Resort Diving, get a course first?

[Jeff_]

IIRC I think most of the open water certs in Alberta are done in lakes. I would prefer doing an open water cert in the ocean vs freshwater and it will probably be warmer compared to Alberta

[Jason McK]

Originally Posted by Jeff_

IIRC I think most of the open water certs in Alberta are done in lakes. I would prefer doing an open water cert in the ocean vs freshwater and it will probably be warmer compared to Alberta

Fresh or Salt the theory is the same. I'd get certified before you go for all the reasons listed above. I'm looking into a trip to Belize and just looked at courses for fun. The Open water was double what I paid here in Vancouver

J

[trilinearmipmap]

I did the PADI e-learning program. It is internet based instruction with videos and quizzes. Then I got the practical part done in four half-day sessions in the Caymans. I recommend doing it this way. You can do the computer learning at your leisure and the open-water practical sessions don't fill up your whole day the way they would if you did the entire course on-site.

[Jeff_]

Yup Theory is the same but there is a lot more biodiversity to see if you get it certified out on the coast but that also is costly to come out just to get certified. trilinearmipmap, if you don't mind me asking, how much was it to do the course online? Did it specify that the practical must be done in the Caymans or is that up to the attendee?

[wolf_bluejay]

One of the things to keep in mind -- once you have the cert. you don't just get to dive anything you want. The dive master will want to see your log book, and the judge what he'll let you do.
For the most part -- if the lake is not frozen, a good 7mm wetsuit (double layer) or a drysuit will keep you warm as the water gets cold down deep anywhere is Canada.
As a bonus, if you do the open water part in full wetsuit gear (I did), you get much more used to doing things like recovering your regulator. With that you get a response from the Caribbean dive masters of "Oh, your a cold water diver. Do whatever you want"

I don't know if I would do an mostly on-line version of the course. Where I did mine, there was 1 hour of theory followed by 1 hour in the pool for a total of 6 nights. That spread out practice was great. It gave you the time to try things, get comfortable with them and think about the mistakes you made.

My wife pulled her weight belt at the bottom of the pool (15 lbs) instead of her BC strap. A good evening of think about what went wrong (she put the belt back on underwater as she didn't let go of it), and what was the right thing to do. Of course, don't let go of any strap you are pulling and "think" you've got it right.

I try to remind newbies of the fact that the cert. doesn't mean you can do anything you'd like. If you go out on a charter boat dive, most will look at your logs, experience and decide. They are simply not going to let you go through that chute at 80ft after 4 dives, and you're silly if you try.

Overall the course here in Kamloops was a little pricey compared to Van/Vic, at $300, but it's a one time cost that will last a lifetime. I know I'd get $300 more vacation in warm water.

PS. As a funny side note: Our first dive ever was in Grenada. The dive shop owner, that live in the dive shop at the beach was amazed that we like near Van/Vic. and took 4-5 trips a year to go diving because "The diving is so much better there". I only wish I knew the area was so amazing years ago.

[trilinearmipmap]

Originally Posted by Jeff_

Yup Theory is the same but there is a lot more biodiversity to see if you get it certified out on the coast but that also is costly to come out just to get certified. trilinearmipmap, if you don't mind me asking, how much was it to do the course online? Did it specify that the practical must be done in the Caymans or is that up to the attendee?

It costs $120.00 U.S.

Once you do the e-learning you can take the open water certification anywhere that does PADI courses.

Overall if I remember correctly the cost for doing the e-learning plus the open water practical certification worked out to a little bit more than doing the whole course in person, but not much of a difference, it will depend on what the dive centre charges.

[saltcreep]

I second, or third, getting your certification done prior to your trip. It's much nicer to be able to just dive and enjoy yourself rather than worrying about performing some of the required skills. The other thing is that the more dives you do the more comfortable you become underwater. This always helps with your buoyancy and your breathing. Both are important to enjoyable dives.

Don't let cold water dissuade you from diving. Like it's been stated, after diving cold water, especially if you dive with a dry suit, the warmer waters are heaven and yes are much much easier to dive. Good luck and always remember to take pictures to share.

[globaldesigns]

Some resorts don't require a course, but will require you to do a swimming test. A good example is the Palladium Resorts. Scuba is absolutely free to guests, but if you can't do 6 laps doing the crawl, then you don't get to go.

I personally do the snorkelling, and believe that you should have proper courses. Of which I DON'T have. Once in Dominican, I saw a boy come up and start screaming as he is drowning, the boat/instructors did not hear him at first. Watching this was kinda scary.

Maybe on day I will get certified, I do alot of Caribbean vacations to Dominican or Cuba. I envy you all that take those great pic's.

[parkinsn]

I would get it done before you go on your trip. One thing to keep in mind is the fact that you dont have to do the 4 open water dives in canada. You can do everthing in the course and save the 4 dives till you get somewhere, then you dont have to do them in the cold lake/ocean in canada.

[DiverDude]

The most time-efficient, cost-effective, and pleasant way to do this is to do all the classroom work and pool dives here, before you go. The course costs less here and you don't burn vacation days sitting in a classroom.

Then, if you can, try to pick a resort with a dive operation on the premises. This will make is a LOT easier and you will spend less time away from the family. Finally, pre-arrange with the dive shop to do your open-water "referral" dives with them. You will just pay for 2 dives (there will likely be a surcharge because you will need 1-on-1 time with a divemaster on those dives -but it's not a lot).

When you arrive, they will take you on an easy dive or perhaps just into the surf and have you go through some basic exercises. You'll then do a couple of easy and fairly shallow dives (50' or less) and as long as you can recover your regulator, maintain buoyancy, clear your mask underwater, etc. you're done and they will certify you. You will then receive a temporary C-card. A permanent one will come by mail later.

That's it. You can now get cylinders filled and dive where you want (subject to your experience level and the judgement of a divemaster).

Enjoy.