beginner scuba bermuda

We have never done this and since we have excursion credit we thought we try it in Bermuda. IS the training enough to get someone who has never tried it through it? what are your thoughts for a newbie trying it there?

IS the training enough to get someone who has never tried it through it?

No, everyone who has tried it has died

:p:eek::rolleyes:

or in other words ain't it a silly question?

You don't mention what cruise-line, cruise or specific excursion but I'm gonna bet one chocolate donut that what you are looking at is what's typically called a "Discovery Dive"

as described in the PADI catalog of courses:

Have you always wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater? If you want to try scuba diving, but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into a certification course, Discover Scuba Diving is for you. PADI dive shops offer this program either in a pool, off a beach or from a dive boat. You can try scuba close to home or while you’re on vacation at a dive destination. While not a scuba certification course, Discover Scuba Diving is a quick and easy introduction to what it takes to explore the underwater world.

You learn the basic safety guidelines and skills needed to dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional.

There is a fixed syllabus for this 'dive' and many many people do it every day. It is led by a SCUBA "instructor" and the student instructor ratio is kept low to ensure they can keep a close watch. You spend about 20 minutes 'talking', about 30 minutes gearing up & learning some safety skills and then do a short and shallow dive ...... you are NOT gonna see a prime dive site. (some locations will offer an escorted second tank dive for an additional fee)

I accompanied dd on two 'discovery' dives during cruises b4 she took certification training .... and shortly thereafter became a research intern in Roatan counting sea horses during 3 to 4 dives a day for 6 weeks . . . not to mention recreational dives on the side.

it is perfectly safe IF you meet the medical conditions, are comfortable in the water and pay attention to the instructor ...

{certified since 1973 .... active diver for over 40 years}

(Note: Capt BJ responded while I was responding. As you can see we are in agreement)

It sounds like you're looking at a "Discover Scuba" excursion. The deal there is you'll get a cursory introduction to the equipment, and the basics of safety; then go on an escorted dive. The rules are that the group size is limited to 4 per instructor and depth will be limited to 40 feet. In some parts of the world those standards are routinely violated, but in Bermuda, and on a ship's excursion, I would expect them to be adhered to.

People who have done these come back with the entire variation of possible responses, from "hated it", through "it was fine", all the way to loving it so much they become certified, and become divers for life.

There is some argument in the field about whether the Discover Scuba program provides enough training for participant safety; however, the fears seem more theoretic than real, as there's not a high number of adverse outcomes. (Or as Capt. BJ puts it, there's not an inordinate number of corpses bobbing up to the surface) :)

As for the value of the experience, it's a single dive, very limited dive (usually from the beach) at a price higher than a certified diver would generally pay for dives from a boat. However, the certified diver has put time and money into becoming certified.

I've not dove in Bermuda (yet), but it's well regarded for its diving, so it should be a fine place for this experience. Of course, the dive instructor in me is compelled to suggest that you could do you classroom and pool work at home, and - because of the nature of Bermuda cruises - you would have the two days required to do your actual certification dives there (total of 4 dives minimum, no more than 3 in one day). You would then come back from your cruise with your open water diver certification.

Harris

Denver, CO

I just did the DIscover Scuba I. Bermuda and had a great time.

Discover Bermuda is worth it.

Make sure you ahve travel insurance if you are diving. My hubby was on a more difficult dive and got severely cut. We visited the hospital in Hamilton for care. http://www.csatravelprotection.com was great with our case and paid our claim quickly.

(Note: Capt BJ responded while I was responding. As you can see we are in agreement)

 

It sounds like you're looking at a "Discover Scuba" excursion. The deal there is you'll get a cursory introduction to the equipment, and the basics of safety; then go on an escorted dive. The rules are that the group size is limited to 4 per instructor and depth will be limited to 40 feet. In some parts of the world those standards are routinely violated, but in Bermuda, and on a ship's excursion, I would expect them to be adhered to.

 

People who have done these come back with the entire variation of possible responses, from "hated it", through "it was fine", all the way to loving it so much they become certified, and become divers for life.

 

There is some argument in the field about whether the Discover Scuba program provides enough training for participant safety; however, the fears seem more theoretic than real, as there's not a high number of adverse outcomes. (Or as Capt. BJ puts it, there's not an inordinate number of corpses bobbing up to the surface) :)

 

As for the value of the experience, it's a single dive, very limited dive (usually from the beach) at a price higher than a certified diver would generally pay for dives from a boat. However, the certified diver has put time and money into becoming certified.

 

I've not dove in Bermuda (yet), but it's well regarded for its diving, so it should be a fine place for this experience. Of course, the dive instructor in me is compelled to suggest that you could do you classroom and pool work at home, and - because of the nature of Bermuda cruises - you would have the two days required to do your actual certification dives there (total of 4 dives minimum, no more than 3 in one day). You would then come back from your cruise with your open water diver certification.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

HI Harris

Kinda off topic but can you help?

Do discovery scuba dives count towards your PADI cert?

I have done my pool work plus 2 x open water dives (although longest & deepest was 25 minutes at 26 feet - Bloody Bay wall Little Cayman - nice start I'm told :)) - and doing the discovery Scuba again in Bermuda.

I am going back to Caymans in January 17 to do my PADI cert.

I am doing my online class work now. (also have an old fashioned second hand open water manual to read on the go.)

How do I get tested on my online work?

And do any discovery dives count towards my cert?

Thanks for any advice you can offer..

As you can see - I've caught the bug :)

Blondie.

HI Harris

 

Kinda off topic but can you help?

Do discovery scuba dives count towards your PADI cert?

I have done my pool work plus 2 x open water dives (although longest & deepest was 25 minutes at 26 feet - Bloody Bay wall Little Cayman - nice start I'm told :)) - and doing the discovery Scuba again in Bermuda.

I am going back to Caymans in January 17 to do my PADI cert.

I am doing my online class work now. (also have an old fashioned second hand open water manual to read on the go.)

How do I get tested on my online work?

And do any discovery dives count towards my cert?

Thanks for any advice you can offer..

As you can see - I've caught the bug :)

 

 

Blondie.

Blondie,

No, Discovery Dives do not count toward your Open Water Certification. If you've done all your classroom and pool, and two dives with the instructor that taught the classroom and pool, you could probably do a referral dive for just the other two. It's sort of a strange deal when someone's done two of their Open Water Dives, and then wants to finish with another instructor, but if you call and speak to the folks where you're going, it is likely doable

I'm an SSI instructor, rather than PADI, so I can't tell you exactly how you'll get credit for the eLearning. I know when we switched over from text books to on line, there were students caught in the middle who'd begun their course work prior to the introduction, but weren't complete. In every case we had to call our regional service center, and have the student processed manually.

With SSI, the eLearning materials download to up to three devices per student, so you can have it on a computer, tablet or phone, and then it updates your progress each time you log in. I would think PADI's works similarly. You may want to get enrolled in their on line course, rather than continuing to work with the book.

I was initially quite skeptical of the conversion to web-based materials. However, the proof has been in the outcome. Students are now far more ready for their classroom and pool work after the on-line course than they ever used to be with the text books. For our program the incorporation of text, photos, videos and review questions is clearly making a better learning tool than the old text book and DVD. I think maybe 20% of students watched the DVD, and probably only 50% really read the book. Now, I can monitor a student's progress, and see how they're doing before class begins.

Again, speaking to the SSI program, there are review questions in the online course, but at the conclusion of the classroom and pool sessions we administer a written test to ensure the students have the knowledge they need. I am sure PADI does the same.

Feel free to send me an email by clicking the link below. I think I could give you better advice if I was 100% clear on what you've already done, what you're doing now, and exactly what you have planned for January in the Caymans.

Harris

Denver, CO

Blondie,

 

No, Discovery Dives do not count toward your Open Water Certification. If you've done all your classroom and pool, and two dives with the instructor that taught the classroom and pool, you could probably do a referral dive for just the other two. It's sort of a strange deal when someone's done two of their Open Water Dives, and then wants to finish with another instructor, but if you call and speak to the folks where you're going, it is likely doable

 

I'm an SSI instructor, rather than PADI, so I can't tell you exactly how you'll get credit for the eLearning. I know when we switched over from text books to on line, there were students caught in the middle who'd begun their course work prior to the introduction, but weren't complete. In every case we had to call our regional service center, and have the student processed manually.

 

With SSI, the eLearning materials download to up to three devices per student, so you can have it on a computer, tablet or phone, and then it updates your progress each time you log in. I would think PADI's works similarly. You may want to get enrolled in their on line course, rather than continuing to work with the book.

 

I was initially quite skeptical of the conversion to web-based materials. However, the proof has been in the outcome. Students are now far more ready for their classroom and pool work after the on-line course than they ever used to be with the text books. For our program the incorporation of text, photos, videos and review questions is clearly making a better learning tool than the old text book and DVD. I think maybe 20% of students watched the DVD, and probably only 50% really read the book. Now, I can monitor a student's progress, and see how they're doing before class begins.

 

Again, speaking to the SSI program, there are review questions in the online course, but at the conclusion of the classroom and pool sessions we administer a written test to ensure the students have the knowledge they need. I am sure PADI does the same.

 

Feel free to send me an email by clicking the link below. I think I could give you better advice if I was 100% clear on what you've already done, what you're doing now, and exactly what you have planned for January in the Caymans.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Wow Harris thank you for the info!

I am enrolled on the online course - and have nominated my dive club in Cayman as my instructor - I don't quite get the process yet - but will work it out. I have a manual too simply to be able to read on the move.

Thank you so much for this valuable advice!

Bermuda is really just about me getting another little experience again. There is a local Scuba group - but I don't fancy the cold waters of the Solway/Irish sea!