J&R Posted January 30, 2006 #1 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Can anyone tell me anything about Snuba in Grand Cayman? We have been to Grand Cayman before, but never tried this. Is it difficult? Is it worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew sailbum Posted January 30, 2006 #2 Share Posted January 30, 2006 SNUBA exposes participants to all of the same pressure changes of scuba diving, and comes with the same risks including arterial gas embolism, pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, and subcutaneous emphysema. Further risks to the auditory system include a ruptured eardrum and round window ruptures. Scuba divers receive training to minimize these risks. Why shouldn't you get the same training before exposing yourself to thes risks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J&R Posted January 30, 2006 Author #3 Share Posted January 30, 2006 So, are you saying they do not provide necessary training? Are you saying it is unsafe? If it is not safe, why do the cruise lines offer it as an excursion? You seem very knowledgable, are you a diver? We would like to dive, but do not have time to become certified before we cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew sailbum Posted January 30, 2006 #4 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Yes I am a diver. Snuba is offered for various reasons. Tour operators offer it as a business, to earn money. Cruise lines offer it as a shore excursion to make money. The vast majority of participants in snuba do not get hurt. Anecdotal reports of inadequate training by snuba operators are not infrequent. These typically would be classified as minor barotraumas to the ear (stretched or ruptured eardrum and the like) I cannot comment on the company promoting snuba in Grand Cayman. I know nothing, good or bad, about their operation. Snuba International, Inc., the company which licenses snuba, persists in claiming " Since 1988, SNUBA operations worldwide have conducted over 3.5 million, injury free SNUBA Adventures" The litigants in McClenahan v. Paradise Cruises, Ltd., 888 F. Supp. 120, 122 (D. Hawai'i 1995) would disagree. This is a federal case relating to a serious ear injury during snuba. Lying about the safety history of their product is worrisome to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picktowncruzr Posted January 30, 2006 #5 Share Posted January 30, 2006 We did snuba in GC and thought it was great. The hardest part for me was passing the little 'test'. You enter from shore and they do the test in shallow water. The the current/waves it was a little difficult to keep your balance. They made us go under, remove our regulator, replace the regulator, blow out and continue breathing. This was by far the hardest part! Then we swam out holding onto the rafts and did our little snuba dive to about 20 feet. We have since done snuba in the bahamas and in Belize. Neither of these required any 'test' which did kind of concern me...but we entered in deeper water. We LOVE snuba. If you decide to give it a try I hope you enjoy as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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