Discover Scuba Help

[ilovethesun]

I'll be going through the southern route (St Thomas, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua) and DH and I would really like to test out scuba diving. We're thinking we'd really like it and would one day like to book a full scuba trip but want to see if we like it first!

 

Where is the best place to do this? As far as I can tell, it's available on ship excursions in St Kitts and St Thomas. I called Coki Beach Dive and their price is $70 but you only get to "dive" for 40 or so minutes. They said they have a contract with the cruise ship and we can book with Carnival or book directly with them (and provide our own transportation).

 

Any recommendations? I'm totally new to this so would really appreciate any help!

 

Thanks,

angie

[scubaran]

I'll be going through the southern route (St Thomas, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua) and DH and I would really like to test out scuba diving. We're thinking we'd really like it and would one day like to book a full scuba trip but want to see if we like it first!

 

Where is the best place to do this? As far as I can tell, it's available on ship excursions in St Kitts and St Thomas. I called Coki Beach Dive and their price is $70 but you only get to "dive" for 40 or so minutes. They said they have a contract with the cruise ship and we can book with Carnival or book directly with them (and provide our own transportation).

 

Any recommendations? I'm totally new to this so would really appreciate any help!

 

Thanks,

angie

 

Hi Angie,

 

You have a couple of questions to answer....

 

Yes, from the enthuseism of your message it sounds like you'd enjoy scuba diving.

 

St. Thomas will have the most options for you to dive and the underwater flora and fauna is great so I think that might be your better choice.

 

Don't worry about the 40 minutes. In all likelihood you'll go through your tank in 30 minutes or less, newbie breathing. With the excitement, anxiety, and nervousness, most new divers get low on their tanks between 20-30 minutes. Also be aware that you'll be limited by depth as well. Most discover scubas stay in the 25-40ft. range where basic certification gets you to 60ft. and 130ft. with advanced training. If the price is similiar, the ship may be the better way to go (no stressing about catching the boat). But I'd think either choice would give you a good experience.

 

As a prelude to doing it though, I'd consider at least getting a mask that fit you before you go. If possible, go to a local scuba center and get fitted for one. They're not that much more expensive than what you can get at a sporting goods store and you won't have issues with a leaky mask as you enjoy your swim. :)

 

Hope this helped,

Randall

[ilovethesun]

Thanks so much! I can't tell how much the trip's tour is yet so I'll have to wait to make my decision but if you saw my countdown clock, you know I have ample time!

 

I really appreciate your response!

 

angie

[scubaran]

Thanks so much! I can't tell how much the trip's tour is yet so I'll have to wait to make my decision but if you saw my countdown clock, you know I have ample time!

 

I really appreciate your response!

 

angie

 

No problem. BTW, I did discover scubas for 10 years on Caribbean vacations before I ever broke down and got my certification. I didn't have a buddy or any place local to dive so I was content witht he 40 minutes underwater on my vacation. :)

 

Randall

[BuzzF117]

If you have a Local Dive Shop check into doing a Discover Scuba class with them. It isn't the same type of course you will take on the cruise but it will only cost you apporx $50 but it will give you enough of an experience to know if you want to continue. Then you may be able to do your certification via a refferal to the cruise lines dive operation which would actually get you more dives on your trip.

[Waterskier1]

If you are concerned at all about scuba diving, I suggest you take a Discover Scuba class in your home town first. Here, they vary from $0 - $25, with most being $10 or less. The shops use this to intice you to take the full certification course. You will only get to "dive" in a swimming pool, but it will give you an idea if you like wearing a mask underwater, if you can breathe underwater (it is difficult for many to "trust" the scuba) and even if you might have problems clearing your ears. I did this so as not to "waste" $70 or so only to find out I wouldn't enjoy it, or couldn't clear my ears. If you like the pool experience, I say "go for it". You will most likely see the same things as those on the boat who are certified. You may be under closer supervision, and might not dive as deep, but deep doesn't always me better. There is usually a lot to see less than 40 ft deep.

[jag27]

I'll be going through the southern route (St Thomas, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua) and DH and I would really like to test out scuba diving. We're thinking we'd really like it and would one day like to book a full scuba trip but want to see if we like it first!

 

Where is the best place to do this? As far as I can tell, it's available on ship excursions in St Kitts and St Thomas. I called Coki Beach Dive and their price is $70 but you only get to "dive" for 40 or so minutes. They said they have a contract with the cruise ship and we can book with Carnival or book directly with them (and provide our own transportation).

 

Any recommendations? I'm totally new to this so would really appreciate any help!

 

Thanks,

angie

 

Hi Angie,

 

I did the Discovery Scuba on my Princess cruise in Grand Turk, and if it anything like the one I just did, it will be most of your day. I booked through the cruise ship and contracted the local dive shop. We boarded our boat and they reviewed the Scuba "Basics" (what happens to your body underwater, the gear, and what to do underwater). Then, we went to some shallow water off a beach and put the gear on. The instructor went over clearing our mask and how to "breathe" if you lose the regulator. If anybody had problems with those steps, then they wouldn't do the open water dive. Once the instructors felt we ready to go, they took us out to about 40 ft and dove with the instructor for about 20 minutes.

 

I really enjoyed the Discovery Scuba excursion. If Carnival offers it for about the same price, I would book directly with them since they will provide the transportation and you will not miss your boat.

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Judy

[BuzzF117]

If you really enjoyed the discove scuba thru Princess I would highly recommend getting certified at home at a Local dive shop if one is available. You may also be able to do you certification dives via referal to Princess

[scubadiver888]

I'll be going through the southern route (St Thomas, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua) and DH and I would really like to test out scuba diving. We're thinking we'd really like it and would one day like to book a full scuba trip but want to see if we like it first!

 

Where is the best place to do this? As far as I can tell, it's available on ship excursions in St Kitts and St Thomas. I called Coki Beach Dive and their price is $70 but you only get to "dive" for 40 or so minutes. They said they have a contract with the cruise ship and we can book with Carnival or book directly with them (and provide our own transportation).

 

Any recommendations? I'm totally new to this so would really appreciate any help!

 

Thanks,

angie

 

Angie,

 

I agree completely with what Scubaran said. St. Thomas is going to be the most enjoyable place for a Discovery dive. Additionally, not only will most the people on the dive run out of air within 30-45 minutes, getting to the dive shop, everyone getting their equipment, preliminary training, getting to a good dive site, etc. will take up a lot of time. Time will actually fly by. By the time you know it, it will be hours later. You'll probably be a little tired but really happy.

 

The dive shops in St. Thomas are really close to the ships (walking distance) and they tend to have some of the best boats I've been on in the Caribbean.

 

For the extra money, I think it is worth just booking with the cruise ship. The cruise ships have some tight rules for the dive operators. You are guaranteed to have a safe, fun experience and the cruise ship will handle most the paperwork for you.

 

When you book the dive, they will ask you for equipment size, don't worry if you are wrong. There are always dozens of people who initially ask for a size 7 fin and find they really need a size 8 fin (or something like that). The operators the cruise ship contract have a lot of equipment so they can easily accommodate last minute changes.

 

Don't do St. Lucia or Dominica. There is a lot of fishing boat traffic in those areas and in the past people have been hurt when surfacing. For that reason, they tend to take the Discovery divers to crappy locations, i.e. away from the fishing boats.

 

Final note, wetsuit is optional. If you are from somewhere like Canada or Norway, you will probably be able to dive without a wetsuit. For this reason, they do not include a wetsuit in the price of the excursion. You can usually rent a wetsuit for $10 more.

 

Darrell

[BuzzF117]

When I was in St Thomas in Feb I dove with http://www.admiraltydive.com/ and you can call them from the US and it's not considered an overseas call. They picked me up at Crown Bay and took me to the boat and returned me after the dives. One of the cool things was that they wouldn't charge me for the dives if for some reason the ship had to skip the port. They are a smaller company that thrives on customer service and have all the needed equipment after you book with them they send you a form to fill out so you can get them your sizes for gear.