Never dived before.. Advice needed (Red Sea)

[jonnybigfoot]

I did my OW in Key Largo. It was three days and I was the only student. I felt the time was ample and was confident in what I had learnt. Just come back from 3 days diving in Portugal (Atlantic) and although I needed some help with the different connector on the air cylinder it all pretty much came back and I was fine (although diving in a full suit in 13 degrees was not as much fun as in a short wetsuit in the Keys.

I may be missing something here, and I note that most of the posters here have a vast amount of experience and I totally respect that, but five full days is such a long time. Maybe if you have big classes it takes that long but I was on my own and three days was groovy. Off out there again in 6 weeks to do my advanced..........

 

[String]

Maybe if you have big classes it takes that long but I was on my own and three days was groovy.

Some people take to everything instantly in which case 3 days is fine, others dont in which case it isn't enough time. The problems is 3 day courses turn out people that can do the skills but have no experience to base decisions on and no real muscle memory in the even of things going wrong. It works in clear warm conditions like florida, portugal and so on but can come back to bite you elsewhere.

Off out there again in 6 weeks to do my advanced..........

Why not just do it in the UK as the water is the warmest it gets all year now (16c)

 

[phrixus]

Open water courses in Sharm are generally done over 4-5 days although if you do the theory at home you can take a day off the length (eg e-learning or fast track courses). Personally I would recommend getting the manual before you come out, that way you'll have more time to read through & understand it. Another option is the open water referal - you do the theory & pool work before you come out, then when you go on holiday you only have the 4 open water dives to do - therefore only spending 2 days of your holiday on the course. This also means that you can spread the the theory out over a period of time that suits you.
When choosing the dive centre, go for a PADI 5* centre. All the bigger centres in Sharm have a very good reputation (Emperor, Ocean College, Red Sea College, Aquarius, Camel)
If you're planning on diving in the cooler waters of the world then it might be worth either doing your course in these conditions or getting some experience in these conditions under the supervision of a DM or instructor as soon as possible. I learnt over in the Red Sea & consequently as happiest in these conditions. I have dived in the UK in the past (only about 20 dives there tho'), getting more experience in these conditions is something I admit I need to improve.
Happy diving, let us know how you get on.

 

[Tigerman]

Im not going to provide any name of any dive op, but it was one of the "big reputable" ones my previously mentioned friend went with...

 

[maged_mmh]

i think better not to drift away from what the OP meant to get info about:
this is not a question about whether UK instructors any better than Egyptian ones; AFAIK, a lot of dive OP in Egypt has European instructors in their crew or even as business owners/partners.
so just not to mix things up for the question raised, OW certification is "basic training"; it is not by any means prepare someone to dive anywhere & everywhere - we all know that; even PADI, BSAC, SSI acknowledge that. that's why you have added specialty classes and AOW targeted for those seeking more tailored needs like dry suit, ice, altitude ...etc.
bottom line, SiHH, go ahead with your endeavor, be sure though to get the material beforehand to go through it & spare your time to have fun in your trip. when you come back home be sure not to stop there, seek new experience by signing up for some specialities applicable to your local environment, or even AOW.
all my 3 certifications so far, OW,AOW, & RD were done in 3 different countries not to mention 3 inst. of course, one thing i can assure you, it does add to your experience & knowledge far more than sticking to a single instructor.
good luck with your trip & let us hear about it when you come back.

 

[Tigerman]

If he takes OW in the UK he might not even need to bother taking the drysuit class as it might well be part of OW.
Also as others has mentioned, North Atlantic diving is going to make you quite prepared for "resort dives" but it doesnt work the other way around..

 

[maged_mmh]

but then, what this suggests, he shouldn't go on that trip??
besides it'll be still much cheaper to have OW in Egypt+drysuit in uk than to have OW in UK

 

[String]

If he takes OW in the UK he might not even need to bother taking the drysuit class as it might well be part of OW.

Highly unlikely. I can't think of a single commercial school in the UK that ive come across that teaches OW in drysuits. They all try to cut costs and use often battered wetsuits. The number of people ive seen shivering, and utterly miserably in March in quarries is amazing.
That's why i suggested doing it now - its 16-18c in the fresh water and is just about tolerable wet.

 

[String]

but then, what this suggests, he shouldn't go on that trip??
besides it'll be still much cheaper to have OW in Egypt+drysuit in uk than to have OW in UK

Not really, add flights to egypt, food, drink, airport transfers and so on its no cheaper than doing it here. And he'll get FAR better training in the UK for UK conditions.
The transition from cold,low vis,bulky kit, strong currents, rough seas > swimming pool like red sea is simple. The reverse is a hell of a learning curve and would involve more money hiring instructors,guides or more courses.

Best option to get diving in UK and get drysuit etc thrown in for free is join a BSAC club on return.

 

[scubadiver888]

Hi,

Am new to the board.

Have never dived before, only snorkelled in Mexico some years ago. I am really keen to start with the PADI Open Water course and currently looking into European destinations to do this.

I have found a good deal here:
Explorers Diving Holidays - Egypt, Red Sea and worldwide with the Scuba diving specialists

Can anyone give me there thoughts on this location / dive school ?

Also am not sure whether to go by myself or find a friend to go with !

If you required open heart surgery and someone was advertising discount surgery in Egypt, would you go? If you don't get good training, if the equipment is in poor condition, if they prepare you JUST enough for the dive you go on while there, there is a chance you could hurt yourself (or die).

Additionally, half the stuff they are advertising sounds like a Discovery dive. This is also called a resort course. They give you the bare minimum of training (usually not enough if anything goes wrong but enough if everything goes as planned). They do some pool exercises then they take you out for an open water dive. After that you are certified to go for open water dives with a dive instructor present. This is not real certification. If you go to a new resort, I believe, you have to take the training over again.