new to scuba diving

[niuchick02]

My finace and I are going to belize in december. We have never been scuba diving before. Is belize a good area for beginners. We are booking our excursion through our ship (RCL). Would you recommend trying scuba for the first time?? Has anyone ever done the "Discover Scuba Diving" excursion?

[StarPilot1960]

My wife and I will be in Belize via Carnival Cruise Lines for our 18th wedding anniversary and are looking at the Discover Scuba as well. We were wondering how deep we would be allowed to go, for how long, what is the underwater scenery like, etc. By the one picture it looks like 4 foot deep water and we are more adventurous than that. ;)

 

If anyone has done this port call and would share feedback we'd appreciate it!

[reddi]

I'd recommend that you post your questions on the Scuba and Snorkeling Board - you're more likely to get responses there. I am certified and have never done a Discover Scuba but while you may train in shallow water I believe you will actually dive in 20 to 40 ft of water. Enjoy it but beware - you may get hooked!

[StarPilot1960]

We've done a few sessions in the pool when those free sessions were available. We're already "hooked". :D

[cruise-again]

I just returned from a Carnival Legend Western Carib cruise and did what was listed as a "resort dive" session. I did it in Cozumel, but I've seen similar tours advertised for most caribbean ports. The session included about 15 -20 minutes of land instruction, followed by another 20 minutes practice in waist deep water, and after everyone succeeded with the skills we then followed the instructor out into deeper water. The route was chosen so that the rate of decent was slow and gradual. The deepest we got was about 30-35 feet and the area we were in on Cozumel had lots of smaller fish, but little coral. I was glad of that since I had some problem learning how to control my depth and kept running into the bottom (which I could just push off from) and not have to worry about hitting coral. We spent about an hour, which was split between the instructor showing us the sights, and instruction. In all, it was a fantastic adventure; something I had wanted to do for years, but never wanted to commit to a long certification program. The only problem is now, as reddi warns, I'm hooked! This trip was a celebration for my 70th birthday. Good Luck, and Have Fun