Certification on Board

[tvaud]

When I last cruised many years ago, I remember seeing in the daily programs that the ships offered scuba certification on "at sea" days in the pool. Is this practice still available? If so, is it still free or is there now a fee? Thanks.

 

Cindra

[budaman]

Princess still has a very good program called New Waves that is PADI certified. There were 3 from our CC group aboard the Grand last month that got certified.

 

Mike

[tvaud]

Mike,

 

Thanks for the info. Did you know if there was a cost involved or was this a free course?

 

Cindra

[budaman]

Seems to me it was in the $300 range for all the instruction and dives & equipment which is close to the overall amount you would spend at home. Main drawback is it takes a lot of vacation time onboard and if there are others in your group that are certified, you wouldn't be able to dive with them. If you can, I would get certified prior to the cruise. But, there are pros & cons to everything. If you don't want to do a complete certification, you could also look into one of the Discover Scuba excursions.

 

Mike

[bruce-r]

http://www.newwaves.com/programs.htm

 

Onboard Certification is $359 on Princess.

 

Royal Caribbean also offers open water certifications on their voyager class ships.

 

I personally think a better way to go is to do a referal. That is where you do the class work and the pool dives at home with your local dive shop and you finish the certification doing the 4 open water dives while on the cruise.

[sea-jay]

Cindra - What no one has mentioned is that you don't really get certified "on board". You get classroom and pool work covered but you then have to do 4 open water dives (at least for a PADI Cert.). Those dives take up your time at two of the ports you will be visiting so you don't get much of a chance to do anything other than diving.

 

I agree with the suggestion to at least get your class and pool work done at home and then only have to do the dives on the cruise.

 

Happy bubbles.

[Dgonza]

sea-jay, Nice dive pics. I got certified in 99 and havent been since. I did the refresher course and am planning on diving in ST Thomas, and Grenada on my cruise thats coming up on March 25th. What kind of camera were you using. I bought a 3 mp underwater digital cam. (pixtreme) I will have to see how it works out.

[Texas_Diver]

Getting certified isn't free nor would it have ever been free.

 

D.

[bruce-r]

Cindra - What no one has mentioned is that you don't really get certified "on board". You get classroom and pool work covered but you then have to do 4 open water dives (at least for a PADI Cert.). Those dives take up your time at two of the ports you will be visiting so you don't get much of a chance to do anything other than diving.

You mean there is something other than diving people would want to do in the Caribbean? I can't imagine what that might be.

[Texas_Diver]

You mean there is something other than diving people would want to do in the Caribbean? I can't imagine what that might be.

 

Hehe...I feel the same way!

 

D.

[sea-jay]

Some of us have a DW that must be looked after. Especially in those ports with large diamond stores.:D

[scubamama]

Just get DW certified too! There is no greater joy than to be under there with someone you truly can trust with your life. Not sure all those excursions are not more costly than that diamond, but sure makes for a more interesting conversation and pix.:)

 

Last year our two teenage girls were certified (13 and 15 then) back home before our vacation and they did great in Puerto Vallarta, even with the rough waters.

 

If you can get certified back home, totally or leaving at the most the referral, it is much easier on you. A week is very little time to gobble all this and I'm not sure that if you don't spread it out (have the time to forget and re-learn from one session to another), you will have "integrated" as much info. IMO. There is a lot of reading to do + time in the pool...

 

Have fun

[sea-jay]

scubamama - Unfortunately, DW doesn't swim. She is taking lessons but at our age its really difficult. I will be fortunate if she is ever able to just snorkle with me.