Padi Diving Course

[Preds]

Hi,

I have the opportunity to go to Sharm in May next year on a diving/snorkelling holiday. I may not be able to go, but I'd like to learn to dive anyway. Would it be worth, in your opinion, becoming PADI certificated before going on holiday or whilst on holiday (do my open water dives on holiday, but do the rest of the course in the UK.) Will it significantly enhance my holiday if I to learn to dive before going? Or can I have a good time without learning beforehand at all?

Thanks.

[keith hellyar]

I learned to Dive in the Maldives. Its warmer and altogether a much more pleasant experience. I managed to do a basic course sufficent to make 3 or 4 dives on the house reef of the island I was staying at and a couple of open water dives with the experienced guys. The only thing I did before my holiday was a swimming pool dive just to experience SCUBA apparatus for the first time.

I guess it also depends how much time you've got on holiday. Incidentally, don't underestimate the joy of snorkelling. In fact, I reckon I've seen more coral and fish species when snorkelling than I have when 50 feet under. I guess there's less to think about when you are inexperienced and therefore more time to concentrate on what you are seeing.

Keith

[big bubba]

i joined a club this year cost me 150 quid for the first year and all you qualifications are paid for you inc. use of the pool once a week, kit hire (til you get you own)and all lectures etc.
we do dives all over britain and have trips all over the world mate.
the club is going to the red sea in nov(i am not qualified yet so cant go :( )

[jasmine]

From my own personal experience, I would recommend that you do the pool training in the UK and the open water in Sharm on a referral. This saves some time on holiday, yet lets you do your open water work in clear, warm seas instead of cold UK waters. Best of both worlds and I don't think you would ever regret getting qualified. Yes, you can see some fantastic things snorkelling, but you can also really feel part of the underwater world when you are down there with them, moreso than when snorkelling.

Enjoy your holiday if you go!
Jasmine

[JasandJules]

Agree with Jasmine.

I did all my pool work and classwork here, then had a certificate to take out to the Maldives to do the open water dives. It is well worth it IMHO. On training dives you are looking at fish etc. instead of trying to see your mask in a lake in the UK.. It is slightly more expensive, but do you want to spend time on holiday watching a video and doing some classwork?!!?

Jas

[ahoy]

As the previous two replies say, by doing the theory work and pool stuff over here, when you go on holiday, you won't have to spend time in a classrooom. Also, if you decided you were keen to progress, you could do the additional 5 dives required to get 'Advanced O/W Diver' in the same trip. Sharm will be quite a pleasant temperature in March, but the water will be a 'chilly' 24 celsius :o

S.

[philworrall]

IMO diving in the red sea and the UK are like chalk and chese.

It is important that if you intend to do most of your diving in the UK then do the complete course here. The difference in diving in a pair of trunks versus a wet or dry suit with upteen kg of lead is immence.

I you like I will only dive in warm water then go for the split. Learn here and dive there. You will save time and enjoy the holiday more that way.

HTH

Cheers

[Preds]

Thanks for the posts everyone. The two options I was offered by the diving school was learning it all here, and learning the theory here and doing the o/w dives in Sharm.

Certainly got a bit to think about anyway. Thanks again.

[Andy Hipkiss]

Olly,

I think this is a bit of an chicken and egg situation. I really want you to recome a diver and you'll be a better diver for getting cert'd over here IMO.

However, unless you've dived before how do you know you'll like it? Cold water diving is utter insanity to my mind and I only do it because I love warm water diving and the better diver I become, the more I find I enjoy "proper" diving. I thus can force myself to get up at ungodly hours in the morning to get myself loaded up with half a tonne of lead and a mortgage's worth of kit.

I guess I'd suggest getting your OW in Sharm (perhaps with a referral) and then continue with further certs over here. If you are absolutely certain diving is for you then do all your certs over here and have more fun diving whilst in warm water. One big advantage of cert'ing over here is that you can look around for a good instructor, there is a wide range of styles of instructing and I'm uncomfortable with the level of standards that some instructors will accept before issuing your C-card. One big question to "interview" a prospective instructor with is how much time is spent on buoyancy training. If they do a bit of fin pivots and not much else keep looking. Fin pivots are utterly pointless .. no, actually I think they are just plain wrong IMO.

If you going to get cert'd over here, do it ASAP whilst we still have reasonable water temps. Mask clearing in 4 C water has got to be the most hateful thing on this planet!

FWIW and JMO :D

[Preds]

Thanks for the input Andy.

[Andythescientist]

Personally I did my whole coarse while on holiday a few years ago in turks and cacos. Although enjoyable, it was a bit of a pain to have to sit on the beech studying the coarse book. I think if I was doing it again, i'd have done the pool/exams over here and done the OW part somewhere nice :D Although try and keep them as close to gether as possible. I don't think it's a good idea to do the coarse here, then wait right up to the time limit which i think is 6 months (might be wrong) before doing your OW dives, as you'll forget alot in that time. And although the people doing your dives will refresh you, they may not do it that indepth.

[JonHolly]

I did it all here before going to Thailand and Oz, October in the UK and January in Thailand, didn't notice any difference :lol: I would say it depends on whether you are on a diving holiday or diving while on holiday. Do you want to spare the time while you are away. I wasn't so I did Open water and Advanced OW before I went. Took about 6 weekends and I through in a Drysuit course in between, Bloody cold in November :lol:

[CodeMonkey]

I've just started myself and I intend to do the OW dives in the UK. That way if I mess up I have to time to pass at another date before I go on a diving holiday. Also, the weather, as much as you expect it to be great you could be unlucky and only have a few days of your holiday in which to do your OW dives. I intend to take as much advantage I can after being a late starter to the diving game.

Shaun

[Haydn]

Olly

Sorry to hijack the thread but I feel I must reply to Mr Hopkiss's out-ragious attack on us cold water divers -

Cold water diving is utter insanity to my mind . I feel he is missing the whole point -think if the comradeship and new friends made whilst waiting in the queue at Stoney Cove at 4:30 on a rainy cold January morning. The jolly comments from your comrades when your kit freezes to the carpark so you rupture yourself when you try to pick it up. The excited chatter in the bar as you reveal the co-ordinates of a previously unknown wheelbarrow in the depths of Stony Cove (which joy upon joy has been known to harbour a MALE stickleback in full breeding colours :wub: :wub: ). The joy on the face of the jolly skipper of the hard boat when you tell him you're not diving in the force 7 with a flood tide and 5ft waves AND you're not going to pay him because when you phoned 2 hours before to be told it was flat calm :o . The utter rapture as your fingers grasp a greasy bacon butty and a (semi) hot coffee after a dive in Gildenburge Quarry and you've read the signs telling you you've found the bus or boat or aircraft (because it so dark you can't see more than a square foot anyway).

Sorry I could go on all day but the nice man in the white coat has come to tighten the buckles on my jacket again.................

Haydn

[Andy Hipkiss]

Haydn,

So ... see you at Stoney on Sunday?

[Haydn]

Sorry Andy can't -I'm still getting over flu from the last visit to Stony (Yes seriously :angry: )

Haydn

[Andy Hipkiss]

Oh no ! :( When were you last there?


For those interested in the temperatures at Stoney Cove ...

http://stoneytemps.port5.com/

Looks like it's going to be a toasty 15C ... that's almost warm enough for just a pair of trunks :lol:

[Haydn]

Andy, Last weekend dive there was 19 Aug but my last dive was during the Bank holiday week with my lad, doing a bit of Dive Leader training(him not me).

September/October are usually the warmest water months its had all summer to get hot.

Haydn