Scuba Diving without being certified

[dot73]

I tried the intro to scuba excursion this year while on a cruise and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I will be taking a PADI scuba course this winter with class room study and scuba diving in a pool. Living in Canada, I won't be able to be certified until the spring. I will be on a cruise next January. Since the cruise ship is only on each island for one day, it will be impossible to get certified during that time as you are required to do 4 open water dives. I will do an intro to scuba course again so that I can get some experience in the water. Is it possible to hire a certified diver from a scuba shop to take me down to about 20-30 feet so that I can get more comfortable in open water? Thank you.

[zippybossrock]

If you can find a dive operator that will take you out....not as part of a "Discover Scuba".....without a valid C-card.......RUN, don't walk, away!!!! Any operator that would take a non-certified diver out into open water, outside of a the "Discover Scuba" course is putting your life on the line!!! The best way to get more comfortable, of course, is through being certified and logging dives. However, since you won't be able to get this completed by the time you cruise, my suggestion would be to do the "Discover Scuba" at each port if you want to experience diving.

[SCUBA Mark]

I tried the intro to scuba excursion this year while on a cruise and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I will be taking a PADI scuba course this winter with class room study and scuba diving in a pool. Living in Canada, I won't be able to be certified until the spring. I will be on a cruise next January. Since the cruise ship is only on each island for one day, it will be impossible to get certified during that time as you are required to do 4 open water dives. I will do an intro to scuba course again so that I can get some experience in the water. Is it possible to hire a certified diver from a scuba shop to take me down to about 20-30 feet so that I can get more comfortable in open water? Thank you.

 

PADI has a referral program where you do the classroom and pool work in one location and the dives in another. You might be able to find a PADI dive shop in the ports you are going to that can do the rest of the dives. You can do two dives in each port. Actually, PADI lets you do a max of 3 of your cert dives in one day, so technically you could do 3 dives in one port and one dive in another. You would have to pay the local operator for the dives.

 

I was on the Grand Princess and they actually taught the entire PADI course on the ship and they did the cert dives in two of the ports.

 

Mark

[reddi]

Our teen sons did all of their check-out dives for certification while on a cruise. They did 3 in Grand Cayman and the final 2 in Roatan (1 of the 3 is a "snorkel dive" and doesn't take long). The local dive shop gives you a Universal form that you take with you and the divemasters sign off when you complete your dives. You bring it back home afterwards and get the C-card a short time later. The other option would be to go to the port city (if in Florida) a couple of days early if possible and complete if before leaving. That way you don't have to spend dive time doing skills work. You'll have to prearrange this with dive shops at your ports.

[bruce-r]

I tried the intro to scuba excursion this year while on a cruise and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I will be taking a PADI scuba course this winter with class room study and scuba diving in a pool. Living in Canada, I won't be able to be certified until the spring. I will be on a cruise next January. Since the cruise ship is only on each island for one day, it will be impossible to get certified during that time as you are required to do 4 open water dives. I will do an intro to scuba course again so that I can get some experience in the water.

That isn't totally correct. Depending on which islands you visit, you CAN do the first two check out dives at the first stop then do the second two dives at the second stop. If you are cruising Royal Caribbean they do offer the Referral Certification on their Voyager (and larger) class ships.

 

Is it possible to hire a certified diver from a scuba shop to take me down to about 20-30 feet so that I can get more comfortable in open water? Thank you.

No, but it would be possible to hire an instructor from a dive shop to do a personal discover scuba dive if you want to spend the money.

[Loves_Dogs]

SSI also has a referral program. I did my book/pool work at the local dive shop, which is SSI. They gave me the Universal Referral Form letters and while on my Destiny cruise, I did my 4 open water dives to get certified. I did 2 in Barbados and 2 in St Thomas. Did my dives at PADI shops so they do work together (SSI & PADI).

 

I booked the dives myself (outside the ship) ahead of time. I emailed them, making sure to explain what I needed and they were more than happy to work with me. I had a GREAT time! I highly suggest you do the same. You can get some great dives in AND get certified.

[scubaran]

My 2 cents,

 

Do the discover scuba excursions and do your open water dives when you get back. The reason, the fun factor. When you're doing your open water exercises you should be totally focused on completing them sucessfully. If you do the discover scuba excursions, you'll be under the supervision of a dive master and will be free to follow their lead as you explore a reef (though not below 40 ft). The reason I go to the Caribbean is to see all those cool fish and creatures and to miss out on this opportunity to get my cert just wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd rather be an "advanced" discover scuba diver who got to cruise the reef rather than a "newbie" OW diver who sat on the sand by a reef and saw the hand signals from my instructor. Besides, if you've completed your pool work, the dive master on the discover scuba will probably loosen the reins a bit more giving you some additional freedom to explore (within limits). Besides, who wants to work on a vacation? :p

 

Randall

[scubadiver888]

I tried the intro to scuba excursion this year while on a cruise and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I will be taking a PADI scuba course this winter with class room study and scuba diving in a pool. Living in Canada, I won't be able to be certified until the spring. I will be on a cruise next January. Since the cruise ship is only on each island for one day, it will be impossible to get certified during that time as you are required to do 4 open water dives. I will do an intro to scuba course again so that I can get some experience in the water. Is it possible to hire a certified diver from a scuba shop to take me down to about 20-30 feet so that I can get more comfortable in open water? Thank you.

 

Dot,

 

As people have been saying, you have a few options:

 

You can take the class work here and do the open water work while you are on the cruise. Talk to the place you are doing the class work and see if they can give you the necessary referral forms. Next talk to the cruise line. Some cruise lines will have a dive instructor on the ship and that person will take you out at each port.

 

You might find that the cruise line will do the class work and the open water dives.

 

You could do the class work here, do discover scuba dives from the cruise ship then do the open water portion when you get back.

 

Personally, I was certified in the Caribbean 7 years ago and started diving here (Toronto) recently. I think I would have been a better diver if I had been certified here and did all my open water dives here as well. The conditions here are a little harder than the conditions in the Caribbean (I assume you are cruising in the Caribbean). So if you can master diving here, diving in the Caribbean becomes MUCH easier. It took me 15 dives before I started really enjoying myself. If I had more experience up here, I would have started enjoying the Caribbean much sooner.

 

Darrell

 

P.S. who are you taking the classes with?

[dot73]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I will do my course here in Toronto and then do a couple of discover scuba excursions while on the cruise and enjoy the underwater scenery. I will then do my certification in the summer in Ontario.

 

I did find an excursion company that can arrange for certification, two dives at one island and two more at another. The price, however, was quite high. If I can find an instructor who would give me a lesson one-on-one, I may try that if it's not too expensive. I think I will do the discover excursions in Aruba and Curacao.

 

Mark, your pictures are amazing. What camera did you use? I have the Olympus 1030 which is good for up to 33 feet without housing.

 

Darrell, I will be taking the classes with a scuba shop called Aquarius in Etobicoke. I've signed up for November. They do the certifications at Gull Lake (wherever that is).

 

All my life I've been scared of the ocean. When travelling south, I would only put my toes in the ocean. After I turned 40, I tried snorkeling on a cruise and fell in love with being in the water and watching a whole new life under water. A couple of years ago, I did my dream cruise to Tahiti and snorkeled at every stop but was always wishing that I had learned to scuba. So here I am, at 51, finally doing it. At least when I'm in the nursing home many years from now, this will not be a regret. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement.

[scubadiver888]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I will do my course here in Toronto and then do a couple of discover scuba excursions while on the cruise and enjoy the underwater scenery. I will then do my certification in the summer in Ontario.

 

You will have a good time. When I first got certified I went out with the Discovery Scuba group and had fun. Now that I've been diving for a while I wouldn't have as much fun.

 

I did find an excursion company that can arrange for certification, two dives at one island and two more at another. The price, however, was quite high. If I can find an instructor who would give me a lesson one-on-one, I may try that if it's not too expensive. I think I will do the discover excursions in Aruba and Curacao.

 

You'll also find that the training you get in the Caribbean will be hit or miss. Some instructors are good but some are not good at all. With here, if you are unhappy with the instructor you can try to negotiate your money back or see if the shop has another instructor. I'm pretty sure Mark Paszyn has more than one instructor working out of his shop.

 

Darrell, I will be taking the classes with a scuba shop called Aquarius in Etobicoke. I've signed up for November. They do the certifications at Gull Lake (wherever that is).

 

Actually, they do the Open Water check out dives at Gulliver's Lake in Brampton (http://www.gulliverslake.com/). It is close to Aquarius and shallow but still deep enough for Open Water certification. I've done a refresher course with Mark Paszyn. He is a good guy. Be careful though ;) he is a business man too... he'll try to selling you all your equipment. Double check it is a good price. Getting 20% off something marked up is no deal.

 

All my life I've been scared of the ocean. When travelling south, I would only put my toes in the ocean. After I turned 40, I tried snorkeling on a cruise and fell in love with being in the water and watching a whole new life under water. A couple of years ago, I did my dream cruise to Tahiti and snorkeled at every stop but was always wishing that I had learned to scuba. So here I am, at 51, finally doing it. At least when I'm in the nursing home many years from now, this will not be a regret. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement.

 

You have to go back to Tahiti once you get your Advanced Open Water certification. You definitely want to get your AOW. The book they give you for the AOW also has the instruction for Peak Performance Buoyancy. I have been following that and now have Deep Diver, AOW and really good buoyancy. I'm finally heading for Tahiti November 2009. :)

 

You definitely have to have AOW if you are going to the French Pacific. I dove the Caribbean for years with just OW but now that I'm going to Tahiti I got my AOW.

[dot73]

Thanks for all the information Darrell. I usually go to the Caribbean once a year so that's where I'll be doing all my diving. I will probably replace my snorkeling mask and fins with something better for diving and the rest I will rent wherever I dive. I looked at some of the prices and they can be quite steep for some of the equipment. If I find that I really enjoy scuba, I will probably join a club and go on dives with a group as I am single.

 

As for Tahiti, I really envy you. You will be amazed at the clarity of the water and the colours of the fish. The snorkeling in places like Tahaa (Raiatea) was like snorkeling in a tropical aquarium. I even snorkeled with the black tip sharks. Never been so scared in my life. If you are interested to see some pictures I took in Tahiti, let me know and I will send you a link for them on flickr. Thanks again for the info. Dorothy

[scubadiver888]

Thanks for all the information Darrell. I usually go to the Caribbean once a year so that's where I'll be doing all my diving. I will probably replace my snorkeling mask and fins with something better for diving and the rest I will rent wherever I dive. I looked at some of the prices and they can be quite steep for some of the equipment. If I find that I really enjoy scuba, I will probably join a club and go on dives with a group as I am single.

 

Yes, if you are not diving a lot, buying the gear might not make sense. I went for 6 years just diving in the Caribbean and renting gear. Last year I decided I wanted to dive more. I've dove 3 times more in the past 9 months then I did in the previous 6 years. It was time for me to buy my own equipment. :)

 

If you ever do decide to buy your own equipment, being part of club is good. You can ask people if they'll let you try out their gear. Some shops rent the gear they sell so you can rent it before you buy it. And some shops will let you try before you buy but that is rare in Canada.

 

As for Tahiti, I really envy you. You will be amazed at the clarity of the water and the colours of the fish. The snorkeling in places like Tahaa (Raiatea) was like snorkeling in a tropical aquarium. I even snorkeled with the black tip sharks. Never been so scared in my life. If you are interested to see some pictures I took in Tahiti, let me know and I will send you a link for them on flickr. Thanks again for the info. Dorothy

 

I would live to see your pictures from Tahiti. I have been looking at pictures for years now. That is what got me wishing I could go there. I can never get enough of Tahiti pictures. :D

 

Hey, maybe we'll bump into one another next summer. My Local Dive Shop (LDS) uses Gulliver's Lake for training too. I plan on doing my Rescue Diver and maybe Master Diver training next year.

[mamasue]

Dot.... I agree with scubaran..... it would be more beneficial to do your open water course near home... and build up a rapport with an instructor you can get to know and trust.... rather than just somebody you never met before!

IMHO you should do Discover Scuba Dives on your vacation... and just go.. look at fish, and have fun!!!

[heydn62]

It doesn't take long to get certified. Is it already too cold where you are to get in your openwater dives? You could be done by the end of September if there's a class available to you, even if you just did weekends.

[dot73]

I think the certification dives can be done in southern Ontario until early October. For various reasons, I cannot take the course until November. I think I will wait until the summer to get into our water. Brrrrr.

[scubadiver888]

I think the certification dives can be done in southern Ontario until early October. For various reasons, I cannot take the course until November. I think I will wait until the summer to get into our water. Brrrrr.

 

In our area, October is pushing it for warmth. Most people dive from June to August. The waters are the warmest in July/August. At this point water temperatures are dropping but still warm enough to dive in a 7mm farmer john with 7mm shorty. October is warm enough to dive but add the stress of training and being new to diving, I would advise against it. November is just too cold. Even if you can handle the water temperatures, the surface intervals would be really difficult in a wet suit. Most November divers here go dry suit.

 

Gulliver's Lake (were you'll be training) is shallow so it should be quite warm by June. You might even be able to dive it in May.

 

Basically, the water temperature is not just a matter of what you can bare but hypothermia is a real concern. You'll get taught about this when you start taking the classes.

[tombo]

If you're taking a Caribbean cruise, you're probably sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. You could complete the OW course at home and then go to Florida a couple of days early and do your check-out dives there. It's very common for people from northern climes to do their final cert dives in Florida and all the dive shops (north and south) are familiar with the referral procedures.

[mamasue]

If you're taking a Caribbean cruise, you're probably sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. You could complete the OW course at home and then go to Florida a couple of days early and do your check-out dives there. It's very common for people from northern climes to do their final cert dives in Florida and all the dive shops (north and south) are familiar with the referral procedures.

 

That's probably the best idea I've seen.... if you can take the time to do it..... well worth it!!

Then you can leave for your cruise with your new certification... and not have to do the DSD thing.... much more fun!!

[Loves_Dogs]

If you're taking a Caribbean cruise, you're probably sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. You could complete the OW course at home and then go to Florida a couple of days early and do your check-out dives there. It's very common for people from northern climes to do their final cert dives in Florida and all the dive shops (north and south) are familiar with the referral procedures.

 

geesh tombo:

Now THAT just makes too much sense. What a good idea!

[dot73]

That is a great idea to go early to FLL and get certified. Unfortunately, I can only go the night before as the cruise is 14 days long. I think I will wait until the summer at home and then be certified when I cruise in 2010.

[scubadiver888]

If you're taking a Caribbean cruise, you're probably sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. You could complete the OW course at home and then go to Florida a couple of days early and do your check-out dives there. It's very common for people from northern climes to do their final cert dives in Florida and all the dive shops (north and south) are familiar with the referral procedures.

 

Tombo,

 

Actually, Caribbean cruises sail from San Juan, Galveston, Barbados, Montego Bay as well as Fort Lauderdale or Miami. Still, your suggestion is a good one. If you can afford the time, go early whatever port you are sailing out of. In some places you might need to travel a bit. E.g. no good diving in San Juan so you need to go to the west side of the island to find good dive shops.

 

Any PADI shop is familiar with the referral program.

 

Darrell

[scubaran]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I will do my course here in Toronto and then do a couple of discover scuba excursions while on the cruise and enjoy the underwater scenery. I will then do my certification in the summer in Ontario.

 

Sounds like a plan. :D Enjoy the warm winter waters of the Caribbean and then you can do the cold waters of Ontario in the summer. :eek: I do my warm water dives in the winter as well.

 

Enjoy!

Randall

[w&k]

I did find an excursion company that can arrange for certification, two dives at one island and two more at another. The price, however, was quite high. If I can find an instructor who would give me a lesson one-on-one, I may try that if it's not too expensive. I think I will do the discover excursions in Aruba and Curacao.

 

I'm guessing, 14 days from FLL, and Aruba and Curacao, that you might be doing the Grand Princess (we're doing it at the end of February).

 

Here's my recommendations on that itinerary: (everyone listed does referrals)

 

#1 - The Dive Bus, Curacao - http://www.the-dive-bus.com/ You absolutely, positively HAVE to go dive with Suzy and Mark at The Dive Bus at the hut on Curacao. The house reef (Pierbaai) is awesomely beautiful, and they are great folks. It's an easy, lazy beach dive, and it's simply gorgeous. No boat, so you can concentrate on what you are doing and get comfortable. Watch out for the blackmail photos, though... we got nicknamed the 'serial cruisers', and there is a particularly funny one of us in the February 08 newsletter ;) (PADI)

 

#2 - Kenneth's Dive Center, St. Kitts - http://www.kennethsdivecenter.com/ Another favorite. Kenneth, Vajai, Gail, Yellowman and the crew take great care of you. They usually run a large, but very comfortable boat that is a good choice for either a beginner or advanced diver. All the dives we have done with them are pretty, easy, and a whole lot of fun. (PADI)

 

I feel that these two operations would be the best ones for you to do your learning without having to get out of your comfort zone. I believe that a 2-dive referral or a double Discover dive will end up just about the same $.

 

We love small boat operations, but they can be a bit more challenging, as it tends to be a little bit blowy and choppy down south in the wintertime. We have also been out with both of these folks for multiple trips, and they are great to dive with. If you are comfortable with small boats, they are awesome choices as well.

 

Aruba - we dive with Clive at Dive Aruba. http://www.divearuba.com/ (PADI)

 

Barbados - we dive with John at Dive Barbados. http://www.divebarbados.net/ (PADI, BSAC)

 

The links below are for a past and 2 future trips, my website with some reviews, and some dive happy snaps to get you ready. It's always nice to hear about a new lady shark to join me.

 

Have a wonderful trip, and welcome to the addiction!

 

Wendy

 

website

http://www.freewebs.com/wendyandkeith

 

pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

 

Galaxy spring 08

http://www.freewebs.com/galaxy-02-25-08/tours.htm

 

Grand Princess spring 09

http://www.freewebs.com/grandprincess-02-27-09/portstours.htm

 

Grandeur fall 09

http://www.freewebs.com/grandeur-11-19-09/portstours.htm

[cruzinnluvinit]

I tried the intro to scuba excursion this year while on a cruise and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I will be taking a PADI scuba course this winter with class room study and scuba diving in a pool. Living in Canada, I won't be able to be certified until the spring. I will be on a cruise next January. Since the cruise ship is only on each island for one day, it will be impossible to get certified during that time as you are required to do 4 open water dives. I will do an intro to scuba course again so that I can get some experience in the water. Is it possible to hire a certified diver from a scuba shop to take me down to about 20-30 feet so that I can get more comfortable in open water? Thank you.

If you could find a really cheap flight to Florida, you could take your test there. Also, you could fly in early for your cruise and take it if you are leaving from Florida.

[Middleager]

Dot, I just saw this thread.

 

I'm also a diver in Toronto. I'm not a good swimmer, and learned to scuba by chance, and now like it so much I make sure I take 1-2 vacations to warm waters where I can dive. Also got my wife interested in snorkeling.

 

I've taken a few Caribbean cruises, all with very good diving. I was lucky enough I could fly down first for some diving, then more diving during the cruise. I don't like the cold, so don't dive in Ontario. Even in the middle of summer, you'll need to wear so much (and therefore need a lot of weight to) to get down. No coral growth, not good viz, and you may see mud or sponges a bit further down.

 

 

Many people talked about doing the class work here, then do the referral dives on the trip. Most dive ops would be happy to do that if you ask. Don't go thru the cruise line to ask, they won't know what to do.

 

Before you fly out, might want to do a pool practice with all the gears on.

 

If you can get to Florida 1 or 2 days before, that'll be the best. Otherwise, arrange for those referral dives on your first 2 ports. As long as you let them know ahead of time, most will be very accommodating.

 

Some suggested doing more Discovery dives. Well, it is a lot more expensive to do Discovery dives. They may have other students who have never dived before. They will take time to explain everything to you again. Then it could be a short shallow dive. It could cost $125 for one dive, then another $25-50 if you do the second dive.

 

That's why if you plan all your dives as referral dives, and even later ports if you like to do more diving, let them know you either like to do referral dives there (in case they didn't work out in prior ports). Or that you just got your OW, and please watch out for you as a beginner. They won't put you on a boat with only advanced divers going deep.

 

---

 

The point about establishing good rapport with a local instructor -- that would be important if you'll be diving often locally and/or want to take more courses locally. For me, I dont' dive locally -- water too cold even in summer. I took the Advanced OW course on a cruise vacation to Hawaii. Could've done that on a Caribbeen cruise too. But if you won't dive much locally or take more courses locally, it's not as important

 

--

 

I also take my regulator for servicing to Acquarius. But other than that, it is an expensive shop. I see a snorkel I bought for US$30 selling there fore Cad$69.99. Many other things are so expensive at that shop. Even if I like to support a local shop, the prices there are just too high for me to do that. I order on-line, and have had good results so far. That's something you can consider.

 

---

 

Enjoy. The experience of diving is so wonderful and addictive. Watch out you'll keep asking for more.