger to swimming. The size of the Local Dive Shop (LDS) pool was such that the 200 meters was 15 single laps (or seven and half "down and back" complete laps). I got to about the 5th complete lap when my stomach and abdomen muscles started to cramp up on me. Anyway, obviously by my getting certified, I pushed myself and passed.

 

blackbeauty - if you have a LDS close by I would go talk to them. If they have their own pool, most of the time, they will work with you. The LDS I went through has their own pool (which is why I went there). I was told of a lady who wanted to get certified but couldn't swim. They spent the time to help her learn, now they cant get her out of the water and she is working on her Rescue Dive cert. We have a closer one that uses a public pool (during open pool hours) and even they said they would work with non- and weak swimmers who are interested.

 

My personal opinion would be to talk to a dive shop and when you find one you are comfortable with, do the discover scuba with them and go from there. Another reason I suggested finding one with their own pool - because most of the time they offer the discover for free. All the dive shops around me all charged a fee for the discover except the one I went through. None of the others had their own pool. The other nice thing is if you learn to swim and then want to get certified, the shop that has their own pool are more often than not willing to let you try out the necessary gear before you buy so you know the fit and comfort is right for you. . .

[Capt_BJ]

another idea

 

does your YMCA have a pool? Ask for a recommendation for a swim teacher. Usually you can find a life guard who's willing to give a few private lessons. I can teach a willing student how to swim in 2 hours....{assuming they have no 'fear' of the water and it sounds like you're well past that hump.} Done it several times. After that you just need some practice to build a little endurance.

[sunseeker09]

I agree with those who mention that you don't have to be a great swimmer, but you certainly can't be nervous about the water or not able to swim at all.

It's not really about needing to swim while you're diving. You don't use your arms and just kick your legs. You are underwater and buoyant anyways, so it's not like you need to keep afloat. The real issue is on the surface. Although you do put air in your BCD to float, what IF there was a problem and it didn't hold air. Anyone who goes into the water to snorkel or swim or play or whatever should always know how to swim and not reply on devices (and I feel this goes for kids too with their water wings and what not)

So practice, take a few lessons, get comfortable, and please don't just do a discover scuba to get by the swimming requirements of certification. Just because they might take you, doesn't mean it's a safe thing to do.

 

oh, and btw, the swimming "test" for certification does not require you to swim any particular stroke. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Unfortunately for a friend of ours he was unable to get certified while at a resort in Jamaica because his instructor said he needed to be able to do front crawl all the way. Not so! You can breast stroke, side stroke, back stroke, or even doggie paddle if you want. IF you were ever stranded out in the water, chances are knowing how to tread water would be your best bet anyway.... which... interestingly enough, heavier people with more body fat are much better treading water. Skinny people, or fit, zero body fat types usually really struggle. I have seen it time and time again.

[luv2cruise450]

I understand that the OP blackbeauty wants to scuba and is presently a non swimmer...but to give the OP a 'taste' of what scuba might be like...perhaps you might want to give 'snuba' or a 'helmet dive' a try!? This type of an excursion is offered in many places. You don't go too deep but it's definitely more than just snorkeling. I'm not a strong swimmer by any means so I understand...but I did a snuba excursion while in Moorea and it was awesome! And if from such an excursion it encourages you to take some swimming lessons so that you can go for scuba certification...so much the better. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

[Islandbear]

Blackbeauty GO FOR IT! You can do it!

Lots of people didn't grow up swimming and learn latter in life. My wife is one of those "I am going to swim across the lake before breakfast" types. Me I love the water but wouldn't think of going more than 20-30 feet from shore without flippers on. But with Flippers, Snorkel & a Mask I feel totally comfortable even on open water snorkeling out of sight of land.

 

Start with you local Scuba shop and don't give up till you find someone that will work with you.

 

Also, you do not have to be certified to enjoy the reefs and fish. Snorkeling is a very easy 1st step. The fins or flippers make moving around and treading water a snap. Light weight snorkeling vests will support you if you get tired. You can book a trip on your cruise or better yet locate a dive shop in the ports you are going to visit and email them with your needs. A couple of swim leasons before you leave and a whole new world will open up for you.

 

GOOD LUCK! :D

[topspot]

Blackbeauty, If you feel like you're not a strong enough swimmer, and don't have the time to learn before your cruise, look into this http://www.sea-trek.com/ You may be able to take a helmet dive in one of your ports. We did this a few years ago in Grand Cayman, had a great time. Then start saving for your next cruise, learn to swim, get dive certified and have a blast:D

[Cruisinini]

Learning to swim I think is very important and if you can learn scuba then you can learn to swim. I very much admire your desire to learn!

 

DH and I just took the class and got certified a couple of weeks ago. As a previous poster mentioned, we had to tread water for 10 minutes which was much easier than expected. Also, had to swim 200 meters which is farther and tiring BUT we were allowed to do the swim with snorkel and fins if we went 300 meters instead of the 200 which was much easier to do! So, if given the option I definitely recommend snorkel over a regular swim even if it is farther.

[Wspinelli]

Can't swim a stroke, or not a great swimmer? Are you comfortable in the water? If you aren't a strong swimmer but are comfortable in the water you can learn to dive. Talk to a dive shop at home before you go interview the instructor, and ask the same questions you have asked here. Make sure they allow ample pool time to give you time to get comfortable with the skills. When I started diving I wasn't a strong swimmer, it has been 30 years since then and my love for diving hasn't faded, so go ahead and give it a try!

[Jade13]

Ok here it goes, .Will be staying in San Juan.. beach resort for 2 day pre cruise August 2 on Carnival visiting 7 different island. My greatest wish is to scuba dive but i can't swim. Is this possible? Any suggestion and possible ? it would cost me

 

Well, my DH can't swim but he can dive. Apparently you don't need to swim, but of course can't be afraid of the water. We were in Bali and our friends took us on a dive boat. It was the 15 minute lesson and I wasn't going to do it but my DH went right off and under a large boat. We than went to the Great Barrier reef and I watched him diving while I went snorkeling. You don't need to swim to dive.

 

Btw, he still can't swim on the water and he can't tread at all. Where you are going is probably more cautious like in the US, but in Bali and Australia they didn't care that he couldn't swim.

[Islandbear]

They are right, it is very easy to "Swim" when you have fins on. Just a little flutter will keep a 250 pound man up in the water or shoot you forward. But, take it slow and take some swimming lessons. Being in the water is all about confidence. You will feel much more confidence after one or two lessons.

 

YES YOU CAN!