@Jim Lapenta is an instructor who has posted extensively about DSDs and the issues with non-pool ones. He started the group on FB I mentioned.
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Woodbridge is do-able for me.
I'll have to keep an eye out for that. I haven't seen that mentioned yet.
@Jim Lapenta is an instructor who has posted extensively about DSDs and the issues with non-pool ones. He started the group on FB I mentioned.
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?
Woodbrdge(sic) SCUBA will assist you with this by deducting the Try SCUBA cost from the Open Water Class price. (their web page) Not sure if the agency matters to you; Woodbridge seems to be SSI.
Barnaby's Dad: Were your prices for the PADI O/W Cert and basic gear reversed? A O/W program in my area is around $250 Canadian (nowhere near $700!), plus mask, fins, snorkel and weight belt (if needed). That $250 includes rental of BCD, wetsuit, regs, tanks, etc for the checkout dives. Once certified, gear rental would be the way to go for an infrequent diver or until you get a feel for what kinds of diving that you are interested in.
I thought that was high, too. Then looked at the prices on a local PADI dive shop's website - $400US for the elearning, pool sessions, and gear and $375 for the OW dives (which includes gear and entrance to the park). You need to buy mask/snorkel/fins extra which starts at $170.
The first three dive shops I googled in Ontario were in the $500CAD range, including one in Windsor (who listed $200 on their page but if you click through that's the deposit)
The "where to do it" is less important than the "when". I highly doubt that you will have any issue handling the gear.(very few people do)
Sooner is better than later.
If you end up being like a lot of the rest of us the only question you will have is "why did I wait so long to do this?"