Getting Scuba Certified on Board

[meshelles]

While looking at excursions last night I noticed that the excursion pages for several of the ports had scuba certification dives listed and said that you could do the course work and pool work to get certified on board certain ships.

 

Anyone know if you can do this on Rhapsody?

[B-52]

Never sailed RCCL. Will be on the Mariner this coming July.

Heard the same as you did.

 

Located a compass from the Mariner, day 1, and on the second page under Activities - Sports & Fitness

there is what is listed as "Sea Trek Dive Program"

Deck 11, poolside. Brief explanation States you can get scuba certified.

Don't know anything else but that my Son is very eager to find out more as soon as we get on ship, and I may join him.

[LarissaJay]

Two of our tablemates got Scuba certified on our Mariner cruise a few weeks ago. They said it basically monopolized their entire cruise with all the studying, test-taking, pool time, and land time required. I think they felt it was worth it in the end, but it seemed to me that they didn't really get to enjoy much of the cruise.

[Treven]

I would think they'd rather get PADI certified before their cruise.

[2skikids]

My son wants to scuba dive on our next cruise in August. I have enrolled him in a scuba certification here at home. It is very involved. He has to watch 5 dvds and read a book that has questions to answer at the end of the chapters. Then he has 16 hrs of classroom classes and then the pool work before he can go on open water dives. Personally, safety is my priority and though the cruise line may have great instructors, I think it is too much to learn on a cruise.

Just an opinion- plus I rather find out he can't do it or doesn't like before he dives in the caribbean

[Don Pedro]

As a diver, with over 30 years of experience, I fully agree with the previous poster who pointed out there is quite a lot of training involved in becoming a diver. It is considerable more complicated and dangerous than snorkeling.

 

I'm sure it can be done. Any decent training course, however, will require a lot of effort just to learn the basic knowledges and water skills. If you decide to go for it be prepared to absorb a lot of information in a short time period. Becoming a diver is no vacation.

 

You may want to try an introduction to scuba course to help determine if you really want to become a diver. Some people become quite uncomfortable with 70 or 80 feet of water over the heads.

[Treven]

My ex-partner is a PADI certified rescue diver. I don't even snorkle; swimming to me means staying alive in water. I simply can't understand how he can handle scuba diving and rescuing someone in trouble at those depths. He's used to it tho. So when he'd go to Hawaii to dive, I'd go to Mexico to laze.

[sparkygrl]

I would not recommend taking the dive course on the ship. My dive certification was a semester long college course. Taking the course on land allows you to connect with a local dive shop and develop a relationship for training, equipment and trips. If you are interested in diving contact a local dive shop and talk with them.

 

Our dive shop hosts monthy dive parties at the local pool which is an excellent opportunity to refresh skills particularly since I am not too keen on quary diving, too dark and cold!

 

Another option that lets you enjoy the cruise without the studying and avoid a possible cold and dark certification dive...is to take the course through a college or dive shop near you and then complete the course required certification dive on one of the excursions through the cruise line. Your instructor would need to fill out an open water dive referral form. (ensure that your instructor and the dive you selected are both with the same organization.)

[p2lockhart]

I have been certified for several years through a course at a local dive shop. However, several years before that, I almost drowned after taking a quickie hotel dive course in Hawaii with a group of friends. After a few short lessons in the hotel pool, they took us in a boat for our first dive. We each had a partner who was equally unqualified. I began having problems and no one noticed. The entire group went off and left me struggling with my weight belt and water started entering my mask and I panicked. I just ditched my weight belt and went to the surface of the water as fast as I could, coughing and choking and scared to death. Many years went by before I got the nerve to take a real course and do it right.

 

From what you posters have described, it sounds like the cruise ship course is more intensive that what I got at that hotel, but I sure would not bet my life on it that it is sufficient. Just find a local dive shop and learn the right way. This is not something to cut corners with.

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

I would not recommend taking the dive course on the ship. My dive certification was a semester long college course.

 

Hi, just curious, I have never heard of such a lengthy course to be required for your Open Water Dive Certification. Or were you taking Advanced Open Water or the Mater Scuba Diver course?

 

Meshelles- The above posters have given you excellent advice. Plus its always better to get certified in colder water than the warm and perfect conditions of the Caribbean.

 

Sandie

[jwlane]

Anyone know if you can do this on Rhapsody?

To answer the question, no, not offered.

[Nliedel]

I'm PADI certified (from the dark ages) and it's much better to do this before leaving home. You can relax and do other things on your cruise.

 

Open Water certification is not a long course, but there are things to memorize, things that are likely to leak out under the influence of Fu-Fu drinks ;D

[mom1965]

it really depends on if you plan to dive other than when you cruise, my husband did this course on our cruise in 04, then was able to dive on our last cruise, the course wasn't bad and the pool time is early in the mornigs, we did a 9 day cruise, so he had plenty of time for other things. he really enjoyed it and even though he has his diving card he probably only will dive when we cruise so for him it was worth it.

[seahags]

Iam a PADI Master Instructor with 15 years of teaching experience from the Open Water level through Instructor training. My heartfelt suggestion would be taking your coursework at home before your trip. Any PADI dive center (preferably a 5-Star IDC Center) will happily take you through all of your academic and pool training and then issue what's known as a "referral". This will then be taken to the PADI Instructor either on-board (I think that only the Voyager class ships have PADI programs)or at whichever ports you choose. You can do two training dives on each of two days and will end up as a certified Open Water diver. I'm sorry that I didn't notice at the beginning where you are from. If you are from a temperate climate you might wish to do the four dives ahead of time and take your "C Card" with you...if,like me, you live in a cold-weather climate, a referral is the most comfortable way to go!!!

 

Like a previous poster said, there is a good amount of coursework involved...it CAN be done entirely on a cruise, but I personally would think the time spent would be more rewarding "cruising" and having the study portion done ahead of time!!

 

I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them........

 

SOOOOOOOO much to see in the underwater world!!!!!!!

 

e:D

[Dr. Dean]

Because of our limited schedules on land, we along with another couple decided to do the PADI Training over the course of two cruises (SCUBA Diver and Open Water certification).

 

While it does take up a chunk of your cruise, it can be done while leaving time for other things. The RCCL Dive Shop/Instructors were excellent (A.O.S., V.O.S.). We've since dived on our own, receiving compliments on our training and skills from Dive Master Guides.

 

So if you have limited time, I'd recommend it as an option.

 

Happy cruising...

[greeneng]

The course is only offered on ships with dive shops, which are only the Voyager class ships, and not on every itinerary.

 

I did it on the Adventure a couple of years ago. You do all the pool work on the ship early morning. You do the classroom work on the ship, full day on a sea day, then mornings. You do one two-tank open water dive (not very deep) where there is more training. Then, if you continue, you do some more pool work, another two-tank open water dive, and take the test on the ship. You go through the entire book and complete everything. Intense, yes, but it gets it done while others are spending semesters or months. I don't gamble; I don't drink much and I can't spend much time in the sun, so this was a perfect way to consume the hated sea days. The dive days took only the morning (in Curacao and St. Thomas for me) leaving the afternoons to enjoy the ports. This is not the two hour resort course one poster mentioned. It was perfect for me, and no dive-master has refused to take me on an expedition because my cert was issued on the ship. I only dive, so far anyway, when on a cruise but I have done about six two-tank dives since certification.

 

Jim

 

Monarch, 4/02, Western Caribbean; Serenade, 8/03, Canada; Adventure, 4/04, Eastern Caribbean; Serenade, 9/04, Alaska; Adventure, 5/05, Eastern Caribbean; Splendour, 9/05, Western Med.; Enchantment, 4/06, Caribbean; Jewel, 5/06, Baltics.

 

Future: Splendour, 9/06, Eastern Med.; Serenade, 10/06, Trans-Canal; Infinity 2/07, South America; Navigator, 5/07, Mediterranean Treasures; Radiance 9/07, Alaska.