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Diving: Should we certify at home first or in Tahiti?


TessieTravels
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We are planning a vacation in Tahiti and plan on scuba diving. DH has dived a handful of times but never certified and I have dived once and enjoyed it. We want to dive during our vacation in Tahiti planned for 2020 and are trying to decide if we should do a certification course here at home and be able to have more diving opportunities in Tahiti or take a certification course in Tahiti. We will be in Tahiti for 10-12 days, we live in Northern Nevada where our certification would take place in a very beautiful and VERY cold lake (Lake Tahoe). I would like to dive in Rangiroa if appropriate for our experience level. Any thoughts and advice?

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If you certify at hime you may fine excuses to get more water time logged before your trip. The currents are strong in some of the popular spots and having experience will make the experience safer and more enjoyable.

 

At the very minimum, you should hit the local gym and pool more often. Dive tanks etc are heavy and awkward, and if you're not conditioned you'll fatigue out faster.

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Maggietc, thank you, I wasn’t even thinking about the strength of currents. That is a great point too about gaining experience with more dives prior will help for a more enjoyable & safer trip especially being in another country far from home

 

 

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Maggietc, thank you, I wasn’t even thinking about the strength of currents. That is a great point too about gaining experience with more dives prior will help for a more enjoyable & safer trip especially being in another country far from home

 

 

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We're not even sailing until next March, but I've already upped my fitness routine. Once you've been put through the Caribbean Rinse Cycle, you never want to repeat the experience. (Location may vary, but rambunctious currents do not.)

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Wow, that far in advance. So, I was thinking we would start the certification process summer of 2019 for the Oct. 2020 trip. But, it sounds like a better plan is to look into certifying this summer, and working on our fitness & looking for diving opportunities this year & next to better prepare for 2 years from now. I really appreciate your guidance Maggietc, We were going back & forth about when to start & what areas in California we may want to get experience in after we certify, but honestly I was only thinking in terms of 10 dives prior. We even had the conversation if we start next summer, we may wish we would have started sooner...I think we need to “start sooner”.

 

 

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I have run the pass in Rangiroa and it was a fantastic experience. But we had a new diver with us and he had such a difficult time that he had to hold the dive master's hand :( This is not for inexperienced divers.

 

My first suggestion is that you do your classroom and pool work with a local dive shop at home. Before you sign up, be sure that they can give you a referral to a dive shop in Tahiti. Check out PADI affiliated dive ops in both places. Do your open water dives, completing your training in Tahiti. The reason I suggest that is because the conditions in Tahiti will be very different from the conditions in Lake Tahoe. For one thing, the water in Tahiti will be much warmer; you might not even need a wet suit. For another, in Tahiti you'll be diving in salt water instead of fresh. Both of those will change the amount of weight you'll need, among other things.

 

On the other hand, if you want to run the pass in Rangiroa, you'll need as much diving experience as you can get. You could make a dive trip in 2019 to Cozumel where you could finish your certification and get some experience in warm salt water with currents. Also sharks, of which there are some in Cozumel and lots in Tahiti.

 

Third option, get certified however is most convenient and when you get to Tahiti, have fun doing beautiful shallow dives. No need to run the pass in Rangiroa. There are lots of other, less challenging dives.

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As others have said get the certification before you go so that you are not using time on your vacation for certification dives. Forget the pass on Rangiroa, you need a lot of experience. When I dove that during my last trip it was challenging. Pretty rough on the surface, you needed the back roll entry and an immediate descent, controlled depth and then a pretty fierce current. There are other dives in Rangiroa which are beautiful but without the current.

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There really aren't many things in life where procrastinating is the best option.

I hope you have a great experience with your undersea adventure!

 

 

Maggietc, you are so right, now I have to just MAKE my brain follow through.

 

 

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I have run the pass in Rangiroa and it was a fantastic experience. But we had a new diver with us and he had such a difficult time that he had to hold the dive master's hand :( This is not for inexperienced divers.

 

My first suggestion is that you do your classroom and pool work with a local dive shop at home. Before you sign up, be sure that they can give you a referral to a dive shop in Tahiti. Check out PADI affiliated dive ops in both places. Do your open water dives, completing your training in Tahiti. The reason I suggest that is because the conditions in Tahiti will be very different from the conditions in Lake Tahoe. For one thing, the water in Tahiti will be much warmer; you might not even need a wet suit. For another, in Tahiti you'll be diving in salt water instead of fresh. Both of those will change the amount of weight you'll need, among other things.

 

On the other hand, if you want to run the pass in Rangiroa, you'll need as much diving experience as you can get. You could make a dive trip in 2019 to Cozumel where you could finish your certification and get some experience in warm salt water with currents. Also sharks, of which there are some in Cozumel and lots in Tahiti.

 

Third option, get certified however is most convenient and when you get to Tahiti, have fun doing beautiful shallow dives. No need to run the pass in Rangiroa. There are lots of other, less challenging dives.

 

 

Island woman, I like the idea of starting locally & certifying somewhere else. I didn’t realize that was an option. Thank you for all the options. I am making calls this weekend & will ask the referral question for sure

 

 

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Flightmedic555, thank you, I could not decifer if there were other dive options in Rangiroa or not. We’re definitely planning on getting certified this year & diving in California & Mexico between now & Tahiti. I was wondering if Rangiroa was the right island, but you helped me that, thank you!

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Thank you everyone, we have officially signed up for our Open Water Certification Course here at a local dive shop!

 

Congrats on getting started early. I think it's best to get in as much experience as you can. Buoyancy is the main difference between fresh, salt, warm and cold water. The differences in salinity is one thing and there is also a big difference between cold and warm water because of the wet suit. I wore a 1/4" wet suit in Monterey Bay/San Fransisco area. After moving to Key West I didn't wear one at all so you will wear less in weights. You want the best buoyancy control you can have so you don't step on any corals and damage them (this is something a lot of people don't think about) or cut yourself. I was certified by NAUI & PADI in Monterey Bay, CA. so I know what it's like diving in cold water. If you can make it to So Cal and Mexico then that's even better.

 

One thing I would do is to get a mask and snorkel that fits well and bring it with you. A mask shouldn't leak at all and the snorkel should be very comfortable in your mouth if you snorkel for very long. You will rent the rest of the gear, but for me it just grosses me out using a strangers equipment. They say they clean them, but I have seen tours come in and out going tours just pick up the same equipment. :eek: When just starting out it's better to rent all the equipment including the mask and snorkel. I would just spray it with alcohol or something to clean it and then rinse it. I know it's probably not necessary but I just gross out at the thought. After learning about the equipment (even if it is just a mask and snorkel that you will be buying) you will have a better idea about what you will want. The dive shop will want to sell you what they have, but I would also look around. There are some dive/snorkel forums that you can join to get a lot more info. Have fun and be safe.

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you all again! We Certified!!!! Very excited as we did not realize that the various dive shops put on dive trips and monthly fun dives to help us become more comfortable. ReneeFLL, thank you for the tip on the dive/snorkel forums, I have been trolling a couple of them.

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