How Shops Typically Manage Small Group Boat Dives

[Jcp2]

I’m in the same boat, live in Michigan, trying to dive warm waters with my daughter for a reasonable cost without doing liveaboard. It’s coming down to flying to Fort Lauderdale and then deciding whether to boat dive in Upper Keys or shore dive up and down Fort Lauderdale coast. Other locations just are more costly in terms of travel time, flight costs, lodging costs, or all three.

 

[Damselfish]

what are some of the ways to dive warm waters (and see more than sea grass) and spend less?

While there's ways to economize in Cayman, it's basically known for being an expensive place overall. (That does come with plenty of nice restaurants, accomodations, lots of good dive ops with nice boats/facilities, few bugs, and a very 1st world experience.) It's a nice place to start - though new divers that are sticking shallower at first may miss some of the wall stuff it's famous for. Food is expensive, accomodations can be expensive, diving will add up. You can save in Cayman by finding less expensive accomodations like condos with kitchen facilities so you're not eating out all the time, maybe not on the water. It's a great place for a foodie with lots of high end restaurants, but there are good and less expensive options around. Flights and rental cars at least tend to be relatively inexpensive.

Some dive destinations are simply cheaper than others to stay/eat/dive. Places where you can do some or a lot of shore diving can be less expensive - you (or especially your wife) might not be comfortable with independent shore diving to start, but house dives in front of resorts tend to be very accessible and easy and you might be up for some after you get sorted out. And if you're diving with an op on the water, doing training dives right off the dock instead of a boat can be a nice option and maybe less expensive.

Some of the cheaper places are more expensive to get to, so you always have to look at the bottom line from your location.

Bonaire is popular because of the shore diving, and even boat diving there is pretty cheap. Curacao is another place with lots of shore diving to pair with the boat diving. There's somewhat fewer convenient dive resorts on the water, but lots more options for everything, and the shore diving around the island might be considered more user-friendly. I haven't been to Cozumel but it's popular as a budget dive destination with many (even though not much for shore diving.) Roatan/Utila can be pretty inexpensive. There's lots of discussion of this sort of thing on this board.

Cayman does have some nice shore diving, and some resorts with good shore diving right on site - I don't think it makes sense to skip boat diving there, though apparently some people do. But it can reduce your average $/dive, anyway.

 

[tursiops]

As far as your certification and your wife's, I would not do her certification on vacation. Do your refresher and her certification at home before you leave. Certification dives on trips for the most part suck.

Doby45, I agree with all you say, particularly about doing everything locally instead of taking time on a costly vacation.

I disagree totally with these two posts, especially if one lives in a cold climate. Doing OW cert dives in a nasty, cold quarry is NOT conducive to enjoying scuba!

I appreciate this advice and it is sound but I'm not going to follow it for following reasons - my wife chills easily and our trip to Caymans is early June so she would have to do her OW work here in chilly (polar?) May Michigan waters. I want her to be introduced to the sport in clear, warm waters, which is all the diving I ever plan to do with her. She will do eLearning portion up here, in advance. As for me, I have agreed to pay up and not do just refresher, but pay for and participate in her confined water and open water training, as I am 30 years rusty. I will not pay for eLearning, as certification is for life, but I will informally take e-course with her to get refreshed there too.

Excellent! Good for you. Well done.
Enjoy!

 

[Marie13]

I disagree totally with these two posts, especially if one lives in a cold climate. Doing OW cert dives in a nasty, cold quarry is NOT conducive to enjoying scuba!

Doesn’t bother a lot of my fellow local divers, including me. But we’re crazy like that

 

[mac66]

I recently completed my OW cert by doing the bookwork/confined water dives at home in Michigan and my OW (referral) dives while on a cruise. The first set of OW dives were off the beach in Curacao, the second two dives were off a boat in Aruba where we dove on the Antilla wreck for one of them. I was pretty nervous in having two different instructors on two different islands in two days but it worked out fine. For me, it was a good way to do it.

In regard to the OPs original question about small boats and DMs in the water. I go on cruises 2, sometimes 3 times a year where I intend to do all of my diving. I've talked extensively to guys who dive on cruises in the Caribbean and nearly all of them indicate that when you book a dive, the shop will ask you your experience and then match you up with others of your skill level. They generally provide a guide/DM in the water with you as that's the kind of diver they tend to cater too when they know you are off a cruise ship. You kind of expect to be guided in their waters.

The other type of dive is where you simply book a boat or rent/use equipment and are on your own. There are cruise ship divers who do this, since they've already been to most of the ports and are experienced. The majority however are booking a guided excursion since they are just learning the different ports.

I've been to most of and snorkeled the Caribbean ports several times, I finally got my OW cert so I can see them under water.

 

[TMHeimer]

tursiops, I don't agree OR disagree with you about doing it locally vs. a referral or on vacation. I guess I'm speaking personally, as I don't feel I have the money to spend $5-10K going to the tropics then take 2 days doing scuba skills on the checkout dives. I also figure it is in my interest to take the OW checkout dives in the Atlantic in Nova Scotia in November (2005) diving wet since I'll be doing a lot of that. Just my take on it. The Dr. who clears $400K a year in the US may not have a problem with a tropical referral taking vacation time. Our family took a Carib. cruise the week before year 2000 to the tune of almost $20K... whew...I saw DSD taking place on board in the pool. Not for me at that price. I did the snorkel tour. Every second counts.....
As far as it not being enjoyable in November in Canada, well--the objective is to get certified. You HAVE to figure it won't be a walk in the park with cold water and cold air. If that's enough to sour you on diving forever, so be it. The great tropical locales will be less crowded without you.

 

[seeker242]

so I'm relying websites, most of which promise "valet" service; so I got on this forum to find out what that "valet" service might look like, since I've never been treated to anything close to "valet" service.

Generally, it means they do pretty much everything for you other than dive. They lug the gear around, they set it up, they break it down, rinse it, dry it, etc. You just sit back and relax and they do everything else.

 

[caydiver]

Not necessarily set up on your first dive. Some ops want to see if how comfortable and knowledgeable you are with handling your gear so they can gauge who they need to look after in the water. After the first round full valet should include as much or little as you want. If you are diving multiple days your gear should be cleaned and set up waiting for you on the boat unless you like me prefer to do your own set up. The cleaning and storing is great if you are staying in a hotel.

 

[AdivingBel]

Not necessarily set up on your first dive. Some ops want to see if how comfortable and knowledgeable you are with handling your gear so they can gauge who they need to look after in the water.

True...they also want to see how you like your gear setup...how you like your rig positioned on the tank; what you like clipped off; how you stow your 2nds; etc. IMHO, the really good valet ops will try to have the same crew dive with you all week (if you're there that long) so you can build a rapport. When done well, I find it a very enjoyable, relaxing way to vacation dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

Doesn’t bother a lot of my fellow local divers, including me. But we’re crazy like that

Same, even though on all of our OW courses students dive wet. No fun in April or Nov., but in between that (particularly July through Oct.), it's not cold and nasty at all here.