<p>I will be taking a trip next summer with family members, and all but 2 of us are PADI certified. We would like to do a family dive, but to get PADI certified is a bit of an ordeal (spoke to a few local places here, and the education, class, pool and open water dive training is $$, and they will, due to the timing and temp of the water (which will be cold regardless of whether I train now or in the spring), require me to get drysuit certified as well, which I won’t need where we are going. And they’ll require me to purchase my own mask, fins, boots, snorkel and dive computer. This seems like overkill to me, for one dive. I can do the classroom and pool training here and get a “PADI referral” to complete the open dive there, but it will interfere with our other plans. All I want is to possibly be able to dive with the rest of the family.Are there shorter/easier but safe certification options? I see there are "intro to the diving experience"classes but it doesn’t provide certification as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>I don’t have the time or $ to travel to a resort to do the open water dive in advance of our trip next summer. I just want to be safe, and have decent training. I’ve asked my DS to look into what dive options are available where we are going to see if there is some option that wont require all this training for one reef dive. Of course I know I want all of use to be safe, so any ideas/suggestions are appreciated. I’ve had a basic experience with scuba diving that involved using the equipment in a pool and then going out in the ocean, but it was decades ago. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Do you have a card from that years ago class? You may be able to sign up for “refresher” training.</p>
<p>Can you borrow some of that equipment (surely the dive computer, snorkel and possibly mask, fins, etc) from one of your family members? That would cut cost significantly. Definitely don’t do dry suit just for a certification dive if you don’t otherwise need it. If you really want totdo this on your vacation, the classroom/pool work at home and PADI referral option is not too onerous. If you have a good sized group to book, I think the dive shop would be open to accommodating your brief sign offs while your family members suit up or grab snacks for the boat or something.</p>
<p>Many destination dive areas have a Resort Course or Discover Diving class which includes supervised open water diving. This is designed as an introduction, not a certification. If you’re interested, you may also be able to do the full certification while on vacation.</p>
<p>Thanks. Will ask DS to look into what is available there (its his trip to organize- we are going along for the ride for part of it) and if they speak English!</p>
<p>Many years ago H and I did our PADI certification on vacation. It took 4 days, 2 with classroom and pool sessions, 2 with classroom and open water dives. I can report that the homework was a challenge after happy hour </p>
<p>Where are you going, specifically? Some dive locations are quite safe enough for resort dive certifications; others aren’t safe for new divers. I did my first dives off the Kona Coast in Hawaii using resort dive certification (good only for that location and that week), and later got fully certified. However, I felt barely trained enough–after about two hundred dives–for the diving we did in Palau… </p>
<p>I was certified decades ago - I think it was called NAUI then, but since I hadn’t dived for eons, when DS wanted to try it we both decided to go for PADI. We went to a local club with an indoor pool where we both did everything other than the open water dive, and skipped the local open water dive in a lake. Then on the vacation (cruise ship) we were able to sign on to the open water part and complete the certification at the different ports. I suspect many places that offer scuba tours for tourists offer open water certification too.</p>
<p>There are several agencies that issue dive certifications. PADI is one, NAUI is another, SSI is even another. </p>
<p>Our entire family is certified. H & I got our NAUI certifications in the Keys in 2001 and did the entire course at the resort in 3-4 days. It was exhausting, as the reef was a 45 minute boat ride each way. </p>
<p>Both kids got their PADI certification on Bonaire during our annual February vacation while we were there the year each turned 10. No pre-trip work, however both were experienced snorkelers. The shop recommended we purchase the book and video for them to review at home with us, so they were ready to go once they got on the island. It was a great way to do it for the kids, for many reasons: (1) big accomplishment on vacation, (2) we didn’t need to haul them to classroom/pool time in the evening and (3) much cheaper than doing classroom in NJ, and open water elsewhere. S1’s instuctor told us she hated open water referrals, as she had no control over what they learned prior to arrival and she ended up having to re-teach most of them. </p>
<p>Many dive operators are running “Discover Scuba” opportunities to serve your exact need (1-2 group members who don’t have certification) or people who are interested but don’t want to shell out the $$ on training and gear if they really don’t like it. Our Boy Scout troop heads to St Johns every 3-4 years and I’ve arranged Discover Scuba for the group and it’s been well received. </p>
<p>I’m surprised a course would require you to purchase your gear. That is typically included in the cost of a course. That said, I would recommend you buy your own mask. Surprisingly, masks are tough to fit. I have a very narrow face, so I have purchased kid’s masks at some point. </p>
<p>Our s get certified in Thailand. It was low cost and he found it fun and rather quick (he was only there a week). He was able to rent gear as he didn’t fly with any. </p>
<p>jym626–feel free to PM me with any questions. I’m a PADI instructor and a dive shop owner. The resort course mentioned above is an option if you only want to do one dive. You would pay a fee that would include training with an instructor. You would have a classroom session then get in the pool with the instructor and learn how to use the equipment safely. Then you would go on a guided dive with the instructor. I’m not sure what dive everyone else in your group is interested in, but you would be going somewhere fairly shallow (probably not deeper than 30-40 feet) in a calm area. (Your entire group would probably be allowed on this dive, but you would be under direct supervision of the instructor) There is no certification with this option. If you wanted to do the same thing on another trip, you’d pay the fee and do the course again.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, dive conditions are varied by location. If you PM me about where you are going (if you know yet) I can give you more detailed information on the area.</p>
<p>If you wished to become certified, you could take the classroom and pool sessions before your trip then get a referral to do your dives on your trip (no drysuit required). You can get certified as a “Scuba Diver” with PADI with just two open water (reef) dives (which can be done in one day). This is a limited certification that requires you dive with a dive professional (Divemaster, Asst Instructor or Instructor) on any open water dive. If you did the 4 dives (takes two days) you would have your “Open Water Diver” certification allowing you to dive with any dive buddy. As others have mentioned, you will not have any trouble with the classroom or quizzes or tests. They certify 10 year olds, and so everything is explained well.</p>
<p>Many shops will rent you mask/snorkel/fins and a computer is only required for training if they don’t teach the dive tables (again, they could rent you one). My personal recommendation is that you purchase the mask and snorkel. You can use them for snorkeling on your trip even if you don’t dive. You will have a mask that fits (if you purchase at your local dive shop and have them help you find the one that fits you) which makes snorkeling and diving much more comfortable. Snorkels aren’t expensive and since you will be putting it in your mouth–you probably want your own. Mask and snorkel don’t take up much room in your luggage. You can rent fins at your destination if you don’t want to purchase your own.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any questions! Diving is a great family sport and can be done by most all ages. You may find that you enjoy it and wish to incorporate it into over family vacations! </p>
<p>Your last line is spot on, VAMom! My husband and daughters are certified and will try to incorporate diving into all of their vacations. It can be very annoying to us non-divers!</p>
<p>All out family are divers and H just can’t understand why we don’t want to dive every vacation. Also, I used to travel to exotic locations around the world, where I could have travelled a few extra hours (nothing when it takes you 30 to get there) to dive and never did. H couldn’t understand why not. (Because I was nervous diving on my own in many of the third world countries I went to and didn’t think it was worth the hassle when I read reviews online). </p>
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