Scuba diving in Roatan - 1st timer HELP!

We are going on the NCL Spirit 1/6/08 - I have agreed to go scuba diving with dh and friends on the discover scuba offered by NCL. Anyway, its the beginning one and neither my hubby or I have done it before. DH is EXCITED! I am nervous and said I would only do it on the very first day so I didn't have to spend the whole week worrying about it.

Any other first timers out there that have tried it in roatan or anywhere on a cruise actually. My biggest fear is that I am going to run out of air and that thought makes me nervous. And how certified are these people running the scuba trips? I'm not claustrophobic but I think the scuba equipment covering my face might cause me to be....

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Drug prescriptions like valium? haha Thansk! dori

Hello! My husband and I are also sailing on the 1/6 Spirit, and we are also booked on the discover scuba trip in Roatan. Neither of us have ever done scuba diving, but we are old pros as snorkeling so we wanted to try something new. I am also a little apprehensive about the claustrophobic/breathing underwater thing but I think it will turn out fine! Have you joined our roll call for the Spirit? I am sure we will be on the same excursion in Roaton, unless they do more than one trip. See you there! Less than one week to go...:D

I haven't sign in on the roll call board. I will have to do that.

I think there was only one scheduled through the cruise ship so we'll be in the same group, I would think. I'm sure the scuba will be fun once we get there and start doing it - it's just the not knowing that is making me nervous

Can't wait! dori

Well, I'm not on your ship, but I have done the discover scuba course once before on a different cruise.

Relax, you'll enjoy it. Assuming it is similar to the discover course I took, it will go something like this:

1. You'll wade out into about 3 feet of water with the instructor who will make sure everyone is paired in groups of 2.

2. The guide will then show you how to put on the BC (Bouyancy compensator) and regulator.

3. You will then simply sit on the bottom to get used to the feel of breathing through the regulator.

4. Once everyone is comfortable, you will do a very short and relatively shallow dive.

You will not run out of air, the tanks used are designed for much longer and deeper dives than the one you will do on a discover scuba dive, so please don't worry about that at all.

If for any reason you are uncomfortable during any phase of the dive the instructor can simply inflate your BC, allowing you to remain on the surface and do some "super snorkeling" while the rest of the group finishes the dive.

I enjoyed the discover scuba excursion I took so much, that when I returned I became a certified diver and dive everywhere we go! My wife discovered that she really wasn't comfortable diving so she didn't take the next step and get certified, but again, the discover scuba course was a great way to safely explore diving.

Don't worry at all. You'll enjoy it!

Thank you so much for your reply to my post. It makes me feel so much better just having a little more knowledge about what we will be doing and much less nervous about the whole thing.

Thanks Again! dori

You're welcome! If you have any other questions, let me know, I'll try to answer them and put your mind at ease.

In return, I want to hear how you liked it when you get back! :)

I'm sailing the 1/6 Spirit also.........I signed up for Discover Scuba also, but the only one I found on the NCL site was in Belize City, not Roatan?? Anyway, I've been on several other cruises and snorkeled, which got me hooked. Then I've done two "discover scuba" classes - one in a pool at my health club and the other at Atlantis in the Bahamas. In both cases, we learned about the equipment and then just played around in shallow water - it was awesome. I had intended on getting my C-card this year, but broke my arm and leg instead........so this is my reward for myself - although I too have a bit of claustrophobia thinking about going down deeper than 4 feet!! But I also figure that the clear Caribbean water will be a plus to overcoming that.

My one question - I am just coming off a bad bronchitis with a touch of asthma............there was no mention of health requirements on the excursion site. They haven't determine I actually have asthma, it just seems to come with the annual bout of bronchitis in the winter. Do any of you experienced divers know if that will make me have to cancel this long wished for excursion?????

My one question - I am just coming off a bad bronchitis with a touch of asthma............there was no mention of health requirements on the excursion site. They haven't determine I actually have asthma, it just seems to come with the annual bout of bronchitis in the winter. Do any of you experienced divers know if that will make me have to cancel this long wished for excursion?????

Well, I'm not a Doc, and and I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn express recently, but I would guess that as long as you aren't coughing badly you should be OK. You CAN cough through a regulator but I would think a really strong coughing attack would not be much fun. As long as your coughing is now controlled my uneducated guess is that you will be OK.

Sorry, wish I could be more definitive.

Davinson, have you gotten any word on our excursion? Since the port time of Roatan changed, my excursion is not showing up on the reservations page on NCL. I was thinking about calling them.

hi adams - yes I think it has been cancelled. I see that it gets dark at 5:30 in roatan so I'm sure there wouldn't be enough time. we may try it in cozumel, my sis says they have done it there before with a non cruise company. since she wil be with us, we may go with that - haven't made any firm plans yet tho...

I can't remember, is it an option at any other port? I suppose its so late now they may be full.

I think it is offered at Belize and Cozumel as well. We already have a full day planned for Belize, so I think we will sign up to do it in Cozumel if we can. I called NCL today and they told me I would have to wait until we get on the ship to find out anything about the Roatan excursions. Some are being canclled, some shortened, and some are going to be automatically rebooked for us.

What kind of prices are you guys looking at for this type of introductory scuba diving?

Relax, have fun, and enjoy the scenery. Scuba diving is probably the most relaxing thing you can ever do - calm, quiet, and the reef around Roatan is some of the prettiest you can find.

You will NOT run out of air. The tank holds a great deal of air - enough for most humans to stay underwater for a several hours at the depth you'll be at. It also has a gauge showing how much air you have left, so you can safely know that you have plenty remaining & have plenty of advance notice of when to end the dive. Finally, you'll have a certified instructor, along with the rest of your class, close by; in the worst case scenario that your tank DID run out of air, their tanks have a second breathing attachment so that they can share their air with you.

Once you get underwater, relax, take in a deep breath, and look for a nice fish to smile at. On my wife's first dive, she was nervous until a big grouper swam up behind the instructor. The combination of the grouper's funny looking face (and her imagining him battered/fried/with mango sauce) made her laugh & put her at ease, and she was fine from thereout.

I've been on a few snorkelling excursions, and they often have a 'souvenir' snorkel that they give to people, ensuring that you're not putting your mouth where someone else's has been... in the case of scuba, does anyone know how a regulator is cleaned? What about the tanks themselves? When you breathe out, does it go back in the tank (along with your germs)?

Specific to Roatan, I just got finished reading another thread that talked about sand fleas. For this beginning scuba excursion, is this an issue?

I can't answer your question regarding how the regulators are cleaned as I am not sure. I do know they ARE cleaned, but am not sure of the specifics.

When you exhale your "exhaust" does not go back into the tank, it is simply allowed into the water to float to the surface as bubbles. No worries there.

My biggest fear is that I am going to run out of air and that thought makes me nervous. And how certified are these people running the scuba trips? I'm not claustrophobic but I think the scuba equipment covering my face might cause me to be....

 

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Drug prescriptions like valium? haha Thansk! dori

When you do a discover scuba dive it is with a dive master or higher for every 2 people. He/She will stay very close to you and guide you. He/She will also monitor your air and dive time and bring you up a long long time before you would run out of air. The max depth will probably be around 30ft. I agree with others who have said just relax. The biggest thing is getting used to breathing under water but if you have ever snorkled it really isn't that much different except you can't simply stick you head up out of the water.

I've been on a few snorkelling excursions, and they often have a 'souvenir' snorkel that they give to people, ensuring that you're not putting your mouth where someone else's has been... in the case of scuba, does anyone know how a regulator is cleaned? What about the tanks themselves? When you breathe out, does it go back in the tank (along with your germs)?

 

Specific to Roatan, I just got finished reading another thread that talked about sand fleas. For this beginning scuba excursion, is this an issue?

Regarding the regulator mouthpiece, they honesty are not typically cleaned very well. The regulator itself is rinsed in a tub of fresh water, but it is primarily done to rinse off the corrosive salt water. Some places spend a little more time cleaning them with a toothbrush or something similar, but it's not very common. The mouthpiece takes a little effort to replace, so this is usually only done when they wear out. If you're a germophone & this bothers you, there are several options:

*a few companies make a sterilization product that you spray on the mouthpiece. One is made by Trident; its called something like "Trident Germicide Mouthpiece Regulator Sanitizer" and can be found with a google search (or maybe at a local scuba shop if there is one near you). If you can't find it, shout & I'll see if I can find a direct link to a vendor.

*you could bring a small bottle of listerine (or a generic equivalent) type mouthwash & just pour it on the mouthpiece. It would likely have the same effect as the Trident product on most germs (but I'm not a doctor, so no guarantees on that).

*I've also heard of a product that goes on the regulator mouthpiece. Only way I can really describe it is that it works somewhat like a condom, only for a very different type of equipment. :p I'm totally blank on the name, if it comes to me I'll come back & post it.

As to the sand fleas/noseeums/flying teeth, at various times they are bad anywhere & everywhere on the island. Yes, they can be problematic for some after a discover scuba type trip. They seem to be attracted to the saltwater on you when you come ashore. Additionally, being in the water usually rinses off any repellant you've put on, so they do find you. Just shower off when you get out of the water, then apply some bug repellant. Something with Deet (di-ethyl-somewordwithathousandletters), at a concentration of 15-25%, is most effective for most people.

Thanks to everyone who answered my queries, I'm really not a germophobe, it's just something that occurred to me when I realized I might finally be able to get to scuba dive.

Knowing that the exhaled air does not go back into tank circulation is definitely a good thing (and really, it doesn't make sense that it would anyway, since that tanks are under pressure). I think a LOT more worrisome germs are airborne than otherwise, and I'm actually not sure that there are many germs that will survive being left on a surface (that is rinsed off) anyway - at least not long enough to make me nervous. I think even noro needs to be a fairly fresh pass... I may well check into some of the recommended personal cleaners anyway, though, just in case. :)

Now I have a new question though... we're trying to work in the beginner scuba with a day sail and one of our friends also wants a dolphin encounter... if anyone has sailed in Roatan, please check for my thread!

Changing a mouthpiece takes less than 5 minutes. In the case of rental equipment why don't you simply purchase a mouthpiece at your local dive shop, take it along and have the dive shop in Roatan put it on your rig for you. Literally applying a zip tie which they are put on with. Very easy. You may also consider taking a free Discover Scuba class at your local dive shop so you will be familiar with the whole scene before you cruise. It may help you feel more comfortable with the experience onboard. When I took my first lesson to get certified, I did feel a bit constricted or clostrophobic with all the equipment you must don, so having a pre cruise lesson would be of value. And you'll probably get hooked then! LOL

What kind of prices are you guys looking at for this type of introductory scuba diving?

We paid $85 in Grand Cayman (Eden Rock) and $120 in Costa Maya. Fantastic!!!