Discover scuba

How is the Windstar program for a first-time diver? I've enjoyed snorkeling but I've never dived. I'll be on the Dec 12 Windstar out of St. Thomas and I would like to try a dive or two.

Our first port is Iles Des Saintes. Is this a good port to try a dive or should I wait to one of the others (Isla culebra, Nevis, St Bart, St. John).

I have gone through the discover scuba program twice on Windstar cruises. I'm like you, I must have logged hundreds of hours snorkling before trying scuba. Windstat offers a nice program. About two hours of training (one hour classroom, one hour in the pool) and your off to dive to a depth of about 50 feet. Most sea life is in about twenty to thirty feet of water so the depth is great. I have dove in St. Barts, St. Johns and Nevis. All very good. I actually decided to get fully certified and did my final cert. dive in Nevis with a private company that Windstar also used that day.

One more thing, I think the discover scuba program is $70.00 to 100.00 for the class and than about the same for each dive. Best money I ever spent on a cruise. You can also use you Discover dives towards a certification with some outfits.

Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Edward.

You couldn't have picked a better cruise line to discover scuba and chosen an excellent itinerary for diving.

I would encourage you to dive at Isles des Saintes. After my third Windstar cruise and doing the "Discover Program" every cruise, I realized I was hooked and got certified before my next cruise. Nine years has passed and I think becoming certified increased my enjoyment of cruising and Windstar immensely and keeps me coming back for more!

Please report back about your experiences and have a wonderful cruise.

The instructors, Bart and Linda, were great. They gave clear instructions and were very supportive. I was worried I would have difficulty with my sinuses - but I didn't even get a sinus headache and we went down to around 40 feet.

The first dive at Isle de Saintes wasn't as interesting a reef as the Saint Bart and St. John dives, but it was okay because at that point I was still getting use to controlling my depth. The water there was very calm which was good for a first dive. Saint Bart and St John were great - lots of kinds of coral and fish to observe and by that time I was feeling comfortable enough to focus on them - even with some current to contend with at St John. They didn't have a beginner's dive at Nevis this time - only certified.

I want to get certified now. I'll have to figure out where to go for that - especially the dives. The Pacific near home is pretty cold so I think I'd rather go someplace like the Caribbean or Mexico for the certification. I guess I could do the classroom and pool parts here and do the dives somewhere else.