Itinerary recommendations for scuba?

[Scubadoobie2]

Hey, divers, I'd like to hear your recommendations. If I were to book my next Caribbean cruise based on having the best scuba dive which itinerary or itineraries should I consider?

 

I just did a dive at Grand Turk at the wall. It was great. I'm just open water certified; not advanced. Hmmm, should I take the next, advanced course? Thanks for your input.

[omeinv]

We did the Celebrity Equinox 10-night run out of Ft. Lauderdale. It made for a great SCUBA cruise. 2 sea days, then St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten, followed by two sea days back to Ft. Lauderdale. We dove in every port. Dominica, Barbados and St. Kitts were super, St. Thomas and St. Maarten were still great but not as high on my list.

 

This fall we're doing the Equinox's 11-night, and plan to dive in every port except Costa Rica, I'm hoping this will also prove to be a good diving cruise. I know Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel will be great diving, so only Cartegena and Panama remain as questions. In Panama we're planning the dive in the canal at Lake Gatun. I'll be the first to admit it's more for the novelty than the diving.

 

Regarding advanced training, it can't hurt. If you're asking about the PADI "advanced OW diver" card, it's not much. I'd suggest you may want to take the full specialty course on a topic you're interested in. For example you'll get more out of a Wreck Diving course, than the single "wreck dive" you'll get as one of the 5 dives for your PADI "Advanced" card. I'm an SSI instructor, not a PADI instructor; so my definition of an "advanced open water diver" is quite different than PADI's.

 

Please feel free to click the link below to email me if I can help with specifics.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Edited July 18, 2015 by omeinv

[Capt_BJ]

off the main topic

 

but here's how the 'advanced certification' was described to me .....

 

It shows you have done 'something more' than your open water class and to some dive operations this says something.

 

I got my advanced around 1986 and have been diving on it ever since ..... still active

 

and current

[omeinv]

off the main topic

 

but here's how the 'advanced certification' was described to me .....

 

It shows you have done 'something more' than your open water class and to some dive operations this says something.

 

I got my advanced around 1986 and have been diving on it ever since ..... still active

 

and current

 

Capt BJ. Whoever explained it that way did a great job. They explained exactly as they should what you were undertaking, and what you were accomplishing.

 

That is an accurate description of the PADI Advanced Diver (or the SSI Advanced Adventurer) rating. It indeed shows the diver has been formally exposed to several specific aspects of diving beyond the basic Open Water course; and thus has shown an interest in progressing beyond the minimum required knowledge. That is always an worthwhile accomplishment.

 

If it came across that I was against the idea of it, I apologize. My only concern is the idea that the single short presentation, and participation in 5 dives with emphasis on those 5 areas selected would render a diver "advanced". I definitely think the program has merit - I have conducted more Advanced Adventurer courses than any other instructor in the shop where I teach. As your instructor obviously did, I spend time with those students on the subject that the exposure is just that, and not thorough training in the specialty at hand. To point out the difference, SSI's "Advanced Open Water Diver rating requires completion of four specialty courses (in their entirety, and a minimum of 24 open water dives. The number of dives is critical in my view as there is no substitute for experience.

 

There is certainly value in the five dives after one's open water training, with an instructor, and with a focus on specific aspects of diving.

 

I hope my - perhaps hasty - comments didn't lead anyone to think that there was not.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Diver2014]

A western Caribbean itinerary is probably my favorite as far as dive related cruises go.....most ships stop at Grand Cayman, either Roatan or Belize and Cozumel. In fact, my dive club is going on the Emerald Princess in November as a dive/cruise so we can hit those places (except Belize....maybe next time). If you have the time, a southern Caribbean cruise is also good for diving.....(usually at least 10 -12 day cruises). Dominica has some of the best diving in the Caribbean, as does, Grenada, St Lucia, Barbados, and the A - B- C's ....Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Personally I'd do a western Caribbean dive/cruise at the drop of a hat.

 

I'd recommend getting your advanced certification....it's just more education and practice in specialized areas that will no doubt come in handy in the future. The more you dive, the more relaxed you are in the water. I'd encourage people to take as many speciality courses as you possibly can....that's how I got into underwater photography. Try as

many as you can to see what interests you.

[skittl1321]

For diving, I'd pick an itinerary that includes Cozumel, without a doubt.

 

And maybe Roatan.

 

 

As for advanced- it can't hurt. But a lot of places it won't matter either. I've seen "advanced open water" divers in Cozumel with no buoyancy control- and then found out they've never done a non-training dive. They just did open water + advanced immediately, and then headed on vacation for their first actual dives. I've also seen "open water" divers with 1,000s of dives and no advanced cert. The ops I've dove with judge you by your skill level, not your certification. If you are competent they take you on the more advanced dives, if you aren't, they don't.

 

There are some locations that require the certification to do certain things, so that is when you want it; but Cozumel doesn't seem to be one of those places, and that is where I like to dive.

[richchap]

Capt BJ. Whoever explained it that way did a great job. They explained exactly as they should what you were undertaking, and what you were accomplishing.

 

That is an accurate description of the PADI Advanced Diver (or the SSI Advanced Adventurer) rating. It indeed shows the diver has been formally exposed to several specific aspects of diving beyond the basic Open Water course; and thus has shown an interest in progressing beyond the minimum required knowledge. That is always an worthwhile accomplishment.

 

If it came across that I was against the idea of it, I apologize. My only concern is the idea that the single short presentation, and participation in 5 dives with emphasis on those 5 areas selected would render a diver "advanced". I definitely think the program has merit - I have conducted more Advanced Adventurer courses than any other instructor in the shop where I teach. As your instructor obviously did, I spend time with those students on the subject that the exposure is just that, and not thorough training in the specialty at hand. To point out the difference, SSI's "Advanced Open Water Diver rating requires completion of four specialty courses (in their entirety, and a minimum of 24 open water dives. The number of dives is critical in my view as there is no substitute for experience.

 

There is certainly value in the five dives after one's open water training, with an instructor, and with a focus on specific aspects of diving.

 

I hope my - perhaps hasty - comments didn't lead anyone to think that there was not.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

 

You said it correctly in both of your posts. Couldn't agree more.