I got my PADI certification a few years ago. Did my inclass stuff here in Calgary, then did my open water dives in Mozambique!

I still haven't done my PADI and i have about 25 dives. One being a wall dive which ended up being 120 feet. But i plan on taking my course in the next few months. I was suppost to go with my dad to belize this year to help him out on a couse this year that he used to run for geologists.

I got my PADI Open Water last year. For all of those people who keep posting that they wont take the course because they cant swim: swimming while diving is like swimming with a lifejacket on. Your BCD allows you to sink or float and if you've never worn fins before you basically need to unlearn everything you knew about swimming to get used to them anyways. So go try it because your excuse isnt good enough and you're missing out on an amazing experience!

I've heard from some friends who are divers that you don't need to know how to swim but others say that you do need to pass a swimming test.

I am a bit confused.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

Yes this is true, when becoming certified (With PADI atleast) you have to swim 8 laps and tread water for like 10 mins.
Levi

For the longest time I thought "yeah i'm gonna totally go diving when we go somewhere tropical for our honeymoon" then I did some research on certification and such. Realized my sinus problems won't let me really dive below 2m. When I go swimming my eardrums hurt like MAD when I go below 2m depth. So scratch that idea looks like i'm snorkelling instead like your average tourist :(

I have a similar problem with equalizing. Ever since a dive where i got pushed up by an updraft my right ear has been damaged. Those were some of my last dives, i am honestly interested in what its like now.

Sean, FWIW, first time I saw the GBR, I only snorkeled. I could hold my breath and swim down 20 feet to get a good look at the reef in spots where it was that deep, but my sinuses were killing me. That and fighting the extra buoyancy you get in SW, by the time I could equalize my ears at that depth, I was out of air and had to come up.

Next time I went back and dived with an instructor (I don't have my certification, but that doesn't mean you can't ever go out). Sinuses still hurt but having an air supply meant I could equalize without running out of air, and thus stay down.

You might want to still give diving a try. Do it like I did, find an outfit who will take you out with an instructor after a quick lesson. They won't take you anywhere deep, but realistically, the stuff we aquarists are interested in are in the top 10 to 20 feet anyhow.

so then what about the question of where to get certification? How does it work? Do you get most of your certification at home (at u of c or the likes) then get the rest out at the tropical dive site? or do it all over there? How does that work?

I think there's a fair amount of instruction, I'd only consider doing the whole thing over there if I had a lot of time to be there.. otherwise it might be the whole vacation. The half and half situation seems like a slam dunk to me. Do the mundane stuff at home, then do the open water part on the reef. That's what I'm doing, I think, before I go anywhere warm next time. The last time I looked into this, I checked out the Dive Shop, Adventures in Scuba, and Aquasport. Aquasport had the most reasonable rates. I got all my gear from them too, they had the nicest stuff at the lowest prices. I'm kind of annoyed though, my mask and snorkel and fins have been to far more tropical places than I've ever been to because my friends keep asking to borrow them. :neutral: Sheesh, cheapskates who don't buy their own. :lol: Anyhow, I digress. I highly recommend Aquasport, they are in Marda Loop here in town, here's their website: http://www.aquasportscuba.com/