NER: Diving certification through a resort

hoffse

OK so FI and I are going on our honeymoon the first week in May.  We are staying at a Sandal's (I know, I know, but we got a great deal).  Sandals includes diving as part of the AI package, and we are interested but neither of us are certified.

Sandals has a shallow water "certification" course for $80/person that takes about 3 hours.  I looked it up online and it's still a PADI-certified course - but it doesn't qualify for open water or anything deeper than 30 feet.  It's really just to try the experience.

Thing is, people die doing this - I looked up what it costs to do an open water certification at dive shops where we live, and it's like $450 minimum and several weeks to get certified.  They aren't equivalent courses, but it still sort of makes me hinky.  We can't get fully certified before we go because there isn't enough time, and the resort offers this shallow water course on-site, so we could just do it when we get there.

We really want to do it (it would be a really cool memory) but I'm worried about safety - what would you do?  Is this one of those things where if I have to ask about it I should know better?  Or am I just being paranoid, given that these dives are not allowed to go deeper than 30 feet and you always have a guide?

[Deleted User]

Hey, I'm a NOAA diver and I've been diving for NOAA for about 3 years now.  My dad took a pool course on vacation in Hawaii one year, which is similar to what you're talking about.  He got so hooked that he followed up with getting his open water cert when he got home.

When you go, ask the concierge but I'm 99% confident that you'll have a guide with you at all times especially if neither of you have dove.  If neither of you have, they won't or shouldn't let you dive together.  They will most likely pair you up with someone who is experienced in case something does go wrong.  

If you do the pool course and you're not comfortable with the instructor and what you've learned, just go snorkeling.  It would be a cool experience but trust me, no one looks graceful underwater their first time diving.  You can always go back home and get certified if you have fun dabbling with it during your honeymoon.

This is a judgement call on your part.  People do die doing this.  Luckily if you're in 30 feet of water or less, you've got a strong chance of being rescued and everything turning out okay as long as your buddy and guide are paying attention.

My first dive (after an intense 3 week dive school in Seattle where we dove 2-4 times/day) was in the Bering Sea.  The water was choppy there was no visibility and I panicked.  I couldn't event get 3 feet below the surface.  We called the dive off because no one could actually do their jobs that day from the crappy weather conditions.  We came back the next day and re-did everything and it all worked out just fine.  I've gone down to 128 feet in a chamber and around 120 in open water.  I've also been cave diving.  I'm not going to lie, every time I gear up, I have an honest fear and respect for the water.  

The point I'm trying to make here is that this is defintiely something to take seriously.  I say go ahead and try it but if there is even a sliver of you or your FI that feels uncomfortable, just stick to snorkeling and work your way up to diving.  Maybe you can even get certified at home and plan another vacay just for diving!  Good luck and feel free to PM me with more questions or just ask them on here.  Happy bubbles :-)

[Deleted User]

Oh yea, if you do go diving, do NOT go the day before you take a flight.  Your body needs at LEAST 24 hours to off gas all of the excess nitrogen you breathe in from the compressed air.

Xstatic3333

I don't post much on E, but I thought I could help out with this question.  I am a PADI-certified Divemaster (basically I can assist with classes and lead certified divers) and I work at a shop local to where I live.  The $80 class sounds like a "Discover Scuba."  It is a completely legitimate and safe class, providing it is taught according to PADI standards.  I don't know anyone who has dove with Sandals, but given that they are a big company with a reputation to protect, I would assume they do things the right way.  

If you take the course, you will recieve a dive briefing where you learn the basics that will keep you safe underwater.  Once you get in the ocean, you will practice a few essential skills (clearing a small amount of water out of your mask, taking your regulator in and out, adding air to your buoyancy control device to stay at the surface, etc.) and then go on a tour with your instructor.  The instructor will keep you close at hand, and monitor how much air is in your tank.  Likely, you will surface after about half an hour with TONS of air left.  Making sure the shop is certified by PADI or another organization is also a smart move.  A low student-teacher ratio will increase your safety (I would prefer no more than 4:1 for a course like this).  Your first dive in the ocean should also be with a full instructor, not someone with my certification level, and they shouldn't bend the rules by taking you deeper than 30 ft.  A surprising number of places will, but the rules are there for a reason!

If you don't have the time or funds to get certified, I would definitely feel comfortable about a Discover Scuba.  My first dive was a Discover Scuba, and I was hooked from there on out.  The only exception would be if you or your FI are feeling really nervous about diving.  For people who are on the fence, I think going through the full course and learning the rationale behind all the safety procedures is best.  Also, many resorts and dive shops offer a Discover Scuba class that takes place entirely in a pool, and this is great for just feeling what diving is like.

I'm clearly biased, but diving has been such a big part of my life and if you can afford it, I think the full certification is DEFINITELY worth the money.  You'll get to see a part of the world you never have before!  Also, you will probably never have to be without an instructor or divemaster unless you want to be; most resort dives are guided the whole time even for certified divers.  HTH, definitely give it a go!

Edit: Ich, what an awesome career!  Very cool.  I concur with her points completely, respect for the water and your instincts is important.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_ner-diving-certification-through-a-resort?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:aec71f4d-7bbb-4678-9642-fc6cf99b76ccPost:7d8385b0-2ef2-437f-a422-2522c642b67e">Re: NER: Diving certification through a resort</a>:
[QUOTE] Edit: Ich, what an awesome career!  Very cool.  Everyone listen to her over me, much more knowledgeable.
Posted by Xstatic3333[/QUOTE]

<div>Lol, thanks!  I get to quit it a week after my honeymoon :-P  Apparently you can't continue driving ships and diving in Alaska and Hawaii when your husband is a pilot for the Hurricane Hunters in Florida.  Womp, womp!  Yea, I'm definitely going to miss getting paid for diving.  I've looked into dive jobs with aquariums but they want Divemasters.  Who knows, maybe I'll throw the money down and take the class but I kinda feel like my diving days are behind me now :-(</div><div>
</div><div>At least I got to scrape some barnacles off the hull of a boat the other day and maybe I can squeeze in another cave dive before I move ;-)  I'm back and forth on diving on the honeymoon b/c FI had tubes in his ears when he was little and he's worried about being able to clear.  Basically, if something goes wrong with his ears or anything else, he can't fly anymore so I think that would be a solo activity for me :-/</div>

hoffse

Thanks!  FI and I both have a healthy fear of suffocation - that's why I actually looked up what an open water certification involved, because I'm not a terribly strong swimmer and drowning might be my biggest fear in life (even though I should probably be more worried about driving, but we can't control phobias).

That said, we have both snorkled before, which we love, and I can't lie - it sounds incredible.  One of my BFFs at the office is a serious diver and her vacation every year is a new dive site.  Last year she dove the Galapagos - it sounds frankly unbelievable.

One of our local dive shops will give you one free "try it out" session - they are known to be the best in the state.  So we might go and do that to see what we should be looking for, try the course, and then decide if we feel even a little weird about it.  You are right - we can certainly get certified the traditional way and go diving on another trip someday.  We also live close enough to Florida that flying to the keys for a long weekend is certainly not out of the question if we get into it.

Xstatic3333

Ich, I hear you, it's hard to keep a balance with between diving and "real life."  FI dives sometimes, but specifically requested a no diving honeymoon because he didn't want it to be too much of a distraction!  I'm going to try to keep at it until I have kids, but it is a pretty consuming hobby/job.

Hoffse, the "Try it For Free" class sounds perfect.  Hope you enjoy it!

hoffse

Yes!  It's "Discover Scuba" and we thought it sounded like fun - but then I remembered my friend telling me how expensive diving is and how long it takes to get certified, and I got a little weirded out.  Probably doesn't help that I am up to my eyeballs at work unravelling an offshore legal deal that the partner at my law firm is pretty sure was designed to hide assets - I think it's caused me to be skeptical about the entire caribbean.  When I realized how short the course was and how cheap compared to a full open certification it made me really nervous - I'm glad to hear it's legitimate (the resort says it is PADI certified), because we definitely want to try it as long as it's very safe.

[Deleted User]

Hoffse-definitely check out the try it free class before you go!  That's a great option.  Diving is absolutely incredible and my instructors said I had bug eyes when I was just sitting at the bottom of the pool.  All that was going through my head was "this is not natural, people were NOT made to breathe underwater" lol.  I also thought about giving my boss the satisfaction of dropping out and decided that wouldn't happen.  EVER.  So I sucked it up and now I love it.

If you dive in the Keys, give me a call, we can all dive together, I'll be in St. Pete, haha.

If you do go, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER HOLD YOUR BREATH.  "Just keep breathing, just keep breathing, just keep breathing, breathing breathing!!"

Xstatic-yea, I'm going to start grad school in January(hopefully!) and we want to start having kids once my Master's is finished so yea, no nitrogen bubbles for the kiddos, lol.  We'll see if I keep up with it for vacations and what not.  Honestly, I think with a lot of places, especially tropical places, you can see just as much reef if you're snorkeling/free diving.  It seems like the best fauna is around 30 feet anyway.  I did do a pretty sweet drift dive off the Molokini crater off Maui at 90 feet and heard humpback whales singing to me.  That was probably the best dive thus far :-)

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_ner-diving-certification-through-a-resort?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:aec71f4d-7bbb-4678-9642-fc6cf99b76ccPost:71949200-4e77-41e5-99bb-5157f65ee100">Re: NER: Diving certification through a resort</a>:
[QUOTE] (the resort says it is PADI certified)
Posted by hoffse[/QUOTE]

<div>If it's PADI certified you're good to go.  Just don't lose that paranoia.  It's a good thing when you're diving ;-)</div>

hoffse

OK thanks everybody - this really makes me feel so much better.  I think we'll do the try it free class to see if we can get over our slight water phobias.  I'm 99% positive I'll panic the first time I have to breathe underwater, but my friends who do it tell me that's normal and after a few trys you get the hang of it.  If so, we'll take the course at the resort - if not, I'll stick to my snorkling  Best thing about Sandals as far as I'm concerned is that it includes watersports I DO know how to do - waterskiing and kneeboarding (I actually learned how to kneeboard before learning how to swim... probably not the best parenting moment my family ever had), so even if the diving doesn't work out we'll have plenty to do.  But FI and I would both love the memory of doing our first dive on our honeymoon!  Thanks for helping me feel like the only limitation to this is our own natural discomfort from being underwater that long, and it should have nothing to do with the resort's program!

[Deleted User]

Have fun!  Let us know how it goes :-)

Xstatic3333

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_ner-diving-certification-through-a-resort?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:aec71f4d-7bbb-4678-9642-fc6cf99b76ccPost:a391c8ba-b7bb-4783-b0aa-8c49e90b7e56">Re: NER: Diving certification through a resort</a>:
[QUOTE]Have fun!  Let us know how it goes :-)
Posted by lch0708[/QUOTE]

<div>This!</div>

Avion22

I've done a few "DIscover Scuba" dives on cruise vacations and such, all less than 10m (generally around 5m).   They were separated by a few years, so I thought it made sense to do the "Discover Scuba" and learn all the drills all over again.

All three times I've done it have started on land, then moved to the pool, then moved to the water for a heavily supervised dive in shallow water.   Like others have said, as long as the course is PADI certified and has a good student/teacher ratio, and doesn't break the 10m, you should be fine.   

If you have the option to take a free course at home, that might be a good option because you'll know if you like it or not. Some people just don't get used to the regulator in a short time.  If you're one of them, at least you will have saved your $80.  But remember -- the best part of a resort dive is that you will actually get to see cool stuff in the ocean!   In my very limmited experience diving, this is what makes you forget you're breathing from a regulator and just relax a little bit.  Some people feel "claustrophobic" in the pool, but do just fine in shallow ocean water.   

MartinAston

I'm PADI certified. My husband and I actually decided to get our Advanced Open Water step up from open wanter with a Sandals Resort. They were very professional there. We actually witnessed the class your talking about doing while we were gearing up. I think it be good to try if you are anxious about the Open Water Certification. Diving can be expensive, but it is So worth it. I've been doing it for three years and am addicted now. The first time in the ocean took me by surprise since I underestimated the currents and waves. Now I know what to expect but still take my steps for prepping my gear very seriously. All the places we've dived with since always have a guide and The crew on the ships take precautions on checking everything before we get in the water. Have fun!

jemmini6

If you have a slight fear of diving, definitely check out the Discover Scuba before you invest in getting OW certified.  

My H and I's first dive was in Hawaii and was sort of a Discovery dive (not an official PADI course, but we weren't certified, so we had a brief instruction before 'buddy' diving with a divemaster).  I was really nervous before we went that I almost backed out, but I'm so glad I didn't.  That dive is still one of the best we've ever done.  Anyways, we loved it so much that we got certified as soon as we got home and are now Advance Open Water certified and are planning to start our Rescue Diver cert this summer.

kipnus

I'm PADI Rescue Diver certified. I got hooked through a Discover dive in the Philippines a few years ago. My husband, who was not a diver, did a Discover dive on our honeymoon in Mexico. We didn't do it through our resort though--I'm picky and I read lots of reviews and found a great dive shop in Playa del Carmen. 

I've never been to a Sandals resort, but if I were you, I would read reviews on your resort and also dive shops in the area to make sure that you're getting a good one. Having confidence in your instructor and/or dive master makes diving more fun!

gypsylynn2005

So this has been answered multiple times but I'm a PADI instructor and so is my FI. I've managed a 5 store shop in Hawaii and work for a dive shop here in Guam. What they are offering is called Discover Scuba Diving like someone mentioned. You will do a few skills in shallow water first thn experience a dive with the instructor watching you closely. I've done literally hundreds of them and have never had anyone get hurt, let alone die. That being said, I would suggest snorkeling first to see if you're comfortable in the water with a mask on. The instructor will be fully capable if answering questions 1 on 1 to ease your fears. If you're not comfortable, don't do it. You will not have any level cert after it. The certification class Dan range from $160 (here in Guam) to $900 (a shop in PA I worked at) depending on location. It is the same course. It takes a minimum of 3 days. Go to PADI.com and check it out for more answers. Have fun!