Are OW Cert boat dives similar to Discover Scuba boat dives in Cozumel?

[mikelev]

Hi,

I am going to Cozumel (probably Sabor resort) with my wife and trying to figure out whether to do just a couple of Discover Scuba dives or go for the actual OW certification.
My main question is about the four Open Water training dives required by PADI. Are they fun like Dsicover Scuba dives or more like tests/exams where you have to concentrate on doing everything right and there is no time to enjoy the dive? I am assuming both OW and DS are boat/reef dives in Cozumel.

We did two DS boat/reef dives in Red Sea in 2011 and it was great and super easy! I am hoping to do at least a couple of DS boat/reef dives in Cozumel. It looks like one day 2-tank DS boat dive costs about $100-$120 pp or 200-240 for 2 days respectively. The cost of OW Referral certification with 4 OW boat dives is about the same and we still have time to do the pool section at home (another $200-250 per person). We will not have time or money to do any additional diving after certification. We will not have another diving vacation for at least a year or two It does not make sense to get certification now, but we might go for it if the 4 OW training dives are at least as good as typical DS reef dives

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Texasguy]

From my general experience, everything depends on the instructor. If his/her method is to drill you, not that fun. If it is a personal approach, perhaps, fun can be mixed with study and tests. After tests a good instructor will let you dive a bit under supervision to solidify some basic skills after passing that day's tests.

Have you thought of, perhaps, skipping scuba at all and do some snorkeling? I remember I paid $60 for all day snorkeling adventure per person in Cozumel like 5 years ago. Maybe not as hands on as scuba but was still very beautiful.

 

[DandyDon]

Honestly, your Discover dives will be more for recreational diving vs Certifications dives being to test the skills you learn in study & pool sessions. The latter would be safer, but if you then don't dive for a year - you'd want to do a refresher course.

Scuba is not as simple & safe it seems from your previous Discover dives. I started that way, did 3 dives in the Caribbean - 1 to 100 ft, and came home thinking I knew how. Only in the course did I start learning of the dangers and what I needed to learn, and that's been going on for 11 years now.

Either way, it would be prudent to get dive insurance from Divers Alert Network - at least the middle plan.

 

[mikelev]

Thank you guys! I think I have a better picture now.

Texas guy,
I am considering just doing snorkeling (hotel or boat), but it is hard to resist doing at least one DS dive Does anybody have snorkeling recomendations for Cozumel?

DandyDon,
I meant to say that our DS dives went smoothly rather than "diving is easy" in general. We also studied PADI OW materials and watched their DVDs before the dive in 2011. Diving scares me a lot more than it appears from my post, especially anything beyond DS limits. Thank you for the tips and DAN insurance idea. I did not think about that.

 

[Sue Sue]

If you think you would enjoy challenge of taking a class as a highlight of your vacation then choose the BOW certification. Remember, not only will you be diving but also studying and taking an exam. For some folks, this is a fun activity, for others, not so. DH and I enjoyed our AOW and Rescue certification during two of our Coz vacations. The dives for both certifications were of course more focused on instruction and testing skills and our Rescue instructor showed us no mercy, however, the challenge and achievement was very rewarding and we are thankful we did not have it any other way. Now, on the other hand, if you would prefer to simply play and relax, then perhaps snorkeling is for you for this trip and then include a BOW certification before or during a future trip.

You mentioned in your post that you probably will book your lodging at Sabor. If diving is something you really have your heart set on and if you have not settled on your lodging yet, perhaps you could choose a less expensive place to stay and use the budget for BOW certification and additional post-cert dives.

Overall, Best Wishes for a wonderful vacation !

Sue

 

[Texasguy]

From what I have seen on travel sites, Sabor is not expensive by far, it is right there among the cheap (at least yesterday when I looked).

 

[Sue Sue]

From what I have seen on travel sites, Sabor is not expensive by far, it is right there among the cheap (at least yesterday when I looked).

It all depends on what you want out of your vacation and what one considers cheap vs budget. At $160.00 + per night for a Sabor room, I can say without a doubt that there are more budget friendly, yet very nice accommodations to be had on the island for a lot less and that is with considering the Sabor AI amenities. My husband and I have stayed in many places over the past 10 years, two to three times per year, from B & B's to the Penthouse at El Cantil. We base our lodging choice on what we want out of our dive vacation , which for Cozumel, is our first priority. Now, diving may or may not be the OP's main goal. However, from his interest to have a fun dive experience and in part the fact that additional dives were not possible due to budget, is the reason that I suggested going to a more affordable lodging in order to get the BOW certification if that is something that he and his wife would like to do. The OP also included in his post that time was also a concern for this trip. Since completing a BOW course would take up a few days of a vacation, again, perhaps they may want to pass on certifying while on this years trip. Also, considering that they will most likely not be diving again for another or two, perhaps a repeat of a DS for a dive experience and/or snorkeling would suffice for now and then, when time and money allow go ahead with the BOW.

One thing to also consider is that there is the possibility of getting credit from a PADI DS course which can be applied to a BOW course.

Per the PADI website:

...."Plus, you can get credit! If your Discover Scuba Diving program includes an actual scuba dive in open water, your experience may count toward PADI Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver certification, putting you a step ahead of the game when you decide to go for it."

There are most likely restrictions and policies which apply to this, and would be something to definitely confirm by the dive op/instructor, however, this may be a good option for the OP to explore.

Regardless, as I mentioned before, Cozumel has many options that will fit a wide range of budget, but , bottom line, it all depends on what you want from your vacation.

 

[Damselfish]

I don't think it makes sense (financially or safety-wise, or for quality of the diving you'll get to do) to keep doing Discover dives. If you tried it and liked it, it's served it's purpose and it makes the most sense to get certified if you want to continue.

However, if you couldn't do any dives at all there after a certification - or sometime reasonably soon - to reinforce what you learned and get to enjoy it, I'm not sure it really makes sense to do that either - with no additional practice and a couple year gap you will forget alot. There's a decent chance of getting in a little fun diving as part of your OW training dives, it's going to depend on the instructor, how many people are in your class, and how it's all going - but that will not be the primary purpose of the dives.

So neither option is ideal, but I think you already know that. I suppose it depends how you want to spend your vacation.

Have you considered diving locally at home? I know some people have no interest in cold water diving, but some love it and it could get you back in the water sooner as well as making you a more skilled diver. You might consider getting certified in Coz then later taking another class at home, finding a mentor, or hiring a DM to show you the ropes of local diving. Some people say it's great to learn in cold water as then everything is easy in warm water - and others make the case that learning alot of it someplace easy, then adding on the cold water skills,can be a better route for some people anyway.

 

[WB2GLP]

I started that way, did 3 dives in the Caribbean - 1 to 100 ft

100 ft on a discover scuba? That's a scary thought.

Mike, You obviously love diving. Quit spending your money on Discover Scuba classes and invest it in the real deal. Do it now, suck up the expense and you will have it forever. You can go with any shop on the island. Do some research. Check around in the forums and get some feedback. You may be able to hook up with an independent instructor, too. If you want to do it, you can and will make it happen.

For your reference, the PADI minimum (not maximum) dept for Open Water Cert is 15 feet. The open water check out dives should not be terribly deep, no deeper than the discover scuba dives you've already done. Max depth on DS is 40 ft. Most instructors will do skills in the beginning of the dive and go exploring for the remainder of your bottom time. Do that for 4 dives and you're all done. Try not to get hung up on the testing aspect of it. The skills you do in the pool are the same skills you will do in open water.

Like DandyDon said, sign up for DAN. As a diver, you would be crazy not to. Almost as crazy as 100 ft on a Discover Scuba dive.

 

[divingpyrate]

agreed we did two company trip (annual) discovery dives and were hooked
got certified
our certify dives (other than the one skills one) were not like discovery dives