Do you have your Divers certification?

[lorenz0]

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.

[Delphinus]

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.

[kwirky]

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?

[Delphinus]

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. Sheesh, cheapskates who don't buy their own. Anyhow, I digress. I highly recommend Aquasport, they are in Marda Loop here in town, here's their website: http://www.aquasportscuba.com/

[whatcaneyedo]

Interesting, I dont recall our instructor making us swim those laps or tredding water to get our PADI Open Water... I think he just took our word that we could so that he could do the certification faster. I guess I shouldnt say who he was or he might get in trouble.

[Bayside Corals]

Got certified through PADI with a friend that could not swim. She doggie paddled from one end of the pool to the other and the instructor said that was good enough. She didn't have to do all of the laps to complete the test.

We went diving in Cozumel several times and loved it! You do not have to know how to swim in order to dive as my friend did very well and can not swim at all!

Colby