Need advice from Snorkeling or Scuba addicts!

[Kareberry]

I will be going on the Carnival Valor cruise in May and we're stopping at Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. I'm new to snorkeling and scuba diving and really wanted to do either or.

 

Out of the 4 places, which is the top 2 places to snorkel or scuba?

 

Also, is the discover scuba really worth it compared to power snorkeling or snuba? I truly don't want to spend so long in an orientation and then only 20 minutes in the water. I prefer to get up close and personal with the marine life but only when it's not too dark which is why I was afraid diving to 40ft might mean there wouldn't be much light underwater. Is it really dark when you get to 40 ft? Can power snorkeling or snuba get you up close and personal too?

 

Thanks in advance!

[DIST-THDR]

Kareberry, I have done both in Cozumel and loved it. Beware though with the ship tours you may end up snorkeling just off shore. Their excuse is the number of beginers on the tour. It may be better to get a cab or tour going to the National Park for the day. It has a nice beach, good snorkeling, and snackbar. Be careful of your things on the beach though. Go with others and take turns in the water. Belize, I wanted to snorkel, but was cancelled due to too rough. Grand Cayman, the reef was in poor condition because of storms( not much color ). So just ask what kind of snorkel trip they are taking you on so you will not be disappointed. You can always cancel if it's not what you want. Phil

[BuzzF117]

If you going on your cruise in May I suggest you go to a Local Dive Shop (LDS) and do what is called a Discover Scuba class. It will run you about $50 and if you really enjoy it go for the certification since what you spend on doing a couple of discover scuba dives on a cruise will almost cover your certification. If you find out the Scuba isn't for you your only out $50 and you know you will want to snorkle. As for what you will see in many cases you will have visibility of 100+ft in the carribean and at a depth of 40ft you will still have enough light to see many great things. I would suggest that you take a small light down with you to shine into the knooks and crannies of the reeef just to see whats lurking err I mean hiding. A scuba certification is good for life were a Discover Scuba course doesn't really do you much good since you aren't getting anytype of certification and you will be limited to what you can do on your dives.

[dtchem1]

Discover scuba is well worth it, except you may get hooked. You do spend some training time, but you also get plenty of bottom time. The resort course is good for a week, so if you want to do another dive site, you don't have to do the pool work again. Cozumel is known for great scuba, as well as Grand cayman and Belize has the second largest barrier reef. Roatan is know for larger fish (dolphins, sharks,etc.). Go for the scuba, it's not dark at 40ft in clear Carribean waters. Visibility is up to 100ft. It si dark, as far as a camera is concerned, so don't count on good pics witha disposable underwater camera at that depth. Go for the DVD from the dive shop if this is a one shot deal or you have a great dive.

[scubadiver888]

Kareberry,

 

I haven't been to any of the places you have listed but I can tell you what I've heard.

 

Belize has many dive locations. Some are good and some are not. It could be hit or miss depending on who the ship is using for a dive operator.

 

I have heard nothing but good things from scuba divers who have been to the Grand Cayman.

 

Cozumel is a location that a lot of scuba divers go to. Everyone I know who goes there is a certified diver. I'm not sure if there is anything for discover scuba. If the ship has a discover scuba shore excursion then it would be a good second choice (Grand Cayman being the first choice).

 

There is a lot to see and do at any of the Caribbean ports of call. You could be entirely happy doing the Discover Scuba at each port it is available at.

 

If you do think you just want to try scuba diving at home, talk to the local dive shop. If you are in a nice area (southern California, Florida, etc.) then you can just get certified at home. If you are in a place less friendly to scuba (Ontario, Canada; it is currently 4 degrees above water and the lake is covered with ICE near shore) you can do some of the course at home and finish it on the ship. The way it works is you will have classroom, pool and open water. You do all the classroom and pool work at home then the dive shop gives you a referral form. You arrange with the ship to do your open water dives in the Caribbean. I'm not sure if Carnival does this but if they do, the dive master on the ship will take you out with the certified divers. While they are playing, you will repeat the pool exercises in the open water.

 

Your local dive shop can give you more details.

[Kareberry]

Thanks for all the responses! All you scuba diver fanatics are seriously making me interested in doing the academic/pool stuff at home! I just took a look at some of the PADI centres in Toronto...seems like it's around $280-$380 for the books and pool instruction!!! Kind of expensive to commit to if I don't even know whether I'll like it.

 

If I do a Discover Scuba is that considered 1 open water dive? So if I do 3 more open water dives after my discover scuba at the first port, can that be considered as step 2 in getting a c-card? Essentially, can it be done backwards? Lol!

[jdbmga]

Kareberry, call around to your local dive shops. Some have discover scuba classes and one local dive shop owner is going to take me to the pool to try a dive for free to see if I like it b4 I sign up for the class.

 

I was going to get certified on the ship as well but was told by people on this board that I would enjoy the dives on the cruise so much more if I was confident already.

 

Call locally and see if there is a discover scuba class in your area.

[scubadiver888]

Thanks for all the responses! All you scuba diver fanatics are seriously making me interested in doing the academic/pool stuff at home! I just took a look at some of the PADI centres in Toronto...seems like it's around $280-$380 for the books and pool instruction!!! Kind of expensive to commit to if I don't even know whether I'll like it.

 

If I do a Discover Scuba is that considered 1 open water dive? So if I do 3 more open water dives after my discover scuba at the first port, can that be considered as step 2 in getting a c-card? Essentially, can it be done backwards? Lol!

 

Where in Toronto are you? Most the good dive shops are outside the Toronto area. If you are in the west end it might be worth the trip out to Happy Diver's Den. They are in Streetsville (Mississauga). The web site is http://www.happydivers.ca.

 

Scuba diving can be quite expensive. This is why you want to be sure you like it before you start committing a lot of money to it. You'll need a mask, fins and snorkel. You shouldn't need anything more than that to start. If the dive shop tries to push a discount package don't do it. I've been to one dive shop where the owner is a real sales person. He uses the old trick of making you feel stupid if you said no. Say no anyways. You'll feel smarter later.

 

Take the time to go to a few shops if you can. You want to find a shop and instructor who you are comfortable with and trust.

 

The thing I like about Candace (Happy Diver's Den) is she is big on safety and understands this is a lot of money. She'll tell you straight up that the distributors give her a deal if she orders regulator, BCD, dive computer combination. So you can save some money by buying a package. However, you don't want to buy the package until you have tried scuba diving. She has the same equipment she sells available for rental. You can rent the equipment for the Discover Scuba. If you don't like scuba then you are only out the cost of fins, mask, snorkel and the equipment rental.

 

Other things I like about Candace, I was thinking about buying my wetsuit, BCD, reg and computer package. She rented me the BCD, reg and wetsuit for $15 (plus a full tank of air and weights) so I could see if I liked them. Once a month they rent a pool in Brampton for training and for 'try it' sessions. Additionally, when I went to the pool for the 'try it' session. There were two scuba classes in progress. They had a Dive Instructor and Assistant Dive Instructor for every 4 students. Some places have just an Instructor for 6 to 8 students. Additionally, the Chief Dive Instructor (Tim) was there to monitor the instructors and watch out for people doing a 'try it' session.

 

Finally, I talked to Candace and told her I couldn't afford the reg, BCD and computer right now but I'd buy the wetsuit. I let her know I was disappointed because I was going to the Caribbean in April and wished I could have my equipment by then. Candace said she has a lease to own program. You put down what you can and arrange for regular payments. The interest she charges was ridiculously low. She keeps the equipment at the shop. When you need it you check it out. When you are done you bring it back. So I'd be able to put half down, make 6 to 8 equal payments on the balance. I think it will cost me something $100 more for a $1800 package (I went high end) and I'll be able to use it when I go to the Caribbean in April.

 

If you are out in the north-east part of Toronto you might want to check out Aquasub Scuba (http://www.aquasubscuba.com/). This is were I bought my fins, mask and snorkel. They are a good bunch of people. not too sure about the instructors however as I never took a course with them (I was certified in Jamaica).

 

As to whether the Discover Scuba counts towards your requirements for being Open Water (OW) certified, it does not. The dives you have to do for OW certification involve specific exercises. You'll still need all the dives just to have time to do the exercises. Besides, if you like scuba you'll want to log more and more dives.

 

I read a lot and talk to a lot of divers so I can learn to improve my air consumption. When I first dove I'd run out of air after 20 to 30 minutes. Now I can do shallow diving for 2 hours and deep diving for over 30 minutes.

[islandwoman]

Since you want to get up close and personal with the marine life, my suggestion is that you get certified through your local dive shop before you go on the cruise. If you already snorkel and can dive down into the water without problems, that's a good indication that you'll like SCUBA. If your local dive shop will let you try out the gear in the pool before signing up, go for it!

 

All of your ports are excellent locations for SCUBA :D

It won't be dark below 40 feet in the Caribbean in Roatan, Belize, or Cozumel. You'll have plenty of light throughout your whole dive.

[gmcrow]

I will be going on the Carnival Valor cruise in May and we're stopping at Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. I'm new to snorkeling and scuba diving and really wanted to do either or.

 

Out of the 4 places, which is the top 2 places to snorkel or scuba?

 

Also, is the discover scuba really worth it compared to power snorkeling or snuba? I truly don't want to spend so long in an orientation and then only 20 minutes in the water. I prefer to get up close and personal with the marine life but only when it's not too dark which is why I was afraid diving to 40ft might mean there wouldn't be much light underwater. Is it really dark when you get to 40 ft? Can power snorkeling or snuba get you up close and personal too?

 

Thanks in advance!

I also recommend getting your certification before your cruise if possible, or at least the classroom and pool work. All of the port on your cruise offer good diving, not sure about the snorkeling at Roatan or Belize, as many dive sites are far too deep for snorkelers to enjoy. To get an idea of the darkness take a look at some recent dive videos we posted to YouTube. These were taken without any artificial light, all below 50 feet. Also keep in mind that some video quality was lost in the upload to YouTube.

Have fun on your trip.

 

http://www.youtube.com/cruisedivers