Princess West Carribean Cruise / Scuba

[yzeater]

Hey Spodes,
My family is planning on going on the Princess West Carribean Cruise in early August. Has anybody taken this cruise before? It looks like the best of all worlds, and the stops really seem nice. One of the stops is at Stingray Alley, and we would like to learn how to scuba dive before the trip. Any scubadivers in the house? How do you go about learning how to scuba? Any opinion on either of these subjects is greatly appreciated:)

 

[ride_red_15]

hey im certified....go to American Water Sports in Manassas i believe...the class is either gonna be a couple weeks (weekday class) or a weekend class, and then you have to get your check out dives done....dont know that schedule

 

[dhoward]

You may be able to get a resort cert.
It may be a good way to check it out to see if you like it. Stingray alley can be done snorkeling too. If you think you'll really like it then a REAL cert will take several weeks, classtime + pool time, then check dives.
Have fun!

 

[Hugebear]

YZ, where in VA are you? A good friend of mine is a master dive instructor who is starting an open water class right now, that's where you really should start. I WOULD NOT necessarily recommend a resort course, especially from a cruise ship. The reason is that you receive very little training, basically they just show you enough to survive and toss you in the water. It can be very intimidating, and has ended as many divinig careers as it started. Of course I say that but that's how I started. Basically, a resort course will either hook you or guarantee that you never dive again, I got hooked and later got certified up to rescue diver. You get about 30 minutes of time in a pool, some very basic instruction, and then you go on a guided ocean dive. With an actual certification course you get multiple classroom sessions, multiple pool sessions, then 5 open water dives before being certified. There are multiple certifying agencies, but PADI is the most widely recognized. Try www.padi.com, you should learn more on their site.

 

[yzeater]

Fairfax County

 

[whyzee]

Yz,
Spend the money for the certification. It’s worth it. The resort certification expires as soon as you leave the island, or in your case at the end of the cruise. Fairfax county, I moved from Clifton 6 years ago. Wish I still had that property today.

Dave

 

[yzeater]

Clifton...it went from being urban to being big suburban (read $$) lots really quickly:)

 

[Hugebear]

Drop me an email if you might be interested in talking to my buddy about the class.

 

[Rodzilla]

I'll strongly agree with HUGEBEAR, I personally would stay away from the resort cert. After getting my quals and open water, I can't belive they let people dive with only two hours of "pool time"

I liken it to someone showing you how to use the throttle and clutch and then sending you out to do the tripple on your first bike ride. You learn the basics, but the basics are just enough to get you in trouble!

You may look at your local YMCA they have classes at a reasonable price and are one of the best certifying organizations.

Have fun, it's a blast! (Sure you want ANOTHER expensive hobby?):scream:

 

[Offroadr]

Get PADI certified before you go. Its a much safer certification, you will be better trained and will have a certification for life.

You won't scuba at Stingray City, its too shallow. Just snorkel there and have a great time. Make sure you do a wreck and a reef dive while you are there

 

[whyzee]

I don't know your cruise itinerary, but I would not imagine that you would be at port in Grand Cayman for more than 10 hours. Stingray Alley is cool, but you will see large rays and more interesting creatures with one of the dive charters along seven mile beach. Have fun and don’t dive over your head! When my daughter was 5 we took her to Stingray Alley, she didn't want to get OUT of the water after that.

 

[Neil Wig]

Offroadr, PADI isn't the only valid certificate. It really depends on the instructors and course content. Our local scuba shop offers PADI certification with only the minimum required pool time to certify. The technical institute I graduated from offers a ACUC sport diver certification. The ACUC course was worked into the school year, so we spent 3 months snorkeling twice a week, and 3 months scuba diving twice a week. We likely had in excess of 100 hours of pool time, 50 of that in full scuba gear.

Four years later, in Jamaica, I decided to join a reef dive. I grabbed my rented gear, checked all components, and had it on and functioning in a matter of 20 minutes. The "resort" divers in the group were still fiddling with their equipment, trying to figure out what goes where.

When we finally got to the dive site, the partner I was paired with was so nervous he was gulping huge volumes of air. He was in the water for less than 30 minutes, at 30 feet, when he ran low on air (500 psi minimum enforced by dive master). I spent an additional 40 minutes with one of the dive masters before I ran out of air. The reason is simple....comfort and confidence gained through an excellent training course.

You simply cannot absorb enough information in a short resort course to be confident in the water. If you are confident after a short resort course, you are a danger to others in the water. The emergency procedures are not second nature to you, you have poor buoyancy control, and you don't recognize dangerous situations as they arise.

A wreck dive for an uncertified diver (or resort cert) is a VERY bad idea. Leave Wreck diving and Cave diving for those who are certified. The life you save may be your own, as well as those that have to recover the body.

That being said, SCUBA diving is an unbelievable adventure. I would highly recommend diving while you are on your holiday, but I would also recommend you get certified by a reputable organization well before you go on vacation. You will enjoy your diving vacation much more if you are relaxed in the water. And remember, leave it the way you found it. Don't touch the coral and don't take souvenirs off the bottom.

Happy Diving...
Neil; ACUC Sport Diver since 1988.