Diving without certification in venice Florida?

[Cswan19]

I have never been diving and I am not certified. My mom is not certified either but has gone diving once in Hawaii about 25 years ago. Is there any place like a charter or something in venice or Sarasota FL area where we could go shallow water diving without being certified? Thanks to anyone who can help I would really love to go diving and have wanted to since I was a little kid. Unfortunately I do not have the money to pay $300 for a diving certification class but hopefully will have the money by next summer. In the meantime I would love to experience diving in shallow water.

 

[chrpai]

 

[SailNaked]

Discover scuba is usually $50 and only requires about a one hour classroom session, and of course a guide.


No one will rent you gear to scuba by yourself until you are cert. and if a private person does, make sure your family has their name and address so that your surviviors can sue them.

 

[luscioman]

I dont think any charter will let you go. Also do you have gear to use? If you want to rent it they will ask for your cert card. If you do have gear and have not used it in more than 2 years you will need to get it checked out. I personally would suggest just snorkling instead.

 

[nimoh]

cut the OP some slack, it's a simple question.

You can go scuba diving without certification. What you are looking for is a "discover scuba" package, and a quick google search shows multiple facilities near Venice Beach that offer this. Some are a little more involved than others involving a pool session before seeing the ocean, and normally the cost goes up with the time involved.

 

[Diver0001]

I have never been diving and I am not certified. My mom is not certified either but has gone diving once in Hawaii about 25 years ago. Is there any place like a charter or something in venice or Sarasota FL area where we could go shallow water diving without being certified? Thanks to anyone who can help I would really love to go diving and have wanted to since I was a little kid. Unfortunately I do not have the money to pay $300 for a diving certification class but hopefully will have the money by next summer. In the meantime I would love to experience diving in shallow water.

No. In order to learn to scuba dive safely there are courses that you should follow. I know the courses are not free but diving without training is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. It does fine until something terribly unforeseen happens and then you're a cripple (if you're lucky) for the rest of your life.

Get training. Really.

R..

 

[reebok]

and if a private person does, make sure your family has their name and address so that your surviviors can sue them.

because adults are free to make their own decisions only when it's a "good" decision. hmm that doesn't seem like freedom at all...

 

[OkByMe]

I'll chime in. Do the discover course as many have suggested. If you could rent the gear, which is unlikely, it might cost as much as the course with the gear and air. Then you will have to payout the cost for the trip and you probably will not find anyone that will take you without some minimal certification.. The best value would be a dive op that would combine all three for a reasonable price. If you can't master the pool exercises, then you have just saved yourself some grief by possibly avoiding an accident. If you do master the exercises, then you will be diving under some supervision that will make your dive safer and more enjoyable.

 

[hroark2112]

because adults are free to make their own decisions only when it's a "good" decision. hmm that doesn't seem like freedom at all...

Im pretty sure there's no state law in Florida that says you HAVE to be certified to go scuba diving in the ocean. If you strap the gear on people 100 times, push a reg in their mouth and say "Breathe!" While they swim around in shallow water, 80 times nothing bad will happen. The other 20 times? Something bad probably happens. How bad? Good question. The lawyers will all sort it out.

Youre free to take your own risks as long as you don't break the law. Just be prepared for "bad" when it happens.

I'm pretty sure there's not a shop in Florida willing to risk that kind of bad. That's why people are suggesting a DSD class.

 

[iluvtheocean]

law? no... but i can't think of a shop who will rent gear or tanks w/o a cert card (beyond mask/fins/snorkel) unless as part of a course or Discover scuba. now you can still snorkel on a lot of charters as well... plenty of stuff to see still and snorkeling isn't limited to staying on the surface