Scuba for beginners?

[ilala19]

Hi , I am planning to go diving when I visit roatan. Ive never done diving before, so it would be an Intro class for beginners. Can anyone give me some light on this? Or has taken this excursion before? let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks

[Mikel1733]

Hi , I am planning to go diving when I visit roatan. Ive never done diving before, so it would be an Intro class for beginners. Can anyone give me some light on this? Or has taken this excursion before? let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks

 

We just spent a week in Roatan at Turquoise Bay Diving Resort. They had folks during the week from cruise ships and they did the orientation part in the swimming pool, then you went out in the boat. Don't know if you are stopping in St. Thomas but we dove at Cokie Beach last year when we were in port. The advantage there was you went in off the beach which is less of a shock to a beginner. My DIL took the orientation and we all went on the dive together. got down to about 55' depth and enjoyed it.

[JLee1973]

You well more then likely watch a short video that discusses dive theory and go over some basic skills. You will then demonstrate some of these skills while still on the surface such as clearing a partially flooded mask, regulator recovery and most importantly ensuring you are comfortable breathing under water. With that done you will descend to no more the 30ft and be under constant supervision. That is about it.

 

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[JLee1973]

We just spent a week in Roatan at Turquoise Bay Diving Resort. They had folks during the week from cruise ships and they did the orientation part in the swimming pool, then you went out in the boat. Don't know if you are stopping in St. Thomas but we dove at Cokie Beach last year when we were in port. The advantage there was you went in off the beach which is less of a shock to a beginner. My DIL took the orientation and we all went on the dive together. got down to about 55' depth and enjoyed it.

 

55' for a beginner scuba. Wouldn't dive with that shop. That is well beyond depth limits for that class. 30' is the cap. 55' is almost to the limit of a basic certified diver.

 

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[LittleMissMagic]

I would strongly recommend that you go to your local dive shop and become certified before your cruise so that you may participate in a certified dive. Becoming comfortable underwater takes time and proper training. Skills like mask clearing (especially mask clearing), regulator retrievals, and safe ascents do not come easily to many and take repetition and practice with a dive instructor who wants you to feel comfortable diving and cares about your well-being. I would not recommend that you do a speed course in basic skills and then rush into a dive.

 

Also, this beginner's scuba excursion will most likely not count towards certification. If you want to dive again in the future, you will need to get your certification or do another beginner's scuba excursion and repeat the training and basic skills.

 

The limit to a basic certification for SSI is 75'. 55' for someone who is not certified and has never dived before is dangerous and irresponsible. I would not book with that company.

[Mike_from_ATL]

I would strongly recommend that you go to your local dive shop and become certified before your cruise so that you may participate in a certified dive..

 

I agree 100% with this recommendation. You will find it a much more enjoyable experience if you have been properly trained.

 

:)

[texancruzer]

As someone who has been certified since 1989 and dove all over the world….. I do not understand the "Intro to Diving" or "Diving for Beginners" tours……

 

Diving is dangerous. Period.

 

If you do not know the proper skills you can die. Period.

 

When I was certified you HAD to attend classes twice a week for 6 weeks. Classroom on Tuesday night and pool class on Thursday night. You had to learn the rules and then perform the skills in the pool until you knew them and had them down pat and most important - felt comfortable with them.

 

Even the newer "weekend" classes seem a bit rushed to me. You take the class online and then do pool skills in 2 days (usually a weekend) BUT this is better than the watch a video and 15 minutes of "practice" before going 30 feet under water…….

 

Many if not most deaths occur within the first 30 feet so the dive shops that offer this and promote it as being safer because you are not diving deep are scary.

[JLee1973]

I concur with them being dangerous. I work for a local dive shop that does the classes but you never set foot in the ocean it is done in twelve ft of pool water. There is no current and no surge. Some people are comfortable in the water but I have also seen those who panic and 30 ft in the ocean with no training is a dangerous place to be.

 

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[ilala19]

Thank you for all your replies. i think Im gonna go with another excursion option in roatan:D

[Guest 2000]

Thank you for all your replies. i think Im gonna go with another excursion option in roatan:D

 

 

 

Many of the shop do a "Discover Scuba"..it is with out certification.

 

I suggest you mail several of the many shops in West End and West Bay to have a chat with them.

 

I went out snorkeling with a dive boat from West Bay two years ago, three of the people were from a ship doing a Discover Dive. They said they had a grand time.

[TC1957]

I am certified, even though I have not been diving in years. I will agree that I would NEVER want a family member to do one of these excursions. We did our training in a pool at 12 feet and everyone was fine...when we went to a lake and had to demonstrate the skills at 25 feet...not so much. The difference is night and day from a pool to a lake. Without the "mental security" of knowing you are in a pool and just a few feet away from something to hold on to with you head above water you have an entirely different emotional reaction. Now...multiply that by 50 the first time you dive in the ocean. While the water is clear...the currents are very suprising the first time.

 

Be smart...try something else.

[blondie from arizona]

I agree with everything that has been said. Plus, you are going to be thrown out of a boat into moving salt water. Your bouyancy is even going to be different from the pool and the lake. When we got certified and even since then, there are several people that just can't get it. Mostly physical issues, like being able to clear your ears OR they just can't make their body go under the water. It is not something to be messed with! Plus, just being in the bouncy waves can make you sea sick. For your first real dive in ocean water it is definitely going to be easier to do a shore dive. Plus, what if you get sick under water. I have barfed thru my reg and let me tell ya, you do NOT want to be doing that without some training. Curled up in the fetal position hurling your guts out at 50 feet is not fun. And I ALWAYS get sick getting back to the boat. My buddy has to haul my ass back to the boat and trying to get in with all that equipment can be a challenge. I don't want to discourage you; I want you to have an awesome vacation. If you want to dive, plan ahead for it and get certified before you go.

[Capt_BJ]

many of us who've been certified for a long time remember "resort courses" which were somewhat free-lanced introductions to diving aimed often at making a quick buck.

 

However today the major certification agencies have tried to bring some control and offer "discovery" programs ... not intended to be a full certification, but a safe introduction under supervision with standards for training and limits . . .

 

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx

 

I accompanied dd on a couple of discovery dives as we were deciding if she was able and really wanted to dive. I guess she did cuz she's now certified for 18 months and has over 100 dives in her log after being a research intern at CocoView on Roatan last year ... but I digress.

 

As I said, agencies such as PADI now have established programs and when an operator adheres to that program these are perfectly safe experiences, but no substitute for the 'full course' required to get certified. It is also true however that some operators are better about staying inside the lines than are some others . . . but that's true in the full courses too so my advice is to get a recommendation for a GOOD training facility for your experience.

 

I mentioned that a went with dd on 2; I've been certified for over 40 years and am still an active diver. We did a discovery in Cozumel thru a cruise ship, and at Sunset House Grand Cayman that I set up directly. Sunset House was a MUCH better run program IMO . . . cost was the same ... in Coz there were 6 students to an instructor at Sunset 2 ... in Cayman we had over an hour in the pool first for skills ... in Coz 10 minutes standing in shallow water . . .

[texancruzer]

 

I mentioned that a went with dd on 2; I've been certified for over 40 years and am still an active diver. We did a discovery in Cozumel thru a cruise ship, and at Sunset House Grand Cayman that I set up directly. Sunset House was a MUCH better run program IMO . . . cost was the same ... in Coz there were 6 students to an instructor at Sunset 2 ... in Cayman we had over an hour in the pool first for skills ... in Coz 10 minutes standing in shallow water . . .

 

This is exactly why I am against these "tours"……. there are too many factors involved that could be a REAL problem with 10 minutes or even an hour "practicing" with 6 people or even 2 !

 

The biggest are…..

 

1. Many people who do these type of tours are not from around the water. They are not familiar with it, they are not comfortable in it and they don't know how to really react in a bad situation. And there can be bad situations. See note below *

 

2. When in Mexico, Hondouras or anywhere else that is unfamiliar territory you really don't know if they are a "good training facility" or not…… not like they would if they were using a dive shop/school closer to home. Reviews are great from experienced divers who know a good one or not but reviews from a novice who has done one of these tours really don't in my opinion. It's all about experience.

 

My dh has been certified since 1987 and has done thousands and thousands of dives (we lived in Vero Beach for 8 years…..during lobster season he would do night dives almost every night :eek: ) I have been certified since 1989 but have not done near that amount….. but we have dove all over the world and I will say have gotten lucky (due to extensive research) with the dive shops we have dove with……. but ~ (there's always a but)

 

* Note below * On our last trip to Roatan (one week stay) we had just started a dive and about 60 feet down when his first stage blew a seal…… air was free flowing and I wasnt sure he was getting air or not !!! I was right behind him (as a good buddy should be) but the dive master was at his side before I could even get there with his octopus and took him up to the boat, replaced his regulator and came right back down. The other divers 5 of us were left below with a secondary dive master until they returned. But all of us were seasoned divers. Now everything was done calmly and quickly and the whole thing was over and done before you knew it……

 

now I am not saying a "discover scuba" would be down 60 feet but even at 20 or so feet can you imagine how someone who has no or VERY little training would react ? And what if there were more than 1 "discover" people.

 

Just saying…… again….. if you want to dive - get certified or at the very least check it out AT HOME and not somewhere where you are on vacation, in a foreign country and in an unfamiliar ocean.

Edited May 12, 2014 by texancruzer

[Fogfog]

Sigh

 

We just booked last night for the beginner diving in Roatan...

had read the reviews of the Coz and Roatan and chose Roatan because of experienced divers (parents) and their kids (first timers) trying it.

[JLee1973]

Sigh

 

We just booked last night for the beginner diving in Roatan...

had read the reviews of the Coz and Roatan and chose Roatan because of experienced divers (parents) and their kids (first timers) trying it.

 

Beware if they tell you they are going to dive any deeper the 30ft. Also there should be more then one dive master with you.

 

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[texancruzer]

Sigh

 

We just booked last night for the beginner diving in Roatan...

had read the reviews of the Coz and Roatan and chose Roatan because of experienced divers (parents) and their kids (first timers) trying it.

 

 

Who did you book with ? What dive shop ?