Key Largo "resort dives" for non-diver ??

[Upwelling]

hello all,

I'm going to Key Largo in Nov and may be joined by a non-diving friend. He would like to do a "resort dive" crash course if he goes and do some simple dives with an instructor. Having gone through the PADI cert myself I know nothing about resort dives. Is this something most dive operators will set up, and what are the average costs? thanks in advance

 

[KLS]

Junko,

Go to http://www.upperkeysdiving.com/ you will find most dive ops. in the Keys listed here. It seems a bit dated but you can link to each op. web page for updated info.

I am also going with non diving friends who may opt for the resort course. Will let you know if they do try it.

Good luck.

 

[HarleyDiver]

My wife did a "Discover Scuba" (aka Resort Course) with BlueWaterDiving in Key Largo in May, and then we went back in July & she took the complete OW course.

The course consist of a half day of class & pool work, and two open water dives with the instructor at your side. You can also dive with them the rest of the week as long as the instructor or divemaster is with you. You are NOT certified. Cost is $150.

IMHO the instructor is the important issue here. A good instructor insures the student learns enough not to kill themselves, but also makes sure they enjoy the process.

I can strongly recommend Brent at BlueWaterDiving as a first rate instructor. You can PM him on this board (KeyLargoBrent) or check out their website at http://www.bluewaterdiver.net/

Good Luck,

 

[g8trdiver]

I'm not sure what the resort courses include. However, advice based on the experience of some friends.... A couple we know did a resort dive (not in Key Largo - in fact, not in the States) in the ocean, and at about 10 feet, her mask flooded, and she panicked. According to her description of the "course", they hadn't taken them to a pool to learn such basic skills as mask-clearing. Now, she is completely turned off from diving at all.

That is such a shame because knowing her, if she could get past this experience, I think she would enjoy it. But now she'll probably never do it again.

Whatever kind of course your friends do, hopefully it will include some time to practice basic skills so that they will not have a bad experience they don't know how to handle, and be turned off from diving forever.

 

[ScubaRon]

I am not a big fan of resort courses. IMHO it is unsafe for an untrained diver to be diving without a dedicated instructor or divemaster. I have seen instructors take as many as 3 novices on a "cruise" and if one of them has an issue (e.g. with buoyancy) the others are basically alone.

What I would recommend instead is that your friends take an OW referral course and do the classroom and pool instruction in their hometown (takes 2 days). They can then do their actual OW dives in Key Largo and will be OW certified after 2 days there. It takes a little more time and is probably slightly more expensive than doing a few resort dives, but your buddy will be OW certified and can now dive anywhere with you. And it is IMHO much safer.
ScubaRon
PADI DiveMaster

 

[Upwelling]

My friend ended up getting OW certified after all....I got back a few days ago, had a fantastic time.