PADI certification long weekend vacation?

[veez]

Hi all,

this is my first post on this board - thank you for hosting this!

So i am a newbie - i have had a life-long love for the sea, mostly through sailing and light freedinvg, and always wanted to try scuba diving. A few months ago i finally did an introduction to scuba diving class in Barbados, and i loved it. My girlfriend is PADI certified and i am considering getting certified myself so that we can go diving together.

I live in NYC and have a very intense work schedule, so finding time is always difficult. I am planning on taking a day or two off in three weeks (weekend of June 10th) and was thinking that it would be fun to do a weekend dedicated to diving classes, aimed at getting certified. Is this a realistic possibility?

Also, this would be a vacation weekend for me, so ideally would not mind doing this in a place where i can enjoy a beer on the beach at night. Not looking for a party location, just a nice relaxing spot with good classes, good diving and a beach. Not fond of touristy spots.

Again, i am based in NYC so would need to be something within a 5-hour flight radius. Central america comes to mind of course, but am looking for ideas and recommendations, so please lay your wisdom upon me.

Thank you so much for your help, looking forward to your advice, and to getting to know you on the board!

Alvise

 

[PatW]

Well, if you are time constrained, what you are proposing is feasible. Still, I would recommend that you get the materials, if you can, and read them over a number of times. It can take awhile for things to sink in.

Most students have the idea that they need to pass some sort of "test" and then they can forget everything. What you need to dive safely and with maximum enjoyment is a skill and knowledge base. Skills can be a bit hard to pick up on your own. But if you are reasonably studious, you can pick up most of the basic knowledge from "book learning".

A better alternative, would be to get the course work and pool work done in NYC on the weekends. Then you could go for a mini vacation for your check out dives. Many people do this so many places are set up to handle it.

 

[TMHeimer]

As far as PADI goes, you need 2 weekends for their "weekend" course. One for classroom and pool (or just pool if you do the classroom online) and another for your 4 Open Water check out dives. You would have little time to enjoy the beach. Why not do it in NY (one good shop I know of is Scuba NY on Central Ave. in Yonkers--They also have a Brooklyn location. I think they do the 4 check out dives at Dutch Springs, PA)? You may also consider the night course (about 3-4 weeks). Then you could go to a tropical place and just dive.

 

[Blackwood]

I'm not sure central america is within your 5hr radius (shortest hop from NY to Belize could find was about 6hrs air time each way). Even Cozumel is maybe too far. Bahamas are close, right? Florida, NC, etc are reportedly nice destinations, and staying state side will cut down on travel time due to customs (or lack thereof).

If you're dead set on traveling for your class, consider completing the academic and pool portions before hopping on a plane.

 

[Damselfish]

I'd suggest getting certified at home, or finding a way to take a somewhat longer trip. Your timeline may be doable in theory but it's very aggressive. And it's really better not to rush this.

You can do an "OW referral", where you do the academic and pool work at home then the open water dives someplace else. But it may be a trick to get this scheduled and done before you go. And it will - or should - take a decent amount of time from your busy schedule. (And you can expect to be pooped.) And while you can do the OW dives in 2 days, you can run into staff scheduling problems at a dive op, weather problems, boat problems, congestion or ear problems, skill problems, or whatever on your trip. So it's better to have some extra time to make sure things come together. Also, you realize that you can't dive then hop on a plane? You'll need to wait anywhere from 12-24 hours depending on the diving you been doing. One last thing if you do manage to squeeze this in - If you go someplace and do nothing but your class dives, especially after doing everything else in a hurry too - then don't dive again soon - you're probably going to forget a lot. Getting your certification is more like getting a learners permit. It's very rare a newly certified diver really has their act together, especially if they've rushed through it. Better to schedule a trip with enough time where you can do some additional dives and get some practice.

 

[scubamarketing]

Technically with PADI, it can be done in three days. Your knowledge review and pool time will be a very long day though. The four dives must be split between 2 days. You'd want a good day to off gas before flying home, so you'd realistically need a minimum of 4 days if you want to fly somewhere. It can be done, but the odds are you may not be the highest quality you could be. Look for an instructor who can do night/weekend knowledge/pool work, take your time at that, then go somewhere for a weekend. Even if you extend it into 2 different days in the pool working on skills, you'll be much better off than cramming it into one.

 

[oly5050user]

As far as PADI goes, you need 2 weekends for their "weekend" course. One for classroom and pool (or just pool if you do the classroom online) and another for your 4 Open Water check out dives. You would have little time to enjoy the beach. Why not do it in NY (one good shop I know of is Scuba NY on Central Ave. in Yonkers--They also have a Brooklyn location. I think they do the 4 check out dives at Dutch Springs, PA)? You may also consider the night course (about 3-4 weeks). Then you could go to a tropical place and just dive.

Thankyou Tim for the referral...I teach out of scuba ny in westchester (yonkers).I have a class starting on June 7th on a group weeknight schedule 2 times a week(tues/thurs) for 3 weeks. I also have a start date for June 17th which is again a group weekend schedule Friday night 7pm-11pm/Saturday 9am-5pm/Sunday 9am-5pm..
I can also teach you on a private basis for the weekend of June 10th-11th-12th .or almost any other weekend I may have open,.contact me via pm here for this- where YOU name the schedule/time for classroom and pool, no other LDS or instructor can offer this as they rent pool time and are tied into pool facility schedule for pool time. .I have 24hr/7 day a week access to the onsite indoor heated pool.Can pm me here or contact me at scuba ny yonkers. Name is Emilio..I am out of the country starting Saturday 5/20-5/28..Taking a group to Cozumel that week and completing training dives/advance class /photo classes that week..I can also offer private ow training dives at a MUCH closer location than Dutch Springs.

 

[DevonDiver]

Consider doing it as a referral, or by using Elearning.

Referral You complete the knowledge sections and poolwork with a local dive centre in your own time, before going away to complete the open water dives at your holiday location. Your local dive shop (LDS) will provide you with referral paperwork that you take to another dive centre on your holiday to continue the training with them. This means that your holiday is spent doing diving, not in a classroom.

Elearning You can sign up at padi.com to complete the theory sections online. This will save you from having to do boring theory work on your vacation. You will still have to complete the confined/pool skills work and open water dives when you are away. It usually works out slightly more costly this way, but you get a lot more convenience.

 

[BVickery]

Veez,

If your looking for a travel destination to do your OW certifications, got to say I did mine in the Florida Keys and it was just amazing.

Best of luck, and trust me, it is an addicting hobby.

 

[divermike1011]

I like how Scuba NY describes their set-up, taking time to digest the material will help you become a better diver. I'd also recommend getting certified locally because if you do like diving you'll be apt to dive more if you're comfortable in the style need in your own backyard (plus you have some of the best wreck diving in the world off the coast of NY and NJ). If I were to fly anywhere on a referral or follow up I'd fly to Bermuda, not just for the diving, but because it is the place I have enjoyed that most that I've been!

Michael