Need Help: PADI Certification Dive from NCL or RCI

[snowsonatina]

Hello,

 

It's finally time for me to bring my scuba-diving dream into reality... :) Here is my plan:

 

I will take "academics" training and pool sessions next month (at a local university), and then take on a cruise to the Caribbeans to do my open-water PADI certification dive.

 

Here are my questions:

 

1. Is my plan a valid one, given that I do NOT indend to take the pool sessions on the cruise and will ONLY do the dive certifications? Will they still charge the same amount as if I did the whole training/certification with them?

 

2. Do NCL and RCI ONLY offer PADI certifications on some boats or all boats? I looked for such info with no luck so far.

 

3. I have two choices for the cruise:

 

A) NCLJewel 3/4 7-night East Caribbean. Ports of Call include San Juan, St John, Charlotte Amlie, and Great Stirrup Cay.

B) RCI Voyager of the Sea 7-night West Caribbean. Ports of Call include Labadee, Ocho Rios, George Town, and Cozumel.

 

After studying the posts here, I understand that Cruise B (West Caribbean) seems a better choice. Am I right? And which Cruise Line (NCL vs RCI) would you recommend for such purpose?

 

If you've had any related experience, or know any pointers to any resources related, or have any words of wisdom :), PLEASE respond as I have to book my cruise very soon.

 

Thanks!

 

Snow

[cal2632]

The courses offered throught the cruise ship are only Scuba diver courses, not open water courses. Since you are taking your class and pool locally, have your dive shop refer you to 2 dive operators on the islands you are visiting and do your open water then. You need 4 open water dives over 2 days for an Open Water certification and the cruise ship only offers 2 dives - hence the more limiting Scuba diver card.

[bowbiter]

the cruise to the western caribbean is your better choice. you could look for dive shops that will accept the open water dive referrals and book it outside of your cruise....or you could just try to get certified or at least some of the dives done before you go. the benefit of getting the dives out of the way before you go is so you can enjoy your dives in the caribbean and not have to worry about tests and things like that on vacation.

[snowsonatina]

Thanks. I PLANNED to finish the open water certification BEFORE the cruise (and the 4 dives are included in the course I will take locally), but just learned that we can't do the open water dive till May. Well, guess I should not be surprised. It's only 20 degrees out here. :) Anyway, that's why I am thinking about combining local class (4 day pool sessions) with my Caribbean cruise to finish the whole thing.

[snowsonatina]

The courses offered throught the cruise ship are only Scuba diver courses, not open water courses. Since you are taking your class and pool locally, have your dive shop refer you to 2 dive operators on the islands you are visiting and do your open water then. You need 4 open water dives over 2 days for an Open Water certification and the cruise ship only offers 2 dives - hence the more limiting Scuba diver card.

 

Thanks. Guess that's what I will do. Not too clear about the "referral", but guess the local instructor should know what you talk about. Thanks again!

[bowbiter]

Thanks. I PLANNED to finish the open water certification BEFORE the cruise (and the 4 dives are included in the course I will take locally), but just learned that we can't do the open water dive till May. Well, guess I should not be surprised. It's only 20 degrees out here. :) Anyway, that's why I am thinking about combining local class (4 day pool sessions) with my Caribbean cruise to finish the whole thing.

 

Where do you live? If it's NJ I could tell you a few places that do dives earlier (I ran into that problem with my 5/2001 cruise but was able to get certified just in time by the end of April)

[vplsh]

Thanks for that info. Bowbiter- we are in NJ. My husband has signed up for the course on Freedom of the Seas during our July trip. Can you recommend a place we could start the training at home?

 

Thanks!

[bowbiter]

Ok so I didn't notice you are cruising in March...probably won't be able to get certified up here in time. I will say the one advantage of getting certified in NJ is that most dive shops I've been to say if you can dive in NJ (atlantic ocean) you can dive anywhere. It's probably true - visibility can be really low, water can be rough and the water is definitely not warm - or at least not in April.

 

http://www.scubanj.org/NJshoplist.html <-- I've used the Aquatech in Maple Shade for the course and Atlantic Wreck Divers for the referral open water dives. If possible I would get certified with NAUI rather than PADI. Some dive shops won't let you dive if you were PADI certified without a refresher course or some sort of test.

 

If you go for referral dives on your cruise your best options are Grand Cayman & Cozumel. You can check out Manta Ray divers in Cozumel (I booked a dive with them in Feb so I can let you know how they are when I get back) or Eagle Ray Divers (which has a lot of good reviews on this forum). You could also check out shoretrips .com for their referral dive excursions for Cozumel & Grand Cayman.

[snowsonatina]

If you go for referral dives on your cruise your best options are Grand Cayman & Cozumel. You can check out Manta Ray divers in Cozumel (I booked a dive with them in Feb so I can let you know how they are when I get back) or Eagle Ray Divers (which has a lot of good reviews on this forum). You could also check out shoretrips .com for their referral dive excursions for Cozumel & Grand Cayman.

 

Bowbiter,

 

Thanks for all the helpful info!

 

Yes, I am in NJ and everything is about to get frozen here :).

 

Please let me know how your Cozumel dive goes. Have fun there!

 

snow

[Capt_BJ]

Hello,

 

It's finally time for me to bring my scuba-diving dream into reality... :) Here is my plan:

 

I will take "academics" training and pool sessions next month (at a local university), and then take on a cruise to the Caribbeans to do my open-water PADI certification dive.

 

Here are my questions:

 

1. Is my plan a valid one, given that I do NOT indend to take the pool sessions on the cruise and will ONLY do the dive certifications? Will they still charge the same amount as if I did the whole training/certification with them?

 

2. Do NCL and RCI ONLY offer PADI certifications on some boats or all boats? I looked for such info with no luck so far.

 

3. I have two choices for the cruise:

 

A) NCLJewel 3/4 7-night East Caribbean. Ports of Call include San Juan, St John, Charlotte Amlie, and Great Stirrup Cay.

B) RCI Voyager of the Sea 7-night West Caribbean. Ports of Call include Labadee, Ocho Rios, George Town, and Cozumel.

 

After studying the posts here, I understand that Cruise B (West Caribbean) seems a better choice. Am I right? And which Cruise Line (NCL vs RCI) would you recommend for such purpose?

 

If you've had any related experience, or know any pointers to any resources related, or have any words of wisdom :), PLEASE respond as I have to book my cruise very soon.

 

Thanks!

 

Snow

 

I wasn't aware that either line you mentioned had added full certification courses....only knew Princess had such a program. 'couse having gotten certified in 73 I don't pay that much attention.

 

According to posts you can find here, people who opt to finish their course' open water dives on a cruise are typically contacting dive shops at their port calls directly, not thru the ship. Book your own dive making sure the operator knows it is your X checkout dive....

[bruce-r]

I wasn't aware that either line you mentioned had added full certification courses....only knew Princess had such a program.

According to This Page from their website, Royal Caribbean does indeed offer both the scuba diver (2 dive) certification and the full Open Water (4 dive) certification as well as the opportunity to complete a Referral while on a cruise. This is ship specific, so check the Royal Caribbean website to see if it is offered on your cruise.

 

I'd definitely pick the western caribbean cruise and I'd probably make my own arrangements to compete the 4 required dives for Open Water certification even though you can complete a Referral on VOS. Cozumel and Grand Cayman are excellent dive destinations and there are plenty of qualified dive operators on each island.

 

I will say the one advantage of getting certified in NJ is that most dive shops I've been to say if you can dive in NJ (atlantic ocean) you can dive anywhere.

This is absolutely true.

[vplsh]

Actually our next cruise is in July. The March one is next year! (I got a little crazy with making reservations!)

 

I will have my husband look at the website you suggested and see what he can find out. He did call a local dive shop and they do their final dives at a quarry in PA. Not what he really wanted to do. If he can find a place to get all the coursework done and maybe even his first 2 dives before we go on the cruise, he could finish up in Cozumel.

 

Thanks for the info. Let us know how your dive goes in feb.

[bowbiter]

Most dive shops in NJ do the first set of certification dives at the quarry in PA...probably because of the potential extreme ocean conditions. Aquatech couldn't finish my certification dives before my May cruise so they gave me a referral slip for the other dives.

 

I found Atlantic Divers ( http://www.njwreckdivers.com/ ) in Egg Harbor Twp and did 2 boat dives in April for the NAUI certification. The owner Gene (or something like that) was really great and really wants to make sure you are a safe and competent diver before he certifies you.

[cmdchiefthom]

Snow,

 

Your plan is good, just leave out the instructors on either of the cruise lines you mentioned. The title, PADI referral system is kind of misleading. Your instructor at home doesn't actually refer you to a specific instructor, unless he may happen to know someone specifically in the location you choose to dive. He or she provides you with the documents that certify your pool and classroom training. You then contact PADI training facilities in the ports you choose for your four dives and make the specific arrangements. There are, of course, charges for the certification dives, but its certainly worth it. Grand Cayman and Cozumel are certainly great choices for your first open water experiences, and there are plenty of PADI facilities in both ports. So you go ahead and enjoy getting thouse certification dives in the clear Caribbean water. You'll be hooked forever!;)

[sgetto]

Snow,

 

Here are my 2 cents...My brother tried to get certified on 7 day RCL western Carib trip but only managed 2 of the dives (his fault as we had other plans for the day of the other trip), but he said that he did felt he missed alot during the dives because they were doing all the training work. I would suggest, if you can swing it, going down the Florida a couple of days early and doing your dives in Ft Lauderdale. I did my training and pool work in Chicago (in Feb) and then did my dives with South Florida Diving (http://www.southfloridadiving.com/). Doing this would allow you to get in better dives in the Carib where the views are amazing.

 

Good luck!

[vplsh]

This is great information. Thanks!

[snowsonatina]

Thanks for that info. Bowbiter- we are in NJ. My husband has signed up for the course on Freedom of the Seas during our July trip. Can you recommend a place we could start the training at home?

 

Thanks!

 

Lisa,

 

I don;t know which part of New Jersey you are from. We are going to take Scuba Diving lessons at Rutgers UNiv, starting next MOnday. Here is a link:

 

http://recreation.rutgers.edu/scuba/

 

To find more about the program, you can call the instructor, Mr John Lister, at 732-790-0805.

 

snow

[snowsonatina]

According to This Page from their website, Royal Caribbean does indeed offer both the scuba diver (2 dive) certification and the full Open Water (4 dive) certification as well as the opportunity to complete a Referral while on a cruise. This is ship specific, so check the Royal Caribbean website to see if it is offered on your cruise.

 

 

Bruce,

 

Thanks for the info. I checked the link you provided above and RCI Voyager does provide the 4-dive PDI checkout for $225. Not sure if it's a good choice and good price, but at least, this could be my last resort. I will also check with the local operators at Caymen Island and Cozumel. Thanks again!

 

snow

[snowsonatina]

Snow,

 

Your plan is good, just leave out the instructors on either of the cruise lines you mentioned. The title, PADI referral system is kind of misleading. Your instructor at home doesn't actually refer you to a specific instructor, unless he may happen to know someone specifically in the location you choose to dive. He or she provides you with the documents that certify your pool and classroom training. You then contact PADI training facilities in the ports you choose for your four dives and make the specific arrangements. There are, of course, charges for the certification dives, but its certainly worth it. Grand Cayman and Cozumel are certainly great choices for your first open water experiences, and there are plenty of PADI facilities in both ports. So you go ahead and enjoy getting thouse certification dives in the clear Caribbean water. You'll be hooked forever!;)

 

Thanks for your info! I will definitely check with the local diving operators/instructors at the two ports. YOu have anyone to recommend? I also checked the RCI website and they offer such checkout dives (4 total) at $225. Is the price on the high end?

 

Thanks again!

 

snow

[snowsonatina]

Snow,

 

Here are my 2 cents...My brother tried to get certified on 7 day RCL western Carib trip but only managed 2 of the dives (his fault as we had other plans for the day of the other trip), but he said that he did felt he missed alot during the dives because they were doing all the training work. I would suggest, if you can swing it, going down the Florida a couple of days early and doing your dives in Ft Lauderdale. I did my training and pool work in Chicago (in Feb) and then did my dives with South Florida Diving (http://www.southfloridadiving.com/). Doing this would allow you to get in better dives in the Carib where the views are amazing.

 

Good luck!

 

Great info! Just wish I had learned it before booking my flights. Now looks like I would only have time to catch my cruise after I fly to Florida. Will have to save my dives till I am in the Caribbeans. Well, even if I can only get 2 done there, I wil be happy enough, and can finish my checkouts after I come back. The scuba diving lesson package I am taking locally does include checkout dives in a lake in PA, well, till it's warm enough there sure.

 

Anyway, your help is greatly appreciated!

 

snow

[vplsh]

Lisa,

 

I don;t know which part of New Jersey you are from. We are going to take Scuba Diving lessons at Rutgers UNiv, starting next MOnday. Here is a link:

 

http://recreation.rutgers.edu/scuba/

 

To find more about the program, you can call the instructor, Mr John Lister, at 732-790-0805.

 

snow

 

Thanks, snow. We are in northern NJ, Morris County, so Rutgers is kind of a hike. I located a shop not too far from my husband's office, so he's going to check it out there. He is already booked on Freedom's course, so I have to see about getting that changed.

 

Let us know how your course goes.

[vplsh]

Lisa,

 

I don;t know which part of New Jersey you are from. We are going to take Scuba Diving lessons at Rutgers UNiv, starting next MOnday. Here is a link:

 

http://recreation.rutgers.edu/scuba/

 

To find more about the program, you can call the instructor, Mr John Lister, at 732-790-0805.

 

snow

 

Thanks, snow. We live in Morris County, so I found a dive shop not far from where my husband works. We're going to see how that works.

 

Let me know how the course goes.

[vplsh]

My husband is thinking about going down to Ft. Lauderdale early to do his certification dives. Is it possible to get all 4 dives done in one day? If not, would you recommend doing 2 in Ft. Lauderdale and then the other 2 during the cruise?

[bowbiter]

if your cruise isn't until july just do all the dives up in jersey. then you won't have to worry about it and diving in the caribbean will be cake compared to the conditions up here. just make sure 2 of your dives are ocean boat dives.

[bruce-r]

My husband is thinking about going down to Ft. Lauderdale early to do his certification dives. Is it possible to get all 4 dives done in one day?

Nope, not going to happen.

 

If not, would you recommend doing 2 in Ft. Lauderdale and then the other 2 during the cruise?

Yes, do the first 2 dives in Ft. Lauderdale, then the other 2 dives at one of your stops.

 

Which islands will you be visiting? You'll get more help if you give more information.