PADI Certification and a first dive ???

[bandt]

Hi folks

 

Could anyone give us some friendly and straight-talk advice?

Is it feasible for us, in our late fifties (fit but not slim !), to think about getting the certification for a first dive? What would the cost be for the whole experience?

I don't mind if anyone says "stick to snorkeling" !!!

 

All the best

 

bandt

 

P.S. We are on the 13 night Papeete to Fiji.

[Cruisedreamer1]

Our daughter took the discovery dive class on the PG to see if she would like scuba diving. It starts in the pool and the instructor teaches you enough to be able to take a beginner dive with him. She loved it and came home to be certified for the next cruise. Why spend your valuable time in the pool to be PADI certified while there?

 

When do you plan to be on the ship? You may have enough time to be PADI certified before you go. Also, you may not like it and by taking the discovery class and dive you will not be investing so much time and money.

 

By the way, Tonga had the best diving per our daughter who on the next PG cruise dove everywhere there was diving.

[FlightMedic555]

I am your age and surely not slim. About 8 years ago I took a resort course and loved the idea of diving. The resport course, which goes by other names but is available off the ship and elsewhere, is basically a short (maybe 15 minute) discussion about diving and then you are shown the diving equipment. After some "tinkering" you go in the pool for some practice including some safety training. This includes what do do if some water gets in your mask, what to do if the regulator comes out of your mouth and how to safely descend and ascend during and after the dive. The pool session lasts from between 30 and 60 minutes. You then, probably later that day or the next day, do a dive in the ocean/sea that is considered an "open water" dive (not a pool dive). This dive is usually kept shallow, no more than 30 feet and you will be with a dive instructor. The instructor will have only a few people diving with him/her. Underwater time during this dive is usually about 40 minutes.

 

I would definitely go for this. It is great to see the coral, fish, etc. After I did this I did become certified which entails class and pool practice, usually 5 sessions that last for about 2-3 hours each. After this I had to complete five (maybe 4) open water (in the ocean/sea) dives with a dive master. During each of these dives we spent the first 5-10 minutes in the water practicing a skill learned in class/pool and then enjoyed the rest of the dive (30-40 more minutes) underwater. At the conclusion of these open water dives I was PADI "certified".

 

I did the class and pool sessions here in NY and the open water sessions, called the referral dives, in Aruba. I have never gone diving in NY as I want great visibility and warm water. I have been fortunate to do some dives in Grand Cayman, Curacao, Togabo, Aruba, The Bay Islands of Honduras and Hawaii. This coming July we head to FP for 5 nights in Moorea and then the 11 night PG cruise. I plan on getting in some dives during this trip.

[bandt]

Many thanks Cruisedreamer and Flightmedic555 for your answers and advice. I think that maybe I caused confusion when I said "certification". What I really meant was "take a beginner's course so we would be able to do a dive and see if we liked it"....... so both your answers were very appropriate. We are looking forward to taking the pool session followed by an accompanied dive that will, I'm sure, enable us to see something different from snorkeling.

 

All the best

 

Bandt

[wildcat68]

Bandt, I am a certified diver and will be on the ship the next cruise, May 22, Fiji- Tahiti. I didn't become certified until I was 58, and whenever I go on a dive trip I an happy to see I not the oldest, nor heaviest! I will address cost. Without going back and checking, PGC charges about two to three times what you expect to pay elsewhere. Good training is most valuable as a diver. I am sure they are very competent aboard, but if I were to go back knowing what I now know, I would arrive there with the training and maximize my time aboard in other ways. This would allow you to take a cert course for a reasonable amount. I also would not be concerned about the certification agency, PADI, NAUI, etc. They are all accepted worldwide, and all have great training. Many dive training facilities will do a intro dive free, or nearly free, just to see if you like it. Most do like it. BUT, the familiarization course, resort course, try it course, are all not likely accepted as "training" elsewhere. So, if it were me, and I thought I really might like to dive, I would look into certification before the cruise. That way you decide ahead of time, if you like it (you will) you arrive ready to dive. The dive crew on board will treat you with as an inexperienced, but trained diver and will observe your skills.

There are other reasons to do this first.

Diving has some fairly stringent medical requirements.

Training is key to safety, do it while concentrating on the course, not the cruise.

You will not do the Familiarization course, and then WISH you had taken the cert course ahead of time.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Mike

[FlightMedic555]

Mike's reply reminded me of one thing. You do need to fill out a physical form before you dive. If you are a certified diver I do not believe you have to do this. Some places require a physician to complete the form and I believe that if you are over 50 this may be required. I saw on some distant post that the physician on the ship will do this but for a fee. You may want to check into this to have it done at home to save some $$.

[egret]

I was certified 30 years ago and didn't know whether the PG would accept my PADI Card when I got on board. They asked me to have the ship's docotr check me out and do a little refresher course on board. Based on this, I would expect they would require you to be checked by the ship's doctor also.

I also would reccomend you do the class work and maybe some pool work before you go onboard the PG. Bring your documentation with you and the dive crew will take care of the rest. Why spend time in paradise in a classroom or swimming pool?

The crew is prepared to work with a variety of experience so that is not an issue. You can talk to one of the dive crew on the first night at the excursion desk to decide which dive you might get the most out of.

[bandt]

Thank you all for your great contributions to my thread.

 

Flightmedic555 - your suggestion to contact my Doctor before travelling is good advice. (I generally have a Doctor's and Dentist's check-up before vacations - it can save a lot of hassle.)

 

I called PG Cruises and they kindly e-mailed me the Diving medical questionnaire. If you answer "yes" to any of the questions you are supposed to get a check-up with the on-board Doctor or have a certificate from your General Practitioner.

 

I'm beginning to think that some good quality snorkelling would be less restrictive.

 

All the best

 

bandt

[egret]

There is surely great snorkeling, on trips #1 and 2 I only snorkeled and I didn't feel like I missed anything. I also didn't want to leave DW alone. Trip #3 she told me she would do the spa while I did the SCUBA. It worked out great. The big difference is that the snorkeling in all inside the lagoons, while the SCUBA trip are outside the reefs and you see some creatures you don't see in the lagoons, ie lemon sharks and sea turtles.

The dive crew makes it so easy, if you ever want to try SCUBA, the PG may be the best place to try it.

[irishdebs]

I'm 50 and have done the introductory training and dives 3 times while on vacation. I would like to get certified, but haven't had the time to pursue this yet. My husband is 57 and certified long ago but hasn't been diving for years except these last 3 times, so he does it the beginner way with me.

 

Currently I'm looking for a similar opportunity in Aruba and/or Mexico for our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks.

 

I much prefer it to snorkeling. Research the dive companies closely and you should get a good experience.

 

Happy Travels! ;)

[Tony8489]

I agree with Wildcat68. Get certified first. Certified dives are more interesting than resort dives. Get your training dives out of the way at home, so you can maximize your enjoyment of the sites in Polynesia.