Open Water Dive Certificates...

An experience I want to treat myself to requires an open water cert.

I know jack shit about diving. A while back I could have sworn there was a thread/info on this subject here, but I can't dig back a couple of years...

Does anyone have this cert? What is the process to get one? HELP!!!!!

~Z~

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-cours...r/default.aspx

Here you go sweets.

Typically you need a weekend of training, or several nights, then a weekend of open water dives.

With PADI, unless the requirements have changed, that gets you to a basic certificate. In order to go deeper than 60 feet, you need an advanced certificate, which cost another weekend or set of night for books and then a weekend diving.

Well, what I am interested in is this - Dive with the whale sharks.

Not the "swim" option.

They require - Proof of Open Water SCUBA certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization must be provided, along with photo identification.

Maybe I should call and ask specifics?

I wouldn't mind the advanced, might help for when I go back to Hawaii or somewhere else? If I am going to do it, I might as well not short myself. Right?

Ze damnit I thought you knew everything. Tiger said it. It takes a bit to get one but very worth it. I missed the march window for something I wanted to do in may and mine would have been free. All you have to do is a search wherever you are in the world and get it done. I'm sure this time next month we will get to hear about the sharks.

The "nationally recognized certifications" come from either NAUI or PADI (and I think SSI). It requires a certain amount of classroom and pool work, followed by an open water checkout in either a lake or ocean. PADI has a program where you can do all your classroom and pool work locally, then take your paperwork to a more blue water climate to do open water with another certified shop. Pretty much any dive shop in town will have some instruction association. Also community colleges sometimes offer certs, I got mine at Richland.

I would recommend the advanced PADI cert. Not sure of the other certification programs and how they work. (As an old fart, I was certified by PADI back before they figured out by breaking the course up into basic and advanced, they were losing divers who were making dives they were not qualified to do and were missing out on all of the dive course tuitions.)

For what you are doing, the basic may be fine, call and ask. If you are going diving in Hawaii, not sure if you will need the deep dive training. A lot of places you will need the advanced in order to do night dives or deep dives. (deep is 60-130 feet MAX) Night dives are the best and that alone is worth the cost of admission.

If you want to take any advanced classes like wreck diving or cavern diving, the advanced class is a prerequisite.

Majority of divers who die are doing one of the following:

1. Diving a dive they are not qualified to do: too deep, cavern, cave, wreck, too much muck in the water and they get disoriented and don't know how to dive in poor visibility, etc.
2. Making a dive that should have been cancelled because of the water conditions: muck in water, waves, temperature, someone has been feeding the sharks into a frenzy, etc.
3. Making a dive they should have cancelled because a diver was not feeling good: sinuses plugged, heart condition, etc.

In other words, diver fatalities are almost always avoidable with proper training and knowing your limits. I have cancelled a dive on more than one occassion for some of the above reasons. You notice muck in water shows up more than once. If you learn to dive in a lake in Texas, you will be trained for muck in water and should be able to handle it or at least make good decisions regarding the visibility.

Ze, the dive with whale sharks would be an unbelievable experience. I've done the snorkel with whale sharks just north of Cancun, Isla Holbox. It was unreal as we encountered a 40' and a 30' one. So damn big you can't get any good pics cause you are so close, all you can see is white spots on their brown bodies. It would be worth getting certified and going on a trip there or somewhere else.

Back in my early 20's, I got a basic PADI certification at Eastfield Jr. College. Not sure if they do it there now.

However, if you have some ear problems of any sort, you can really cause havoc with your balance if you're down beneath the water for 30-40 minutes. Or twenty.

And you need to be a half way decent swimmer and swim laps in the pool for warmups.

The few times that I've tried to snorkel, etc., I've freaked out with fish coming up to me.

The idea of doing what you wish to do sounds absolutely fantastic, but I couldn't do it at all now. (I'll gladly love to see the pictures, though!) I'm too claustrophobic and more.

EW

Ze, the dive with whale sharks would be an unbelievable experience. I've done the snorkel with whale sharks just north of Cancun, Isla Holbox. It was unreal as we encountered a 40' and a 30' one. So damn big you can't get any good pics cause you are so close, all you can see is white spots on their brown bodies. It would be worth getting certified and going on a trip there or somewhere else. Originally Posted by huskerdude

You sound very brave.

I can not wait till we do this. Ive been wanting to get my cert anyway so this is a perfect thing to nudge me in the right direction!

Thanks so much for all the info guys and gals

Get certified locally at a recommended shop. Then go to Cozumel for at least 4 night, Sunday thru Thursday package on Apple Vacations and dive your ass off. Santa Rosa, Palancar etc. Take a friend who is a diver with you for more fun.

I would recommend the snorkel option with the whales sharks its hard to keep up with them in dive gear. I am a diver and done both ways. And it is incredible, yes for sure! Did I ever tell you get better all the time. Get your open water certificate first and make sure you like it, PADI is the most popular around here.

Well, what I am interested in is this - Dive with the whale sharks.

Not the "swim" option.

They require - Proof of Open Water SCUBA certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization must be provided, along with photo identification.

Maybe I should call and ask specifics?

I wouldn't mind the advanced, might help for when I go back to Hawaii or somewhere else? If I am going to do it, I might as well not short myself. Right? Originally Posted by ~Ze~

@AT6Texan - While I was initially interested in the snorkel option.. I decided that the dive was better looking. They don't try to keep you alongside a whale shark, they take you all over a few of their tank areas, you hang out on the bottom... it's a whole "thing"...

I have received a but ton of info from the awesome members here! Even found a hottie that is a dive instructor! *blush* ... now I have to work up the balls to ask her.

@ LK - I am trying to plan for my cert when I get back in October - before the weather changes icky. I prolly won't do the experience til spring.

@ Tigercat - stop trying to scare me! Underwater at NIGHT? Fuck that. Maybe I will change my mind after the course.

@ Bestman200600 - Is that an offer? *wink*

Night diving is fun. Thinck of it as the changing of the guard. Different fish come out and patrol the dark waters. For example, Moray eels swim at night.