Advice for divers who haven't been in a long time

[cineroo]

Hi everyone! We are going to be going on the Freedom of the Seas in September with another couple(who are not divers). This will be our 5th cruise together. On the first cruise, we were planning on diving and excited about it. Once onboard, I discovered that RCI wouldn't let me dive because I was on a medicine (for thyroid, BTW) and had to have a doctor's permission slip. Needless to say, we didn't get to dive that trip. Next few cruises, we had the kids with us or it was a short cruise to the Bahamas.

 

So, this cruise we are thinking about trying it again. We haven't been diving since we started having children about 13 years ago. We know that we would need a refresher course since it has been so long, but would you recommend doing it at home before you go or on the ship? Does the ship require you to show your dive log or anything?

 

What kind of doctor's note do I need? Just something saying It is okay for me to dive? Anything else that I would need?

 

Also, our equipment is getting really old. We purchased everything about 20-25 years ago. Would you just rent what we need?

 

And lastly, we will be going to Labadee, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. We will likely only dive at one stop, so which would you recommend?? We looked at Chakannaub(sp?) in cozumel and was told it would cost around $50 to rent all the equipment and a guide would show us the best dive spots. Do you think that means we would be by ourselves and the guide would "point" us toward the best places or actually be in the water with us.

 

Sorry for so many questions in one post. Its been a long time for us and we are a little nervous, but would love to do it again. Thanks for the advice!

[King Neptune]

Cineroo,

I would definitely advise to get your refresher done before you go. That way there is no pressure of doing it while on vacation and you can use that time on the ship for more fun things. It should also be cheaper to do it before you go.

For any refresher course they would want to see your certification card and if you have any medical situations that may cause concerns then your doctor should sign a release saying that he thinks you're OK to dive. A standard release form can be picked up from your local dive shop before you do your refresher.

If your equipment is that old and hasn't been serviced regularly then I would rent. You'd be taking a risk otherwise. If you want to take your own gear, get it serviced first and then use it in the pool during your refresher course. That way you get familiar with it again and you'll know that it works.

A Dive Guide is typically in the water with you but it is always best to verify that with the shop.

[BlueC5Kitten]

Refresher course is a must, and you may have to get authorization from your doc for that, depending on your dive shop. As for the ship requiring you to have a medical release in addition to your C-card and a recent dive, I think that is a bit on the extreme side of things. If the ship asked you to provide medical information in addition to your C-card, you could get a general release from your endocrinologist re: your thyroid meds, but that wouldn't be any different from the release for the refresher course.

 

If you are only planning on one dive for the whole trip, I would say go for the rental gear, since servicing your own might be more costly in preparation for the trip than gear rental at one location.

 

Of the locations, I would dive Cayman...especially since you haven't been diving in a while and drift-diving in Cozumel my cause a little anxiety (I know folks who aren't used to drift diving tend to kick a lot more against the current). I would shy away from any dive op that wants to drop you off and let you drift it on your own...that's just dangerous, especially considering your recent experience level and not knowing the area.

[scubaran]

Hi,

 

I think the best course of action is for you to go to your local dive shop with your equipment and c-card in hand. Let them take a look at your equipment to see what needs service and costs (the estimate should be free). They should also be able to point you to any doctor's releases you need and discuss your options on a refresher course. I'm going to the keys next week and hadn't dove since Feb so my dive center let me show up last Saturday while they were teaching an OW class at the pool. I jumped in, checked out my equipment (and my new underwater camera setup) and after I felt like I'd had sufficient practice got out and packed up my gear. In my case there wasn't a charge for the pool time even though they kept one eye on me for safety reasons (of course I had the option of hiring a dive master to go over some exercises but it hadn't been that long since I dove and I've got a lot of experience with this shop). As someone else said, do all your checkouts locally so you can enjoy your cruise. Plus, if for some reason you don't feel comfortable diving any more it's better to find out in a confined pool than the wide open ocean. I'm sure you'll be fine (it's like riding a bicycle, once you get back into it it'll all come back).

 

As far as renting, if your equipment is too costly to service or is too old, at least pick up a mask, snorkel and fins that fit. I really don't believe in renting personal items. Besides the "yuck factor", you want these to fit well with no leaks or ill fit.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Randall

[sunseeker09]

Yes, definitely don't just use your old gear. Have it checked out and serviced and buy new personal gear at least, if need be. You can rent the rest if your gear is not up to par. Do not risk diving with gear that is questionable, particulalry regs and BCD.

Absolutely do a refresher in the pool at home. A DM will run through gear set up and all the skills with you. Besides being a good idea, so dive shops will make you do one before you dive with them if it's been that long. That would take precious vacation time and likely cost more.

As for the medical prior to the refresher, if you are PADI certified there is a form with yes/no questions, just like when you were certified. If you reply yes to any of the conditions then you will be required to provide a doctor's note to ok you to dive. You should only have a problem with the medical if serious health issues have come up since you were certified.

[cineroo]

Thanks for the information. I am trying to locate a dive store close by as ours went out of business years ago. But I am looking into doing a refresher course before we leave.

 

One other question that you guys may be able to answer. My DH has checked into diving at Chakkanaub Park in Cozumel. He remembered that way back when we originally got certified hearing some warning about having to be careful when renting air overseas in some countries that the standards were not as stringent. Is this still a concern? Would anyone be worried that the air might not be "Clean"? Or that the regulator that is rinsed in Mexican water could cause you to be sick? I would HATE to get sick on a cruise from diving. :( Has anyone out there been diving at Chakkanaub before?? I have been snorkeling there but it was MANY years ago. This would be a dive off of the beach, so I assume we would not be drift diving. I also think it would be pretty shallow water.

 

Any other advice or recommendations?? Thanks for your help so far.