Jump to content

Getting Scuba Diver Cert on board


Cruzin-K

Recommended Posts

Has anyone out there actually taken this course on board ship? How does it work as far as classroom time, pool time, skills, etc. I'm wondering how much time is spent in the ship's pool and what time of day, considering this would have to take place on a sea day and I imagine pools are usually filled with other passengers :confused:

 

I am not looking for yet another expert to tell me to get certified before going on the cruise. :rolleyes: That's not what my question is. Reading comprehension is a good thing :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

So here is my report on the Scuba Diver certification experience. My friend and I were the only two people in the class for this cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. We reported to the dive shop on board right after we boarded and met our instructor, a very nice and totally gorgeous guy from South Africa who had us fill out some paperwork and told us to meet at the pool at 7 a.m. the next morning for pool work. My friend and I had already completed the first three chapters of the PADI book before embarking so the rest of Day 1 was free to enjoy the ship. We've both cruised many times before so we never once felt like we were missing out on anything due to the class taking up our time. Quite the opposite in fact.

 

Day 2: Getting up at 6 a.m. on a cruise was a new experience but it was interesting to be up before dawn to see real life chair hogs in their natural habitat :D At least a dozen people had towels down on rows of chairs before sunrise. My friend and I placed our towels, scuba gear, etc. on the first four chairs right next to the pool. It was so much fun as the morning wore on to see the poor people who had to take chairs in the shade or on the upper deck just salivating over our loungers and the fact that we had the pool all to ourselves until 10:30. (There was another pool right next to ours that was open and available) But I digress.

 

The first order of business was to learn how all the gear fits together. We attached our regulator and BC to the tank, performed all the proper checks, got into our wetsuits and with all our gear securely in place, waddled over to the pool, sat down on the edge and put our fins on. We entered the pool by sort of leaning across ourselves, putting both hands next to us and turning ourselves around to just drop in the pool. Much easier said than done.

 

Once in the pool we were there for the next three hours, with one break out of the pool to rest for a bit. We learned and practiced several skills, mask removal and replacement, breathing from a free-flowing reg, breathing without a mask for a minute, fin pivot (the hardest one for me), regulator to snorkel swap, out of air drill - signaling out of air and using my buddy's alternate, weight belt remove and replace, mask clearing, cramp removal, tired diver tow, and regulator recovery. I may have forgotten to list a few. We did feel like we were literally in a fish bowl as more and more passengers started filling up the chairs around the pool and watched us. Several asked how they could sign up for lessons (come back on a future cruise).

 

I started to feel a bit nauseated after almost three hours of sloshing around in a pool so my friend finished up her pool skills while I watched.

 

After a couple hour break for lunch we met in one of the dining rooms to watch a DVD and then take a written test. This took up most of the afternoon of Day 2.

 

Day 3: I had to finish up my pool skills so I met the instructor at 7:00 for some one-on-one time (did I mention he was good-looking :p) while my friend slept in and picked up some breakfast for us. That was the bad part of the schedule - there were no good options for breakfast before 7:00, room service didn't start until then and the WJ wasn't open for breakfast until 7:00. On Day 2 we grabbed some stuff from the Promenade Cafe. This day I did the back-roll entry into the pool- much easier than on Day 2.

 

After I finished up the pool work we organized all our gear and headed off the ship. Oops, just missed getting off before they stopped everyone at the gangway because a Carnival ship was pulling in right next to us. We were not allowed to get off until the Elation was completely tied up/docked so we stood there, right next to the open doorway for over 30 minutes. Ugh!

 

Once we grabbed a taxi it was a five minute ride to Sunset Beach and the Sand Dollar dive operator where we picked up tanks and weights. We entered from the shore over a few rocks and put our fins on in waist deep water. This was tough with the surge and surf but we managed. We repeated some of the skills learned in the pool but not all. Each dive lasted about a half hour and most of the time was spent on skills but we still had a fair amount of time to just swim and look at the fish. Our instructor had my underwater camera and took a few photos. The current at our location was pretty mild and not really an issue.

 

Day 4: We reported back to the dive shop to fill out a bit more paperwork and pick up our temporary scuba diver certification cards (the official ones will be mailed from PADI).

 

I thought it was a great course and I learned a lot in a short time. My OW certification classes will be next week at my local dive shop and in a local lake, which I'm sure will not be quite the same as Cozumel :rolleyes:

 

5467517182_95af3f50ec.jpg

 

5467526478_ced3288043.jpg

 

5466930199_5621dc466c.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The $0.02 is appreciated but irrelevant to me. Thank you. I posted a review of the course on a new thread.

 

I signed up to complete my OW cert as soon as I got home. My classes are next weekend. This had always been my intention and never once would I "put my life in the hands of a course taught in the time it takes to take a cruise". Good grief :rolleyes: Besides, the scuba diver certification requires that you always dive with a dive master/instructor. Do you think that people are going to pass this course and proceed to do solo dives to 120 feet through tunnels?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review and welcome to the wonderful world of scuba diving.I am glad to see you have signed up for the full Open Water course---you should be the star of your class with your previous training.Just remember that "A good diver is always learning" and keep taking classes and developing skills. Learning in a lake is a good thing---makes diving Cozumel all the better and a piece of cake.I was in Cozumel 2/11/11 diving Santa Rosa Wall on what turned out to be a private charter with Eagle Ray Divers.Cozumel is a beautiful island with the most incredible blue water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And Chellie and Antonio are great folks. We really liked Eagle Ray. We went on our "Intro to Scuba" with them almost 3 years ago and got "hooked". Great choice.

 

 

Yes, I really like Chellie and Antonio---been diving with them for years---they always manage to get me out even when the ship's operators cancel.For a lttle less than the ship's excursion charged (plus cab fare) I got my own boat,a 100 cubic foot air tank and a 36% Nitrox tank.I got to dive my computer limits--- and then some on Santa Rosa Wall.Doing DECO in Cozumel sure beats the local lake---just hanging at 15 feet, riding the "underwater wind",and watching the beautiful reef go by below you---it don't get much better!!!!

 

They had a couple doing Discover Scuba on the bigger boat that day---hope they were ready to get hooked on diving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we did ours it was just my Wife and I and our DM named Luiz. Excellent time. First tank went to 40' for about 35 minutes and second tank to 25' for about 45 minutes. Wife was anxious but Luiz held her hand the entire first tank and calmed her fears. Great folks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
I wouldn't feel putting my life in the hands of a course taught in the time it takes to take a cruise. Repetition is a key to saving your life at depth. How much experience can you really obtain in that short period?

My my .02 :rolleyes:

 

Good post. Diving is not an endeavour to be taken lightly. Thats not to say that you can't pick up a few basic underwater skills in a resort course under the direction of a competent instructor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cruzin-K,

 

Congrats and welcome to the underwater world. Be careful, it's addictive! Please go into your OW training with an open mind and remember, as other have pointed out, "A Good Diver is Always Learning." Your training in a local lake won't be the same as Cozumel but it can still be very fun and quite rewarding.

Check out http://www.divearoundtexas.com for a list of Texas dive sites.

 

Divers are typically a friendly bunch of folks, don't be so quick to discount the friendly advice of a fellow bubbler. The day you think you know everything is the day you need to hang up your fins.

 

Good luck in your training and stay safe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got back from our cruise and witnessed, first hand, people doing their entire PADI Open Water course within a period of a 7-day cruise. They approx 3 hours of course time the first 4 days of the cruise and then had 2 dives in Dominica and 2 dives in St Thomas and badda-bing, they were OW certified. I knew I had heard of it before.

By the way, the diving in Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, and St Thomas was fabulous. I wouldn't go with a ship's excursion dive every though. Saw no less than 30 people standing at one dock waiting to board the cattle car to the cattle boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cruzin-K,

 

Congrats and welcome to the underwater world. Be careful, it's addictive! Please go into your OW training with an open mind and remember, as other have pointed out, "A Good Diver is Always Learning." Your training in a local lake won't be the same as Cozumel but it can still be very fun and quite rewarding.

Check out http://www.divearoundtexas.com for a list of Texas dive sites.

 

Divers are typically a friendly bunch of folks, don't be so quick to discount the friendly advice of a fellow bubbler. The day you think you know everything is the day you need to hang up your fins.

 

Good luck in your training and stay safe.

 

Thanks. I am OW certified now. After getting the scuba diver cert on board, I took the entire OW course again at home (I had a gift certificate for the full course, obtained after the cruise at a huge discount) so, I had already taken the written portion online at PADI e-learning, then most of the pool work on the ship, plus the first two OW dives in Cozumel, then a repeat of some class work at my local dive shop, then more pool work (90% of which had been done on the cruise), then four OW dives in a local river. Honestly, I learned just as much, if not more, from the instructor on the ship. He was a good instructor. Just because a class is taken on a cruise ship does not mean it is substandard. I spent at least 7 hours learning on the ship, both pool work and class time. My OW dives at home were nowhere as good as Cozumel, but I guess I got spoiled. My first discover dive was at the Great Barrier Reef.

 

People get OW certified in a week all the time, both on and off cruise ships.

 

I'm doing AOW dives in Hawaii next month, then more local lake diving over the summer, and more Caribbean diving next January & April. I'm not thrilled about doing cruise ship dive excursions but as a solo traveler (maybe) I'm a bit more comfortable knowing I won't miss the ship by sticking with the cruise line's tours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

My DH has signed up for the online training and is starting to do the coursework. We will be sailing on the Oasis in the end of Aug. I have a few additional questions, if anyone can help, it is much appreciated.

 

Can you do just the pool work at a local dive shop?

 

if you do the pool work aboard, how long does the pool work take?

 

Our stops are Nassau on day 2, then St Thomas and St. Martin? Weather permitting, will there be enough time to do 4 dives plus the pool work on board?

 

Thanks so much!!!

 

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DH has signed up for the online training and is starting to do the coursework. We will be sailing on the Oasis in the end of Aug. I have a few additional questions, if anyone can help, it is much appreciated.

 

Can you do just the pool work at a local dive shop?

 

if you do the pool work aboard, how long does the pool work take?

 

Our stops are Nassau on day 2, then St Thomas and St. Martin? Weather permitting, will there be enough time to do 4 dives plus the pool work on board?

 

Thanks so much!!!

 

Sue

 

I imagine you would be able to do the pool work and class work at a local dive shop and then just do the open water dives on the cruise. I don't know how they'd get all the pool work in on the cruise. I just did the scuba diver cert on board, so one morning in the pool was all that was required. For the full open water course, much more pool time is needed and with only one sea day before St. Thomas and St. Maarten I don't know how that would work (unless you started it on the Nassau day, and didn't get off the ship :confused:). There is certainly plenty of time for four open water dives in St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

 

You are expected to do the book learning before the course on the ship anyway. I did the PADI online course and it served the purpose nicely. My friend read the book, but had to do the written tests on the ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

It's your vacation and you will do what you want, but why waste your cruise time getting a resort certification. Gut it up and get your full certification while at home and spend your cruise time relaxing and then diving your behind off at each port. Great dives at most ports.

 

I am puzzled with the comment about risking your life with a week long course. Full blown takes several hours of classroom time, two partial days of confined water and then several short term dives split over two days. All can be easily accomplished over a one week period with no health dangers. I know that merely gets your certified, but you have to start someplace and then you have to pick your dive operator carefully.

 

Divemaster... where you actually in a real DECO stop as a sport diver or just making a safety stop? Just curious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a question for you......I did my intro to Scuba diving today and am partially hooked. I had a little bit of trouble clearing my ears at the 10' mark. I can imagine the problem I'm gonna have at 40'. My question is, if I do all the PADI work thru a dive-shop here in KC, how much is it going to cost me to do my OW dives, say, in the Caribbean and how many do I have to take??? I'll probably ask the DM on board ship when we cruise to do this. I'm assuming they do that?? If you feel more comfortable answering me via e-mail, please do so @ LedPype@aol.com. Thanks

 

Mike!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you haven't already check out the PADI web site

 

IMO you want 'open water' certification and that requires 4 dives after all the pool work. If you do all the pool work at home then you just need the 4 dives

 

Prices for a referral check out dive can vary - you'll probably need to communicate directly with the shops especially if you are not going to do all the dives at the same shop. I'd be figuring $100 per dive - equipment included. When you get down to it you are booking the equiv of a discovery dive - an escorted dive with a wee bit of training.

 

Sunset House in Cayman charges $375 for required in water training - equipment included. http://sunsethouse.com/learn_to_dive.php

 

Quiescence Diving in Key Largo $295 for the same deal (both of these prices connect to the PADI e-learning program so you MAY be able to negotiate a break if you do pool work b4 . . .

"Want to conduct your Open Water Training Dives in a warm, tropical environment for Open Water Certification?

If you are an Open Water Student who has completed the Academics and Confined Water portions of your course, give us a call in advance at PH (305) 451-2440 to schedule the dives over 2 days. Bring your valid Referral material from your Originating Instructor (and medical release, as necessary). Includes 2 Boat Trips, 4-5 Dives on the Reef (depending on which agency), & Instruction Fees. Equipment included.

Course Fee $295 " http://www.keylargodiving.com/class.html

 

One of the things you'll learn (I hope they still teach this, I was certified in the early 70's by a PADI instructor with a single digit instructor number) is that your ears experience more pressure change in the first 30 feet then they do in the next 100 . . . if you can get past 30 you are usually golden. and while this is not a recommendation I always take a couple of Sudafed 30 minutes before diving and a hit of Neosunefrin as I gear up . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a question for you......I did my intro to Scuba diving today and am partially hooked. I had a little bit of trouble clearing my ears at the 10' mark. I can imagine the problem I'm gonna have at 40'. My question is, if I do all the PADI work thru a dive-shop here in KC, how much is it going to cost me to do my OW dives, say, in the Caribbean and how many do I have to take??? I'll probably ask the DM on board ship when we cruise to do this. I'm assuming they do that?? If you feel more comfortable answering me via e-mail, please do so @ LedPype@aol.com. Thanks

 

Mike!!

 

Mike and Nancy, I found this by Google scuba KC:

 

*** Special ***



Learn to Dive $350

Course includes your books, classroom,

gear rental, and openwater checkout.

 

Save when you purchase Mask, Snorkel,

and Fins same day you sign up for lessons.



Link to comment
Share on other sites

Capt BJ, thanks for the reply. I'm guessing I won't know what to do for awhile anyway. Can't get in until mid Sept to start the paper end of it. Haven't checked PADI out yet but will.

 

C Cruise Dude......LOL:D you're in Detroit and found me something in KC to ponder. Isn't that something. I hadn't even thought of doing that, so thanks, bud. I do appreciate it. I found this dive shop I went to today in the newspaper. They'd had a write-up on them, so for $15. I went and had a ball today. I will check out the google thing and will let you know what I found.

 

Thanks both of you and I'll take all the info anyone wants to offer.;)

 

Mike!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...