Onboard Certification course

[cseal94]

My dad is signed up for the onboard certification on the Voyager of the Seas. Has anyone done an onboard program and what is it like?

[SCUBA Mark]

My dad is signed up for the onboard certification on the Voyager of the Seas. Has anyone done an onboard program and what is it like?

 

We just got off Voyager of the Seas.

 

The course they teach is a PADI SCUBA Cert and not a PADI Open Water Certification.

 

The SCUBA cert only allows you to dive with a PADI Divemaster or PADI Instructor. The SCUBA cert involves classroom, one pool session, and two dives. The Open Water Cert has one more pool session and two more dives (4 total). I think they were charging about $250 and you had to have your own fins, mask, and snorkel (which they would happily sell for another $90)

 

The SCUBA Cert is fairly worthless. You can get an Open Water cert back home for a lot less money (~$150 around here) and you could actually use it.

[scubadiver888]

Is this where people are getting this!?!!

 

I'm a certified diver. On my last Caribbean Cruise there was a guy, from London, with our shore excursion who had what looked like a Open Water certification card but it wasn't. We all got on the dive boat from the cruise ship pier and started heading for the dive site. While on route the guide checked our certification cards. Five minutes later we were turning the boat around and dropping off the guy from London. Turns out he had this 'resort' course certification. The concept is that you get the card at the beginning of the cruise then on subsequent Discovery dives you don't have to do the pool session again.

 

The guy from London kept the card and was using it to get tank fills back home. He was actually doing certified scuba and didn't know how much danger he was in. He didn't even know to dive with a buddy. :eek:

 

The shops back home didn't check the card carefully and thought it was a real c-card.

 

cseal94, there is a lot of good dive shops in Texas. Unfortunately, I only know of ones in Dallas. There should be a lot down in Houston/Galveston. Maybe even in your area.

 

You can get your scuba certification in 5 days (actually faster but 5 is best). Most places have it so you can do Friday evening classroom then Saturday/Sunday in the pool and then two more days in Open Water.

 

You can do the classroom and pool work at home then get a referral letter. You arrange for a shop in the first port to do dives 1 and 2 then another shop can do dives 3 and 4 in the next port.

 

Or just do everything at home (that is what I'd do). You'll probably get better training too.

 

Then you can go on real dives during the entire cruise.

 

Before you do this, give Discovery Scuba a try. Usually for a few dollars (sometimes free) you can try scuba in a pool for 30 minutes. Some people like the idea but find they just cannot do it. Once you are sure you like scuba then you can do the full course.