Discover Scuba safe?

[driftwood]

Trust me, it cannot be any worse than what we saw in Mexico. Within PADI guidelines but well outside of what my wife and I consider to be safe diving (run of the mill OW dive with ten divers, one DM and two DSD divers along for the ride). Lot of task loading for one DM to cope with.

 

[k_im]

I did a DS with my whole family in Kauii. The dive shop put 2 instructors with our 5 person group. There was no pool time, a short course on safety etc. on shore and three basic tasks to perform on the surface before they took us down. The instructors told us that they would keep tabs on everyones air suppy (they did) so no worries. It was one of the best vacation experiences we have every had as a family. It marked only the second time in two decades that we were thanked by our kids. I can't say enough good things about the way we were treated.

 

[knowone]

For those that have lighter skin from too much computing and not enough sunshine


Novice diver drowns in Broadwater Local Gold Coast News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia


Hey, but if you want to do it, and can make your mark on the paperwork


Perhaps to make it more convenient, a one minute, bathing suit tied to a
stick whilst walking alongside the pool christening, chanting OM chakras
specialty




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Scuba teacher in court over tourist death Crime and Court News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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So if it's a passing whim, and you need a gallon of factor 600 in order to venture outside
don't

 

[Sinbad Scuba]

As an instructor, doing DSD is fun and safe. You dont need a lot of theory. All you need to be able to do is equalize and recover your reg and clear your mask. It can be taught almost anywhere. DSD classes are taught in the safest most benign environment possible. Not every dive operation does a good job, but then not every restaurant does either. Talk to your instructor and explain your concerns to him/her. I did the DSD 12 yrs ago and have not stopped learning more about diving since! Good luck.

 

[herman]

If you have the time and are thinking of learning scuba anyway, why not do a DSD at home to see if you like scuba and if you do go, on with the OW class. I teach these from time to time in the pool and usually the students know right away if they want to continue or not. No a lot to see in the pool but I try to add some fun things to liven up the experience. Our shop credits the cost of the DSD to your OW training if you continue on. If you decide you like scuba, you then have the oppertunity to see the underwater world as a diver rather than being lead by the hand by a DM or instructor. I personally would not be comfortable with 4 or more DSD students in 40ft of ow, too much to go wrong and not enough staff to handle it.

 

[Walter]

The "class" you've described does not sound at all safe to me.

While it's true most Discover SCUBA experiences are held in extremely easy conditions, you do need time to get familiar with lots of things you've probably never done before. You aren't getting that needed time. While sone may say all you need to be able to do is equalize, recover your reg, and clear your mask; there's a bit more to it than that. Unless you're going to sit on the bottom the entire time you need to be able to move around. Most folks need to work on their kick before they're ready to venture out in open water. Then there's the issue of buoyancy control. You need to be able to control your depth without sinking to the bottom or having an uncontrolled ascent to the surface.

Another issue is the 6:1 student/instructor ratio. I never take that many students into open water. No one can watch that many students at once and do an adequate job with all of them. This is especially true if the instructor is planning to control your buoyancy for you. Instructor controlled buoyancy is a horriblely unsafe practice in my opinion.

In general, I'm not a fan of Discover SCUBA. While some water people have a great time and get inspired to become certified and actively dive the rest of their lives, many other have bad experiences and are turned away from diving. I would suggest looking for the best entry level class you can find near your home and getting certified before your vacation. If your vacation is coming up too soon, snorkel on vacation and take the class when you get home. To help you find a better class, read this thread.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have never done a discover in open water. Will not do one. Too many variables. In the pool I will take no more than 4 and that is if everyone is comfortable in the water. Those who appear more nervous than usual or with Jr divers my limit is two at a time. And there is a min of 1 hour of explanation and we start out with mask and snorkel work, and some basic free diving before I will put a BC and reg on them.

 

[currier]

Do you want to dive? The cost of OW is nothing compared to what you are going to spend on equipment and further training.

I would say 20 mins of class time is enough for what you need to know, but 6 untrained divers in the water at the same time ?!? This is an accident waiting to happen ...

I've only seen one DSD performed, and this was my own instructor 1:1 with a fellow diver's wife while we were all on a weekend trip together. I doubt they went much deeper than 8m - 9m, I don't know because they entered the water alone after all the divers surfaced and boarded the boat.

Buoyancy, breath holding, rapid ascents ... one instructor would have their work cut out for them when catering to 6 others.

 

[Tortuga68]

There was NOTHING worth seeing in the 8-10ft deep indoor pool

No kidding

I started with a DSD, good option if you want to find out if you like scuba or not

 

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide,I have lost count of how many DSD's I have been 'involved' in with only one minor problem. This person was afraid of EVERYTHING including water. If done correctly,I believe the DSD is the best 'hook' in the dive industry. Watch the video,understand equalization,demo the equipment,ask questions,stay above 30' for 30 minutes, AND have the experience of your life!

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT