certification before or during cruise?

[Big Kahuna]

My fiancee' is debating about whether to attend a 4 hr certification course while on a shore excursion during our cruise or attend classes locally. She has already read the PADI course manual. Any suggestions?:confused:

[cal2632]

My fiancee' is debating about whether to attend a 4 hr certification course while on a shore excursion during our cruise or attend classes locally. She has already read the PADI course manual. Any suggestions?:confused:

 

Any place that claims to be able to do full certification in 4 hours is no place to get training. Are you sure she's not seeing a resort course? (also know as discover scuba). That takes about 4 hours but you can only dive with them that one day - it is not certification. If your fiancee really wants to learn to dive, she should take classes from a local dive shop. She can always do her open water check out dives via referral during the cruise.

[bruce-r]

My fiancee' is debating about whether to attend a 4 hr certification course while on a shore excursion during our cruise or attend classes locally.

It kinda depends on where "locally" is located and her personal tolerance to cold. She would be a more competent diver if she went thru the whole certification process at home. She would be able to take more time with the class work if she had extra questions and she could get additional practice time in the pool should she want to. The open water check out dives usually take place over one weekend at a local body of water.

 

The second choice would be to do a referral. That is where she would do the classroom work and pool dives at home, then do the open water checkout dives while on the cruise. Unfortunately, the cruise you asked about in another post really isn't geared for this as the scuba choices are quite limited.

 

Perhaps the best choice for her would be to just do a Discover Scuba dive at http://www.cokidive.com on St. Thomas. Don't go thru the ship for this. Book directly and save money and have a more personal experience.

[jmps]

Bruce-r described the options very well, however,I would shy away from Resort Course/Discover Scuba classes during a cruise. It is much safer to get proper training before hand as cal2632 suggests. I am not talking specifically about cokidive in any way but in general.

[JodiBB]

Get certified before the cruise...in addition to everything stated here, why would you want to spend your cruise studying, when you could be spending your time diving?!

[cruzegirl]

I echo what everyone has said here.... Get certified before you go.. There are so many reasons but mainly, safety.. To try to do the training in 4 hours is just not safe... And if she has any difficulties or questions, she'll get more personal time to do so.... Plus the she'll be diving, not having her nose in a book on the cruise.... Enjoy.....:D

[Loves_Dogs]

I can't imagine getting a certification after 4 hours. I just completed my SSI training, pool work and test. It was 20 hours at the dive shop plus my time at home reading my book and filling out the homework questions. Sounds dangerous to me spending only 4 hours trying to learn to dive.

 

I did exactly as most have suggested. I completed my classroom work and pool dives here at home and am using the Universal Referral and have scheduled my checkout dives for my cruise. It really is the safest way.

[sea-jay]

Kahuna - I note you are from Ft. Meyers. Are you a certified diver? If not, why not both of you going and getting certified? Then you can both dive on the cruise and really enjoy it. Her trying to get in classes and diving without you can really put a crimp in your vacation TOGETHER.:D

 

Otherwise, I parrot everything everyone has said.

 

Happy bubbles.

[Big Kahuna]

Sea-jay I am certified, 20+ years but she is hard headed and wanted me to ask. She is taking a course here July 1. Thanks to everyone.

[jmps]

Sea-jay I am certified, 20+ years but she is hard headed and wanted me to ask. She is taking a course here July 1. Thanks to everyone.

 

As Cat Stevens would say.... you should be glad to have found that hard headed woman. :-)

[Big Kahuna]

As Cat Stevens would say.... you should be glad to have found that hard headed woman. :-)

 

True, true.......

[sea-jay]

Kahuna - Join us over on the Florida Cruisers thread??

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=45106&page=142

 

We are a bunch from all over Florida that like to cruise and get together a couple of times a year to meet and mingle. Unfortunately, I am the only diver in the group and would really like to meet some other divers in Florida to scuba with once in a while. We plan a get together on the Sterling Gambling cruise out of Port Canaveral on July 15. It free if you want to join. Details on the link above.

[Big Kahuna]

Kahuna - Join us over on the Florida Cruisers thread??

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=45106&page=142

 

We are a bunch from all over Florida that like to cruise and get together a couple of times a year to meet and mingle. Unfortunately, I am the only diver in the group and would really like to meet some other divers in Florida to scuba with once in a while. We plan a get together on the Sterling Gambling cruise out of Port Canaveral on July 15. It free if you want to join. Details on the link above.

 

Thanks for the invite sound great.