Scuba diving

[Becky&Mike]

My husband wants to scuba dive but has never done it.....is this possible to do when we come and if so who do you recommend ?

[poidog]

You need to be certified in order to dive. So, you have two options:

1) Take the "Discover SCUBA" course - you will have a brief (usually 4 hrs) overview training and then can go out on 1 two-tank dive no deeper than 30 ft while attached to a dive master (I use attached loosely as in being no more than arms length away). You will have to do this each time you wan to dive until you become Open Water certified.

2) Become certified by taking the "Open Water" course - this will be 2 eight-hour days of classroom and pool training. You then have to complete 4 check out dives in the open ocean by your instructor. After this you are certified to dive by yourself for up to 60 feet.

I have used Low Key in the past for my diving and they were good, and I would dive with them again. PS I am "Advanced Open Water" certified and did not doing any of my training on STJ.

[News of St. John]

Another option would be to complete your coursework and pool work at home, and then you can complete your open water in St. John. You can complete your coursework online and then schedule your pool class prior to your trip. I believe you need about eight hours of pool time. Then when you come to St. John, you can go out two days in a row and complete two dives a day. Once that's done, you'll be certified.

I went out with Tony at Cruz Bay Watersports and he was wonderful.

-Jenn

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

Collette with 6 paq scuba is really good. She is intense but very thorough. She owns Island Blues. She does a walk in discover scuba. We certified at the local Jr college. It takes longer but I am a nut about thorough training. Collette taught me a great breathing technique. Again I say she is intense. Last year her boat was down though.

[equineannie]

As a PADI Instructor I highly, highly recommend doing your course work online first. It will save time. Low Key Watersports is the place to go. Great staff, clean and safe boats and a great attitude toward teaching. If you want to go the Discover Scuba Diver first, they will gladly accommodate that as well. Congrats on giving it a try!

[jimg20]

We did almost all of our SCUBA training at Low Key. We arrived at Low Key for our open water certifications after reviewing the book and video That we were given by a state-side instructor. We had some classroom time spread out over the three days and three two-tank dives. Low Key Will get you certified. That DOES NOT mean that if you pay your money, they will give you a card. What it means is they will spend as much time with you as needed to reach the minimum standards for certification. We also did our advanced certification with them.

You can sign up for the Discover course, also sometimes called the resort course, and, if you like it and want to go on to the full certification, they will credit your Discover course fee against the certification course fee.

We dove with Tony at Cruz Bay as certified divers. He is very good also. He is a very easy-going, patient man.

With all due respect to Jenn and Annie, I prefer to take all the instruction from one source. I think there is value in the continuity of working with one person or group. You have to do what works for and feels right to you.

In any case, try it. I was asked by my granddaughter, the day before she began her certification course, what the difference was between snorkeling and SCUBA. I told her the SCUBA is snorkeling in 3-D.

JIM

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

Wow Jim, I love your saying! Scuba is snorkeling in 3D! I will have to borrow it from time to time! Scuba gave me a whole new perspective on being underwater. The first time we snorkeled on St. John, I knew that I had to learn to scuba. It was just not enough for me to see things from the top down, and my butt floats something horrible so free diving with out having to weight down is impossible. I just love scuba!

[jimg20]

Wow Jim, I love your saying! Scuba is snorkeling in 3D! I will have to borrow it from time to time!

I've copyrighted the saying! You can buy the rights to use it by sending me a gift certificate from Low Key. We can negotiate the price when I know more about how you will use it.

[IA Joe]

I personally would not want to spend any of my island time getting certified. If your local lakes and ponds will not be covered in ice from now until the time you go, he should make every effort to get certified before you go. It would totally suck to spend your island time in a classroom, but even the pool work and open water work that is involved with certification can be a bit mundane.

I may go on a dive or two when I am on St. John in May, but I actually prefer snorkeling to diving. I am probably in the minority, but getting all suited up, travelling to a dive site, and cleaning all of the gear when you are done just seems like a lot of work to me for a 30 - 45 minute dive. In fairness, all of the diving I have done has been in the Florida Keys, and I am just not that impressed with the diving in that area. Perhaps diving in the Caribbean will change my mind. Snorkeling just seems so much easier, more free, and more relaxing to me than scuba diving.

[jimg20]

Yes, there is classroom time. We went down there prepared to dive by reviewing the book and video. In our experience we spent less than an hour in the classroom, and then got on the boat where we went over the equipment. The dives were about half skills and half recreation. We had two or three more one-hour classroom sessions. By being prepared, the classroom time went fairly fast. There is, of course, the written test.

Another alternative is the on-line version.

In the end, we got six wonderful dives in the Caribbean and were certified. That was a lot better than a cold, muddy lake.

JIM