Discover Diving class? (Virginia)

[tursiops]

Assuming I do the smart thing and try on and buy boots from the dive shop it's $50 instead of $20. It's probably the same story if I go with a mask in store vs. online.

You will be uncomfortable if teh booties don't fit. Hint: get a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers, you can even get them with neoprene tops, stainless grommets, and drain holes. and put in cool, bright laces.
But the mask MUST fit or you will hate scuba. It does not have to be expensive, but it must fit, and you won't really know until you use it with a regulator in your mouth, at depth. Mke sure whoever you buy from will let you exchange it if it leaks on yoru face, no questions asked. Don't accept any BS about you'll get used to it.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I'm no stranger to expensive hobbies (ex. Golf), but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the entry cost (~$700 for the basic OW PADI cert and $250+ for basic gear) for a hobby that I'm not 100% sure that I'll enjoy. That and I know before I even get going that I won't get to do very often (not a lot of time off work).

That brings me to the option of a "Discover Diving" class. For ~$100...you get 30-60 minutes of instruction, 30-60 minutes instruction in the pool, and then 60 minutes of use with the scuba equipment. You just provide a bathing suit and towel...no other supplies or equipment.

I think you've got your head on straight and gotten some good advice in this thread. I know you've checked into it, but I'm shocked at the prices you've been quoted. My LDS in Seattle does PADI Discover Scuba in a pool for $50 regularly, and free around their two big sales every year. I don't know the details well enough, but I'm pretty sure openwater certification is substantially cheaper as well. Got any need to travel to Seattle?

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

You will be uncomfortable if teh booties don't fit. Hint: get a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers, you can even get them with neoprene tops, stainless grommets, and drain holes. and put in cool, bright laces.
But the mask MUST fit or you will hate scuba. It does not have to be expensive, but it must fit, and you won't really know until you use it with a regulator in your mouth, at depth. Mke sure whoever you buy from will let you exchange it if it leaks on yoru face, no questions asked. Don't accept any BS about you'll get used to it.

I agree completely. Mask fit/leak issues are one thing I remember from way back in my childhood snorkeling days. I will splurge (if necessary) to get a mask that fits right the first time.

I think you've got your head on straight and gotten some good advice in this thread. I know you've checked into it, but I'm shocked at the prices you've been quoted. My LDS in Seattle does PADI Discover Scuba in a pool for $50 regularly, and free around their two big sales every year. I don't know the details well enough, but I'm pretty sure openwater certification is substantially cheaper as well. Got any need to travel to Seattle?

Unfortunately, travel costs more than make up the difference for going somewhere that has a cheaper course offered. The PADI Discover course that I'll be attending is just over $50, so that's not bad. That and if I like it...they'll apply that course fee towards my balance for the open water certification.

If I decide that it's something that I want to do...I'll just have to "pay to play," as they say.

 

[BalekFekete]

Above and beyond the great advice already offered, I can only say two things from my personal and immediate familial experience.

First the latter - try and get some feedback from actual students of the shop you're looking to use, even and ideally down to the instructors. The 'quality' of the instructors will vary and could have a dramatic impact on your experience. My wife and I were just certified, and due to some extenuating circumstances had to change classes/instructors midway through the experience. While the first instructor was certainly experienced and qualified, his manner of teaching did not gel well with my wife. As a result, it wasn't a pleasant experience and - quite frankly - almost turned her off to the whole idea of diving. However, after changing instructors to one with a different philosophy, demeanour, etc., she not only finished but was able to power through some personal challenges (full face-off mask clearances was her Achilles heel). Not something that's easy to predict, but student testimony can give you some insight.

The other similar experience I've had is through my sister and brother-in-law. They tried a Discover Scuba during their honeymoon many years ago at a resort. Unfortunately for both of them, the training was not nearly sufficient - my sister wasn't properly fitted to her BCD, leading her to one that was too small and a sensation of being crushed for most of the dive. My BIL had a worse experience - he wasn't taught how to equalise well and (while fortunate that he didn't damage his ears) left him hating it and swearing it off.

Then, and probably the more important feedback for you. Be prepared to get sucked in. It's simply amazing to take the first breath underwater, and then again to get down to some significant depth. It didn't take me long to start adding in wetsuits (even for the pool dives - you get surprisingly cold quickly even in a pool after 2+ hours...) and personal computers. It's a very expensive hobby, no question about it, but one that I've also found easy to start to quickly obsess over.

Either way - good luck and have fun!

 

[Neilwood]

I would agree with a lot of what has been said above.

I did a DSD before I did my OW - it just made me keener on getting certified. I wouldn't have thought about doing the course if I hadn't done it. I did get bored of swimming round and round in the pool during the DSD though so ended up spending a few minutes at the bottom of the pool just watching everyone else - amazing feeling!

Given that a lot of the DSD is basic safety and getting used to gear that you have never seen before I would wonder how much you might actually see doing it in open water. Pool gives far more controlled conditions for an instructor. Do your homework on the shop/instructors that you will DSD/OW with as they can make a huge difference to your enjoyment.

With regards to equipment, buy the mask that fits best no matter what it costs. Mask fit is FAR more important than features as there is little that will spoil your diving more than a mask that continually floods. You may find that the cheapest mask in the shop does the job- if so buy it. Try it with at least a snorkel as this will alter the shape of your mouth and may affect the fit - shops should be understanding with it.

With regards to boots/booties, I find that a pair of socks works wonders even if the boot fit isn't perfect (just a decently thick pair of normal socks). I found that after doing a days diving I was getting abrasion issues around my achilles heel - the socks take up the slack perfectly and I have no issues since.

Good luck with the DSD - I got addicted to this hobby that way.

 

[Marie13]

Yes, mask fit is very important. I hit the jackpot on mask number 17. I’m not kidding. I have very deep smile lines and many masks today have very short skirts under the nose. I needed a longer one. I was actually loaned a mask and then told to keep it. That was the winner.

 

[yle]

You obviously have not read the horror stories online, especially in the scuba accidents group on FB. Too many students to an instructor are a main issue with people being put off diving. The stories people posted of their own experiences are hair raising.

Marie, I've watched every available episode of "Air Crash Investigation" and similar shows. But I still fly, because I realize the coverage is heavily biased: they don't do shows about the thousands of planes that land safely every day.

DSDs in Florida and the Caribbean, and the terrible stories on the internet, work the same way. I've personally witnessed many open water DSDs that resulted in very happy customers. I've never personally seen one that would qualify for an internet story.

 

[Snoweman]

First, the $700 for the OW class is absurd. Go to FL and get it done on a weekend. I can't imagine the whole trip, with the cost of the class, being over $700. Plus, you will do it in much warmer waters.

Second, my dive buddy rents every bit of his gear on every dive trip. He does't even own a mask. Me? I take everything but tanks and weights. I prefer to know my gear, and I don't like the idea of sucking on a second stage that someone else might have puked through. He feels that it would take fifty plus dive trips of rentals to pay for the gear. He's right, but I like my reasoning better.

There are real horror stories of bad dive ops that are more concerned about money than safety. The location I did my latest training had a death due to a dive op taking a family of five out with only one instructor. The dad did not make it back alive. If there's more than two you per instructor in a discovery class, I would bail and look for another one.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

First, the $700 for the OW class is absurd. Go to FL and get it done on a weekend. I can't imagine the whole trip, with the cost of the class, being over $700. Plus, you will do it in much warmer waters.

Second, my dive buddy rents every bit of his gear on every dive trip. He does't even own a mask. Me? I take everything but tanks and weights. I prefer to know my gear, and I don't like the idea of sucking on a second stage that someone else might have puked through. He feels that it would take fifty plus dive trips of rentals to pay for the gear. He's right, but I like my reasoning better.

There are real horror stories of bad dive ops that are more concerned about money than safety. The location I did my latest training had a death due to a dive op taking a family of five out with only one instructor. The dad did not make it back alive. If there's more than two you per instructor in a discovery class, I would bail and look for another one.

$700 is the total cost to get the OW cert. ~$400 for the class and ~$300 for the dives + cert. I just looked at some places in FL and it's roughly the same price. I live in Virginia...there's no way that I'm getting to FL (airfare or driving), paying ~$400 for the class, hotel room, and cert dives and getting it done inside of $700. Don't get me wrong...if I thought that I could do it anywhere near that amount, I would consider flying down just to get out of town for a couple days.

I'm of the same mindset. Assuming I get into it...I'll buy my own equipment.

 

[Snoweman]

It didn't cost $700 for me to take the class and the dives. But, I didn't do it online. I did my entire OW class at the dive shop. I think the whole thing was $350. That's what they are still advertising. Class Pricing - Divers Den