New waves discover scuba diving

[coops]

Has any one done this thru Princess? Was it worth the money? And can you give me any info on it.

Thanks Dawn

[TinaLee]

My husband is a certified diver, but when my daughter was younger (too young to be certified) the two of them did Discover Scuba on a couple of trips with Princess. They had a great time together! It's a step up from snorkeling, and they give you training in the pool aboard the ship before you get to the actual ocean part of the dive. My daughter was already used to using her Dad's equipment in the swimming pool, but they went through the classes aboard anyway.

 

If you're interested in giving it a try without investing the time and $$ involved in becoming certified and buying all the equipment, this is a great way to find out if you like it or not.

 

On the two trips they did, they did beach dives... which means they waded into the dive spots from shore rather than having to jump off a dive boat into deep water (it's a beginner thing). They still saw lots of coral and fish, and my daughter thought it was wonderful not to have to bob up and down from the surface to the bottom like she does when she snorkels.

 

I say give it a try at least once to see if you like it!

 

TinaLee

[steve2001]

I did this excursion in St Maartin November 2005. My experience was slightly different in that, they took us out to a submarine wreck (30 ft) where they had a platform mounted on top of the sub (3-6 ft) for training. Once training was complete we were taken down to 30 ft for about a half hour dive. Before training began, we were diveded into groups of four. We stayed in these groups for training and the dive.

 

This was one of the best experiences in my life. I highly recomend it. One word of caution, this is a VERY adictive sport. Once you do it, you will be hooked.

[Genessa]

I've done a Discover Scuba excursion with Princess on the Mexican Riviera.

 

I'm a certified diver, but hadn't been in a while (years!) and thought this was a good opportunity.

 

I've found that Princess has excellent, safety conscious excursions and the discover scuba lets you see if you might want to become certified, or want to keep diving (in my case, yes!) in an exciting environment.

 

We had two instructors for every diver on our trip and one large training class together prior. Our dive was from a boat, but into shallow water first (about 8 feet??). After practicing the techniques they showed us in the classroom, we then swam into deeper water without surfacing.

[coops]

Thanks so much for all the info. We did book it months ago for our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks, just wanted to hear about it from others.

Dawn

[susyls]

We've done it twice with Princess. Enjoyed it and felt safe both times. Will do it again every time we go to a warm place. Too much fun.

[Mrsdigi]

We book this excursion in St. Maarten, too. I can't wait! I've been snorkeling, but never diving. One of my colleagues also said that it is very addicting! Does anyone remember if you need a wet suit Or do you just go in your swimsuit?

[TinaLee]

If the water is cool enough to need a wet suit, they will supply you with one. Most of the time, the water in the Caribbean is warm enough that you really don't need it.

 

I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time!

[steve2001]

They rent wet suits for $5. in St Maartin. The water was around 82 degrees the end of November. You will be in the water for almost an hour between the training and the dive. I rented one since the trainers were wearing them. I probably could have gone without one since I dont get cold easily, however, I did get finned near my elbow. The exposed skin broke out in a rash but, where the suit covered my arm, I was fine. I wasn't paying attention to where I was floating too and I ended up in a school of fish. When I rotated my arms to turn myself is when I was finned. It didn't hurt, just itched that evening.

[coops]

So are you trained in the pool on the ship? Great responses so far can't wait to try it out.

Dawn