Discover Diving class? (Virginia)

[Barnaby'sDad]

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 that I wouldn't be as hesitant about spending the money to get the certification and get buying the gear if I at least got to test drive the concept and see if I have interest in exploring it further. I think that I would enjoy it and my Dad thinks that I'd enjoy it (he took me snorkeling often when I was a kid), but "I think I'll enjoy it" doesn't make it easier for me to run out and spend the money.

The way I look at it...if I attend this course and I come away with with a take that "this is really cool"...I don't think I'd be hesitant to take the splurge on equipment and scheduling the OW class/cert. That and there are a LOT of dive shops in my area, so I'll have to settle on one. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Marie13]

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like diving enough to want to do the OW course. So I did a DSD in a pool (how they are done in the Midwest). $80. I liked it well enough that I signed up for OW a few days later.

I highly recommend folks doing a pool DSD if they are unsure about scuba. Especially if there may be some sort of fears to get past (I had some myself). Better to pay for the DSD and not like it, than to pay for the OW course and the bit of gear you need to purchase.

EDIT: I don’t recommend DSD in tropical vacation spots at all. I’ve heard too many horror stories. Pool is it.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Cool. Thanks for your feedback. All of the local DSD courses that I've seen online are completed in a pool.

I've had to use oxygen masks and tanks before (work related), but never underwater...so that end of it would be completely new to me.

 

[Marie13]

@Barnaby'sDad

A note on scuba terminology:

Mask, not goggles

Fins, not flippers

Air, not oxygen (unless you are referring to 100% O2 used in much more advanced diving)

The media often refers to “oyxgen” in error rather than “air.” The basic air divers breathe is plain old compressed air.

 

[Sean Walberg]

My son and a friend took it with Woodbridge Scuba last year to see if they liked it enough to sign up for a summer camp where they'd do the full OW. My son liked it, the other boy not so much, so it was helpful. He said he had fun even with it being in a pool because they played around a lot.

I don't know how one DSD differs from another, or where in VA you are, so can't recommend a particular shop other than to say we were happy with Woodbridge. Some (many?) shops will credit the cost of the DSD towards your OW, so maybe be on the lookout for that.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

@Barnaby'sDad

A note on scuba terminology:

Mask, not goggles

Fins, not flippers

Air, not oxygen (unless you are referring to 100% O2 used in much more advanced diving)

The media often refers to “oyxgen” in error rather than “air.” The basic air divers breathe is plain old compressed air.

That's why I'm here....thank you. That and there's a fair amount of terminology crossing over from other areas of my background. ex. The tanks I used were filled from a LOX bottle (access to 100% oxygen setting).

My son and a friend took it with Woodbridge Scuba last year to see if they liked it enough to sign up for a summer camp where they'd do the full OW. My son liked it, the other boy not so much, so it was helpful. He said he had fun even with it being in a pool because they played around a lot.

I don't know how one DSD differs from another, or where in VA you are, so can't recommend a particular shop other than to say we were happy with Woodbridge. Some (many?) shops will credit the cost of the DSD towards your OW, so maybe be on the lookout for that.

Woodbridge is do-able for me.

I'll have to keep an eye out for that. I haven't seen that mentioned yet.

 

[arew+4]

I'll have to disagree with Marie on tropical Vaca point. If you can swing it, I would suggest you do a DSD in Florida, or the Caribbean. With a few caveats, do some research on diving (seems like you already are) and the dive operator prior to signing up. And the teacher student ratio should be really high ideally 1:1, I don't know what the agency limits are but I don't think I would go if it was any lower than 1:3. My wife and I did it in St Thomas, and enrolled as soon as we got home.

 

[Marie13]

I'll have to disagree with Marie on tropical Vaca point. If you can swing it, I would suggest you do a DSD in Florida, or the Caribbean. With a few caveats, do some research on diving (seems like you already are) and the dive operator prior to signing up. And the teacher student ratio should be really high ideally 1:1, I don't know what the agency limits are but I don't think I would go if it was any lower than 1:3. My wife and I did it in St Thomas, and enrolled as soon as we got home.

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.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I'll have to disagree with Marie on tropical Vaca point. If you can swing it, I would suggest you do a DSD in Florida, or the Caribbean. With a few caveats, do some research on diving (seems like you already are) and the dive operator prior to signing up. And the teacher student ratio should be really high ideally 1:1, I don't know what the agency limits are but I don't think I would go if it was any lower than 1:3. My wife and I did it in St Thomas, and enrolled as soon as we got home.

I'm not opposed to doing the DSD or OW while on a vacation. However, I would rather knock that out now, rather than wait till I'm in a position to go on vacation. ex. Next spring...I'll have the option for a free roof over my head in Florida for a week. It would be nice to be able to show up certified and just go hit the water.

 

[Dogbowl]

I HIGHLY recommend doing DSD. Heck, I did it 3 times before taking the plunge to do my Open Water certification.

I think @Marie13 and @arew+4 both have valid points about where/how to do DSD.

My opinion is to choose a shop/instructor in a warm water/vacation destination that limits their DSDs to few students. I'm not certain but I think there already is a limit to 4 students per instructor. You might ask for an even smaller class, maybe 2 students per instructor. That's how I did my DSDs in Cozumel. It was only the instructor, myself and my husband. Obviously, I enjoyed myself enough that I'm now AOW and looking into more advanced certifications (e.g., GUE).

If you do DSD in a pool only, you will not be able to experience the true wonders of diving as you will not be able to see any fish or coral. You'll only be able to see a pool. That might not cut it for some people, but maybe it's enough for you.

This is not a knock on @Marie13 (as everyone's preferences are different), but please note that she is a Great Lakes cold water diver ONLY, and she is pretty adamant that she will NEVER want to dive warm waters.

@Barnaby'sDad , are you looking more for fish and corals or cold water wreck diving or maybe a mixture of both?