1st Scuba Dive

[expericd]

Sup cool cruisers-

 

I'm sailing Serenade of the Seas this coming January with my girlfriend. Neither of us has been on a cruise before and we're pretty darn excited about it.

 

I have a ? about a good place on the itinerary to take my girlfriend on her first dive. Yeah, I actually convinced her to do it. She's psyched, let me tell ya -lol-

 

Although neither one of us are certified divers, I have been on a "resort dive" once before...in St. Thomas as a matter of fact. Either way, the cruise goes from San Juan to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and finally Barbados.

 

My girlfriend is definately no wussy, and she's willing to do the best dive we can find, that's available to first timers...just to prove me wrong.

 

Any suggestions on places that don't put you through hours of training, yet will let you dive at a really cool spot, and deeper than other places offering "1st time dives"???

[TexCruise371]

Sup cool cruisers-

 

I'm sailing Serenade of the Seas this coming January with my girlfriend. Neither of us has been on a cruise before and we're pretty darn excited about it.

 

I have a ? about a good place on the itinerary to take my girlfriend on her first dive. Yeah, I actually convinced her to do it. She's psyched, let me tell ya -lol-

 

Although neither one of us are certified divers, I have been on a "resort dive" once before...in St. Thomas as a matter of fact. Either way, the cruise goes from San Juan to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and finally Barbados.

 

My girlfriend is definately no wussy, and she's willing to do the best dive we can find, that's available to first timers...just to prove me wrong.

 

Any suggestions on places that don't put you through hours of training, yet will let you dive at a really cool spot, and deeper than other places offering "1st time dives"???

 

Scuba diving is not the place to be proving someone is "no wussy"or to prove somebody wrong. It's a fun and exciting sport but done with a lackluster attitude or not taken seriously is asking for trouble or even death. Do the right thing and both of you get certified.

[expericd]

Scuba diving is not the place to be proving someone is "no wussy"or to prove somebody wrong. It's a fun and exciting sport but done with a lackluster attitude or not taken seriously is asking for trouble or even death. Do the right thing and both of you get certified.

 

 

Wow, I didn't think my sense of humor would be taken so seriously. I guess you have no recommendation for a first dive then???

 

That being said, I have absolutely NO INTENTION of endangering myself or my beautiful girlfriend. I understand and respect all of the precautions that are taken when diving. However, as my message asked, I'm simply looking for a good first dive that my girlfriend would enjoy. She's rather adventurous (that's what I mean by not being a wussy) so she would be interested in going deeper than 20 feet, as some of these first dives only let you go...

[cusyl]

Please read this story about scuba diving before properly trained:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=559233&highlight=scuba+dive+death

[expericd]

Please read this story about scuba diving before properly trained:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=559233&highlight=scuba+dive+death

 

 

Sad story. Read about 3 lines and stopped. Not in the mood for that but thanks. All I can say I guess is: Bad things happen.

 

I didn't expect people to convince me not to dive by asking this question.

 

Guess I'm in the wrong forum.

 

If anyone can suggest a good 1st dive spot, that's all I'm looking for. Nothing else.

[MaryZ]

you can't rent dive equipment without a C card. So forget diving, go snorkling

Sorry buddy, go get yourselves certified. Going diving doesn't prove you aren't a "wussy".

[Pacific Sandy]

Hi Expericd. - Not to worry. Don't let everyone scare you.

 

If you are not certified, they will not take you down more than 30 -35 feet and you will have a guide with you at all times to look after you.

 

The ship usually has one shore excursion called an "Introductory Dive". The cruise line would only hire reputable dive operators so I think you will be well looked after.

 

I think you should check the shore excursions and see where one is offered and have an amazing time. Its a beautiful world down there. Hope you see lots of amazing things.

[Loves_Dogs]

While in St Maarten back in '05 I did a Discover Scuba at Dive Safaris. It started my love of diving and I was certified within a year. They were very good. It is a quick 'crash course', and you do not go very deep, but its enough to get a good idea of whether you will enjoy diving or not. I think there were 5 people in my group (one of the 5 was my son who was already certified, just going along to dive with me). They seemed very responsible and safety oriented. Here is their website:

 

http://www.divestmaarten.com/

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[rusticfurnituremaker]

Expericd: Of the ports you have mentioned,

I think St. Lucia has the clearest water, the most interesting dive spots at reasonable depths. If you find a dive master who will take you diving below 30-35 feet as a beginner, non-certified diver, RUN, don't walk, away. No dive master who has any brains would do that, and I wouldn't want to dive with them. And, absolutely not in St. Thomas. I haven't heard much good news about resort style dives there. Kind of like Cozumel, don't do it.

[DqALEX]

Sup cool cruisers-

 

I'm sailing Serenade of the Seas this coming January with my girlfriend. Neither of us has been on a cruise before and we're pretty darn excited about it.

 

I have a ? about a good place on the itinerary to take my girlfriend on her first dive. Yeah, I actually convinced her to do it. She's psyched, let me tell ya -lol-

 

Although neither one of us are certified divers, I have been on a "resort dive" once before...in St. Thomas as a matter of fact. Either way, the cruise goes from San Juan to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and finally Barbados.

 

My girlfriend is definately no wussy, and she's willing to do the best dive we can find, that's available to first timers...just to prove me wrong.

 

Any suggestions on places that don't put you through hours of training, yet will let you dive at a really cool spot, and deeper than other places offering "1st time dives"???

I dive and I have to tell you go get certified. Every time I dive I try to learn somthing new. I have been at for about 5 years and im average at best. There is a lot to learn and the more I learn the more comfortable I feel. The deepest I like to go is 60 to 70ft. You get much more bottom time. The deeper you go the less time you have to enjoy you time under. If I were you I would look at a live a board dive boat for a week. I just may do the same. They look like fun and its also a cruise. Best of luck to you

[expericd]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've been doing a lot of searching around the internet lately and I definately understand I'm not going to find a place that will take me on a really deep dive if I'm not certified. And I wouldn't want to go even if they would.

 

I guess I should clarify...

 

I'm fine with 35-45 feet, absolutely. I just want to find somewhere that will let us do that, and see something cool...rather than the resort dive I did in St. Thomas years ago, that put us through 2 hours of instruction...then only let us go 15-20 feet down off a boat that was no where special...maybe 50 yards off the beach in an area with no coral, and no wreck. Just looking for the best option for a first time dive. I'm not some gung-ho moron who's looking for a "back door" to go out with the pros, nor am I taking my girlfriend so she can "prove" anything.

 

I got the right idea though...thanks for you guys that didn't bite my head off for being goofy.

 

Man, I felt like saying "thanks dad!" to a few people's responses...

[DqALEX]

Wrecking diving to me is the best. I would never go inside, but just to see it frozen in time. You get to see fish around a good wreck too. A night dive is also very good. You get to see some stuff that doesn't come out durning the day. A whole new world at night.

[crock921]

you can sign up for a class and get certified on the boat. As a rescue diver myself, i would say that is going to be your best option. it will get you open water certified, will teach you the correct ways of doing things, and will allow you to go deeper than 20 feet or so.

 

everyone on here is not lecturing you. it is very easy to get hurt and they are trying to make sure you dont kill yourself. i was recently on a 120' wreck dive in the great lakes and ended up having to do an emergency surface and barely escaped the bens. be careful.

[crock921]

and to answer your question, st. thomas is a popular port. you will find the best chance of getting a good dive there.

[RBOrrell]

Why don't you both take the in-pool portion of your courses before you leave (I did my PADI classroom/pool portions in a weekend) and then get a referal to do the actual open water portion while you are away. Mind you, the open water portion consists of 4 dives (usually 2 a day) so it might not work on the cruise itenerary. Also, don't dive too soon to flying home.

[crock921]

you must not dive within 24 hours of flying. the dive-out option the previous poster was talking about is a great idea. i am trying to get my fiancee to do that very thing. they offer full certs on the ship so i am sure they can accomodate the 4 cert dives. if not, any dive sho will. youc ould dive 2 ports and then be certified by the time you get to the third.

[TexCruise371]

Sorry, didn't seem to come across as lecturing but I didn't catch the humor. Good Luck with what you choose to do.

 

Dad

[crock921]

Sorry, didn't seem to come across as lecturing but I didn't catch the humor. Good Luck with what you choose to do.

 

Dad

 

 

i missed it too. i dont think people understand how dangerous deep water can be. running out of air is the least of your concerns

[Rumncoke]

On St. Thomas, there is a scuba shop that has a mobile unit at Coki Beach. They offer a Discover Scuba and it's pretty reasonable. I don't remember their website, but you can Google it.

 

These people are professionals and I trust them completely.

 

Coki Beach is a great dive spot and it's also a shore dive, so you don't have to jump off a boat or anything. (That can be difficult for beginners.)

[HookedOnCruisin'2]

DH and I did the discover scuba in St. Thomas last month. They took us to Coki Beach and we went down approx. 25-30 feet. She did the lecture portion on the bus on the way to the beach for the most part. It was a nice dive. If your itinerary included Grand Turk, I would suggest diving there. The coral was fabulous and so alive....

 

Just make sure when you go not to touch the coral. The reefs are dying out in these over dived areas because of it.

 

DH and I have decided to get certified. The problem is that up here we'll have to wait until spring for the checkout dives unless we go to the keys or something.

[Don Pedro]

As someone who started diving in the early 1960's, I have a little different slant on the diving dangers. Certainly undeveloped diving knowledge and skills are in themselves a danger to new divers, but many diving incidents happen to experienced divers who push the limits. Often they make too many dives in a short time span, dive within 24 hours of flying home, dive beyond recreational limits and exceed dive profiles.

 

If new students have a mature attitude, are comfortable in the water and with the scuba gear, taking them to depths of 40, 50 or 60 feet creates very little aditional danger. However, it is imperative that the instructor teach and the student understand certain basic skills.

 

Depth is not necessarily a culprit. One of the greatest diving dangers is air embollism and that can occur at relatively shallow depths. It is a lung expansion injury that happens when a diver holds her/his breath when going to the surface.

 

A good instructor will establish a very conservative dive profile and then closely monitor the students breathing technique, bouyancy, rate of ascent and air consumption. Also, the student to instructor ratio must be extremely low.

 

Do I recommend hunting some rogue operator that will exceed the limits of an introductory course? Absolutely not. Do I think exceeding those limits is very dangerous? Probably not for a mature student and good instructor.

[Rancher Dave]

As a certified Rescue Diver who on first dive after that cert was completed had to rescue a gentleman who was on a one day dive class...the Dive Master either didn't know what to do or was unwilling to rescue him. My two dive day ended up one trashed dive due to the rescue, don't get me wrong I am glad to have saved the guy..., and a second very short dive because at that point he and his wife were also getting seasick.

 

It is best to get properly trained, as mentioned before perhaps you can make your first 4 ow check out dives while on the cruise...and then if you dive another port, be sure to go with some other experienced folks as extra dive buddies or in a dive group just for the extra level of experience.

 

One other dive, a newly cert diver and I went out together. Nice kid, about 20 physically fit, intelligent etc...someone I figured would be fine in the water. Unfortunately as newly cert he liked to drink the air...ok, we were diving an area that a mask in the water and a snorkle allowed lots of beautiful fish watching so a short dive was not the end of the world. He pointed out 1000psi (I forget the BARR equiv...which was how his showed, think I was still at 2500psi) We turned around, about 2 min later he showed me again at 500psi, ok so now I was considering that we would be surfacing away from the boat but close...we kept on going back to the safety bar...got there about at 0 psi for him...so we buddy breathed for 3 min....and he was breathing so fast that my 2000 psi when we got to the safety bar was down to under 500 psi by the time we surfaced. Ultimately it was all about him being in a new environment and still gaining comfort. I hope he has continued to enjoy diving and has settled into lower air consumtion. My point is that even newly trained folks who pay attention can run into trouble...so it is good to ensure you have experienced folks with you as extra safety if you do cert and check out at home before going. A dive accident due to lack of experience can be avoided and would ruin a nice cruise vacation.

 

Diving is a blast just do so safely.

[Don Pedro]

As a certified Rescue Diver who on first dive after that cert was completed had to rescue a gentleman who was on a one day dive class...the Dive Master either didn't know what to do or was unwilling to rescue him. My two dive day ended up one trashed dive due to the rescue, don't get me wrong I am glad to have saved the guy..., and a second very short dive because at that point he and his wife were also getting seasick.

It is best to get properly trained, as mentioned before perhaps you can make your first 4 ow check out dives while on the cruise...and then if you dive another port, be sure to go with some other experienced folks as extra dive buddies or in a dive group just for the extra level of experience.

One other dive, a newly cert diver and I went out together. Nice kid, about 20 physically fit, intelligent etc...someone I figured would be fine in the water. Unfortunately as newly cert he liked to drink the air...ok, we were diving an area that a mask in the water and a snorkle allowed lots of beautiful fish watching so a short dive was not the end of the world. He pointed out 1000psi (I forget the BARR equiv...which was how his showed, think I was still at 2500psi) We turned around, about 2 min later he showed me again at 500psi, ok so now I was considering that we would be surfacing away from the boat but close...we kept on going back to the safety bar...got there about at 0 psi for him...so we buddy breathed for 3 min....and he was breathing so fast that my 2000 psi when we got to the safety bar was down to under 500 psi by the time we surfaced. Ultimately it was all about him being in a new environment and still gaining comfort. I hope he has continued to enjoy diving and has settled into lower air consumtion. My point is that even newly trained folks who pay attention can run into trouble...so it is good to ensure you have experienced folks with you as extra safety if you do cert and check out at home before going. A dive accident due to lack of experience can be avoided and would ruin a nice cruise vacation.

Diving is a blast just do so safely.[/quote]

 

Dave, I totally agree. Like you, I have had several harrowing experience with recently certified divers. Many divemasters assume that because someone has a C Card they are qualified to dive and, of course, we know that that is not true.

 

Often, divers will certify at home and then a year later they head for the Caribbean for their first ocean dive. What minimal skills they learned have often been forgotten and they are a prescription for disaster. We've seen them get aboard a dive boat and not even be able to assemble their tank, regulator and BCD into a working unit.

 

Most dive shops in the Caribbean mix the seasoned dive pros with new divers and that can create problems for both groups. We always encourage young divers to take a refresher course or hire a divemaster to help them hone their skills. The extra cost is worth the extra degree of safety.

 

While we agree certification should be the OP's goal we feel that with a consicientous instructor the resort scuba course can be a safe introduction to the sport.

[crock921]

that is precisely why I want my DW to get certified. I want to have a dive buddy I know and trust, and do not want to have to worry about some unsafe diver who has not dove in years getting into trouble and not knowing what to do.

[Sharkmedic]

Good advice!