#20930 - 01/25/05 12:43 PM
Not certified
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callieollie
Member
Registered: 01/06/05
Posts: 37
Loc: trip reviews
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My travel agent told me that if I'm not certified, I should be able to take an introductory diving course which would be pretty brief (less than 30 minutes) and then be able to do a shallow dive to around 30 feet. Does anyone know whether this is true?
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#20931 - 01/25/05 01:44 PM
Re: Not certified
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jarredk
Member
Registered: 08/27/04
Posts: 36
Loc: New York
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Some agencies and hotels offer "resort" courses which are very abbreviated classes to get people interested in scuba diving and permit you to dive with an instructor to a maximum of 25 - 30 feet. The class is usually longer than 30 minutes and usually requires a pool session before you actually dive (to make sure you are comfortable with the skills). You should check in advance to make sure your hotel or a dive operator nearby offers this option before going. Even if you choose this route you should 1) be aware that you are basically putting your life in the hands of an instructor when you dive since the class, more often then not, does not sufficiently address many of the risks and dangers of diving or how to handle them (there is still a cognizable risk when diving at a depth of 25 - 30 feet); and 2) try to find a dive operator that will do a dedicated dive with the resort class (often the resort course divers will be put on the same boat as certified divers and taken to a reef that is deeper than 30 feet - hence, the resort course divers won't see much).
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#20932 - 01/26/05 09:51 AM
Re: Not certified
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MGold
Member
Registered: 01/10/05
Posts: 21
Loc: Michigan
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Last year, my husband & I stayed at the BB pearl resort. We had no diving experience, but some snorkel experience. BB pearl has a dive center right next to the resort - Blue Nui. We tried the introductory dive and then did about 10 more dives. At the end, we were CMAS certified. The instructor (Julien) was great. Very calm, very patient, taught us about the equipment and made sure we could operate it. For a lot of the dives, it was just my husband, myself and Julien. There were just a few dives that 3 or 4 other people joined us. At the end, we were diving at about 30 meters. It was the best experience of the vacation. But just like Jarredk pointed out, diving can be dangerous. The instructor and size of the diving party are important considerations. Just make sure to investigate the dive centers around your resort before going.
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#20933 - 01/26/05 11:08 AM
Re: Not certified
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GT
Senior Advisor
Registered: 12/18/01
Posts: 768
Loc: Los Angeles, CA 90045
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I went with some friends that had never gone diving to do a resort dive. There was no pool work. Basic instructions were given about breathing, signals, equipment, etc. The intro group went out on a dive about 25'. The rest of us went with another dive master to do a deeper dive. We went about 80' but you can see plenty around 20'.
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#20934 - 01/26/05 11:39 AM
Re: Not certified
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marshamouse
Advisor
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 529
Loc: Boise, Idaho
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On one of our trips we got 2 "free" dives with our package - one on Manihi and one on Moorea. We are snorkelers, but had never scuba dived. Both places went over the basics and then sent an instructor down with the two of us. On Moorea all 6 of us were beginners and each couple had an instructor. Both were good experiences. We were so glad we had the guts to do it (my husband has asthma and we aren't exactly young). We'd do it again.
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#20935 - 01/26/05 11:56 AM
Re: Not certified
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jarredk
Member
Registered: 08/27/04
Posts: 36
Loc: New York
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I'm all for resort courses - it's how I got started in diving 10 years ago. I would caution against going down to 30 meters as one poster above suggested, though (NAUI certified divers are only supposed to go down to 60 feet - though that is rarely enforced). There is just too much for a beginner diver to think about as it is at 30 feet (buoyancy control, inflating bcd, breathing) than have to worry about problems associated with nitrogen toxicity, embolisms and dcs at 90 feet (though these problems can happen at 30 feet also). While someone else suggested that they didn't do pool work, I would make sure to take a course that includes pool work before I head down to a dive of 30 feet. 30 feet below the water with current is not the place to find out that you don't know how to purge your mask if it fills up with water or retrieve your regulator if it falls out of your mouth. These aren't inconveniences - these are problems that can end up causing serious problems or death. With that said - I would make sure you don't miss the opportunity. Diving is addictive.
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#20936 - 01/27/05 09:02 AM
Re: Not certified
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albertnj
Member
Registered: 04/29/04
Posts: 94
Loc: new jersey
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If I were you and you have the time,you should try to get certified before you go.I took my classroom and pool sessions before I went on my
honeymoon but still needed to take my open water dives.When I got to the Beachcomber in Moorea I went down to Bathy's dive center and told them
I had to take my open water dives.They were very helpful and they took me on two dives in the lagoon.Although this was beautiful I had too spend the first part of the dive going over the
scuba basics that are a routine part of your certification.I then took my next two open water lessons in Bora Bora which was also just myself
and the instructor and also limited to the lagoon.
This completed my required lessons for my certification.Although the lagoon dives were certainly beautiful I much rather would have had
my certification before my first dive.When you are in FP you are not going to want to sit in some crash course.You will want to get in the boat and go.If you are not certified it limits you to what dives you can go on and you can't dive with a group of other certified divers.The best dives I did were after I was certified and they were with a group in the ocean and the pass in Rangiroa which is not to be missed.
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#20937 - 01/27/05 11:57 AM
Re: Not certified
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chrisk
Member
Registered: 03/18/04
Posts: 75
Loc: Newport Beach, CA
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I would get certified at home before I left as well. The best dive we did in Bora Bora was with the Manta rays. But you have to be certified to do this dive. It is well worth it. Besides, why waste precious Tahiti time in a dive pool??
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#20938 - 01/27/05 06:57 PM
Re: Not certified
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albertnj
Member
Registered: 04/29/04
Posts: 94
Loc: new jersey
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Chrisk,
I did not get to see the mantas in Bora Bora.I had a hard time even getting an instructor to take me out because I was still finishing my open water lessons.It was funny though because when I got to rangiroa and told them i had completed my certification,they had no problem taking me on the advanced dives in the ocean and the pass.As soon as I got in the water there were sharks all around us,some of them our guide said were 9 to 10 feet long.When I asked the instructor the depth of our dive to record in my logbook,he said we were at 120 feet.And even then it still looked to be about another 80 feet to the ocean floor.We saw what seemed like hundreds of sharks,huge schools of barracuda and eagle rays and a couple of large mantas.If I had been certified I would have got to go on the advanced dives in Moorea and Bora Bora as well.
We may actually go back in october and this time I will be able to dive where ever i like without any limitations.Also I can't see a quick resort course being very thorough when I consider how much classroom and pool time I took for my Naui course.I felt very comfortable and had no fear
because I felt well prepared from my classes.
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#20939 - 01/28/05 06:26 AM
Re: Not certified
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CJH
Member
Registered: 12/29/04
Posts: 23
Loc: Houston, TX
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Wow, I can't believe some of what I am reading. 10 dives without being certified! A resort course dive at 80'! 120' on your first dive after certification!
It always amazes me that people who are normally conservative will go on vacation and put their lives in the hands of someone they've never met or know anything about. Diving is a dangerous sport. If you are not certified, don't do it. If you want to dive, get certified.
Don't get me wrong, I love diving. It is addictive. But like any dangerous activity, you need to learn how to do it right and take responsibility for yourself. While 120' is within recreational dive limits, for a pure novice diver, it is dangerous. At 120' you are narced. You could have easily decided to go look at something on the bottom (another 80 feet below), then you would probably be bent.
A childhood friend of mine died diving in Cozumel a few years ago. His dive buddy lost sight of him and surfaced like he was supposed to. My friend never came up. The Mexican government searched for two days then declaired him dead. His family burried an empty coffin.
My point is to never blindly trust a dive master. It is your life. Learn and take care of yourself.
Chris
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