Is it possible to get SCUBA certified in 1 month?

[xhaust50]

My wife and I got married at the end of October, yet we are not going on our honeymoon until Jan 1-16 because I am still in law school. We are going to Fiji and Australia, and planned on getting SCUBA certified months ago but everything got pushed back with her new job and my school/work/commute. Now I get home around 10pm weekdays, and she works 10pm-6am weekdays. Would it be possible for us to get SCUBA certified before January 1? We are both available on weekends, and I'm sure we could do the training separate if we could fit it in. I see some places offer online classes, but then we would still need the pool training and the 4 open dives.

Are the 4 open dives all different outings?

 

[billsreef]

You can get the course work and pool work done in that time frame if you find a class with space. I'd call up a few dive shops today to get that ball rolling. The 4 open water dives are usually done as 2 dives a day for two days or 1 a day for 4. Considering the time of year, you'll probably get a referal for the open water dives and do those in the tropics while on your honeymoon. Water here is a bit cold, and while I still might be doing some diving, not many others are

For dive shops, Port Diver is Port Jeff, and there is Hampton Dive in Riverhead. Some of the divers in the bunch from up island can give you some names of a few more.

 

[bigsink]

Long Island Scuba in Lindenhurst is a great place. Congrats on your marriage.

 

[Monkeyfish]

+1 on Long Island Scuba. If you can get a class with Di, take it. He's a riot.

 

[diverrad]

There are also NAUI weekend courses that let you get all the class room and pool all done in 3 days, the course can be taken at any scuba network shop. Then all you have to do is your check out dives. But if you like you can go and take the lesser Padi course and be frowned upon by every dive facility you go to for the rest of your life. Ask Bill about this experince i belive he has lived in the shame of PADI most of his life.

 

[xhaust50]

Thank you everyone for the responses. Is there a drawback to doing the 4 dives elsewhere? Would we be able to enjoy the great barrier reef with just the pool dives experience? Or would we need to be next to an instructor the whole time?

I guess my question is: can you enjoy the 4 dives or are they still tutorial-like?

 

[diverrad]

I cant say about the PADi check out dives but the NAUI ones would invovlve simple compass navigation, and taking off your gear and putting it back on while underwater. I have not certified anyone in many years so i really dont rememebr anymore, but i do know you will not be allowed to dive by yourself without a full certification.

 

[billsreef]

\Ask Bill about this experince i belive he has lived in the shame of PADI most of his life.

I've got both PADI and NAUI certs, no shame with either It really comes down to the instructor.

I guess my question is: can you enjoy the 4 dives or are they still tutorial-like?

With either agency, the check out dives will be much like Konrad describes. A demonstration of skills. That demonstration will involve some regular diving, as it's also a way of the instructor observing your general skills and not just the ones involved in helping yourself and each other out of troubles. So you'll get to enjoy some of the check out dives, heck you'll probably still enjoy the skills demo's of things like ditching and donning your gear. Once you get those 4 check out dives done, and likely in only 2 days, you'll be certified

 

[kilroy217]

+1 LI Scuba in Lindenhurst - I did my certification with them earlier this year. I learned from Jonathan, and he was an excellent instructor. If you can't get into a class, I believe they also have private lessons available, but they're probably expensive.

 

[xhaust50]

Three more questions:
1. Do the "certification dives" have to be before we go on a planned Scuba dive (I understand they can be anywhere), or can they be one and the same? (i.e. can I book a dive in Australia and plan on having it be a certification dive, or are they entirely separate?)
2. What do these certification dives typically cost?
3. Is anyone certifying dives locally this time of year?

Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Monkeyfish]

I believe that, technically, you need to do the certification dives prior to any "real" diving because you are supposed to be observed and able to demonstrate adequate skills such as clearing and replacing your mask, proper ascent, etc. Price on dives vary. Call the place your going to be at and ask to schedule the dives. Most vacation dive shops will accommodate you. You'll need to inform the dive shop where you did you class time of where you're doing the cert dives so they can forward the necessary paperwork.

 

[billsreef]

Most "destinations" will gladly combine the certification dive with some tourist diving. After all, part of the skills you need to demonstrate are the general ones like buoyancy control, not just mask clearing and ditching and donning Cost won't likely be much more than just a normal dive, but like Eric says, call where your planning to go and ask. As for local, I'm sure you could find someone, but the water is cold right now and not really ideal for beginners.

 

[xhaust50]

I should have mentioned that we are staying in Fiji for 3 nights before we go to Australia, so I am looking into places on the main island (we are staying in Natadola) that can give us the 4 referral dives in 2-3 days. If anyone knows a good place in Fiji please chime in.

Unfortunately neither Long Island Scuba nor Scuba Network have classes between now and when we leave. My wife called a bunch of places and someone said they have class Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, so hopefully we can get into that (possibly Danny's Dive Shop, but she didn't remember which place).

 

[xhaust50]

We were able to get PADI certified through QCScuba in Wantagh. Jeff (owner) was great! We would highly recommend him as he was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, and highly accommodating.

We called a number of places on Long Island, but most had either specific classes which we couldn't meet due to our schedules, or wanted $600+ per person to do the training personally on our own time. QCScuba was the same or lower price than the larger classes at other places, but we made our own schedule and worked personally with Jeff.

We then proceeded to drop about a grand in atomic Scuba gear and accessories!

 

[Monkeyfish]

Congratulations!

Safe and happy diving.