I have 2 weeks to get certified...
- Thread starter Drue
- Start date
Kevomac
New member
When I did it, we had four classroom sessions, two pool sessions, and you have to do four open water check out dives. Some shops can do the entire classroom, pool sessions marathon style over a weekend, but the open water time is harder to schedule. You can get a PADI referral from your class here and complete your four check out dives at another PADI shop in Nassau. They just have to be done over two days, and don't expect to get a lot of bottom time to look around (you have to practice skills underwater in these sessions, and the dives are minimum of 20 mintes each). Look for a PADI shop, as they are the largest, most recognized certification organization, and have fun!
Drue, PADI offers two levels of certification: Open water and Scuba. Classroom time is the same but Scuba requires only two vs. four open water dives. Open water means ocean vs, confined such as in a pool. Scuba certs you to 40 feet while Open water is 60. Start your course at a shop that can push you through classroom and get you two open water dives within your time constraints. You can complete the other two dives later but you will be certified. Make sure you tell your Dive Master your cert level before jumping off the boat in Nassau, or seek the other two open water dives there to complete your training.
LeeMc -
Are you sure there is a certifcation course called "scuba." They have a discover scuba course - which is not a certification course at all. The discover scuba course is NOT a certification. It basically gives you a taste of scuba diving but no certification. After taking the discover scuba course, you can't just go to a dive shop and rent tanks or fill tanks. You can't just get on a dive charter and go scuba diving. If you can't rent of fill tanks, you're not going to be diving.
An Open Water course does give you a certification. Once you have your OW certification, you will be able to rent tanks and go on many boat dives.
Personally - if you are going to scuba dive, take the Open Water course.
Are you sure there is a certifcation course called "scuba." They have a discover scuba course - which is not a certification course at all. The discover scuba course is NOT a certification. It basically gives you a taste of scuba diving but no certification. After taking the discover scuba course, you can't just go to a dive shop and rent tanks or fill tanks. You can't just get on a dive charter and go scuba diving. If you can't rent of fill tanks, you're not going to be diving.
An Open Water course does give you a certification. Once you have your OW certification, you will be able to rent tanks and go on many boat dives.
Personally - if you are going to scuba dive, take the Open Water course.
PADI does not advertise it as they want students to get their open water cert. My wife has her PADI "SCUBA" cert. She can fill tanks and boat dive to 40'. For her to upgrade to Open Water she needs to do her "skills" listed for the last two open water dives of the Open Water course. My suggestion was only for purposes of the time issue. The Basic Open Water cert is best
David P
Premium Member
The dive shop I help out at is the typical PADI shop...come in pay for the class and we send you hope with a "crew pack" go home study and understand the material (PADI shines here! They did real good with their material in easy to understand layout). Come in on a satuday for "knowledge reviews" and some demos... all easy stuff, then off to the pool for some skills. All non personal gear is supplies (personal gear you must buy which are mask, snorkle, fins, booties, gloves). Repeat this on sunday, deal with real world for a week then the next weekend we're out at Catalina doing the dives. Where we are we just make it a weekend. Get to the island go diving, have dinner hang out and crash at a hotel. Next day do a few more dives and go home as certified divers!
You can do...Im blanking on the term.... study and confined pool work at you LDS, go on vacation and do the open water part of you cert there... however I recomend against that as you are on vacation, why follow some guy around underwater demonstrating you can flood your mask and then clear it? Do the follow me dives at home, get certified, then go do the dives that YOU want, not what your instructor wants you to do.
You can do...Im blanking on the term.... study and confined pool work at you LDS, go on vacation and do the open water part of you cert there... however I recomend against that as you are on vacation, why follow some guy around underwater demonstrating you can flood your mask and then clear it? Do the follow me dives at home, get certified, then go do the dives that YOU want, not what your instructor wants you to do.
