Night Diver Specality - Sandals - Certification cards????

[wolflegresley]

Hey All!

My Fiance and I are getting married in 2-3 weeks and then we are off to Whitehouse Jamaica (Sandals) for 2 weeks to get our honeymoon on. One thing we are looking at doing while we are there (other than tons of diving) is to take on the night diver specialty course (PADI).

How much "academic" work is there with this course?

The one thing we want to ensure is that our honeymoon remains our honeymoon and that we don't spend hours and hours studying to do the course. We predominately dive in Canada in 5-10 foot vis, so if we are ever going to do the night diver course it makes sense to us to do it in clearer waters...

and Finally....Do all PADI courses result in a new cert card to show you've completed that level of training or is it only some? (One of our concerns of course is completing the course at sandals and something going wrong with the paperwork and not receiving credit for the course from PADI.

Many thanks!

 

[ColoDale]

Did Sandals tell you you needed a night diving specialty course to do night dives (assuming with them)? I have done plenty of night dives in general and have not taken a specialty course. Taking a night diving course is not a bad thing though. I have stayed at Sandals properties but anymore we dive with an outside dive op. I also cannot remember any of the Sandals organizing a night dive and would depend on quite a few interested divers. So while I am not asnwering your question about course time or new cards it may not even be a Sandals requirement or with liimited night dive offerings (or at all) but overall it is "free".

 

[tursiops]

There is a manual and a video, which you can get in advance and read/watch at home. There are two Knowledge Reviews, both of them are non-threatening and straightforward, that can be filled out in advance as well. There are three dives, usually one each night, with complete briefings before and debriefings after. There is a cert card required.

You might spend 2-3h in advance work. You might spend an hour at the resort going over stuff.
You'll need two lights each, plus a tank-marker light. You'll need a compass. HINT: when you do your compass run out-and-back at night, don't hold your light right on the compass.....the batteries in the light can easily screw the compass up! All directions become north....

Just make sure you get the instructor's name and PADI number....and let PADI sort it out for you if any issues arise.

It can be a very good course; I hope yours is.

 

[DavidRDiver]

Sandals Whitehouse is a nice resort, but you will pay extra for more than two dives a day. Also they never even asked to see anything other than my OW card. They did have me do a pool session to demonstrate some skills. The dive guides, and boat captains are some really nice guys. The reef in front of the resort has been beat to hell by less experienced divers, that's the second dive every day.

 

[radtype]

If you don't have it already, try and get an advanced open water with a night dive instead.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

If they don't require the card, I would save my money and just do the dives. Coming from a low-vis environment, you'll probably have no issues with the great vis there day or night. Just take a backup light, stay together, follow your compass, and watch your depth--all things you should be doing anyway. I'd dive somewhere you've dived before (maybe earlier that day) so it's familiar.

 

[tr3a]

Save your money and just dive. I have never taken a night dive class and have never been asked for a night cert. Probably 40%of time we never show any C card at all (travel all over world).

 

[DivemasterDennis]

While it is true that you do not need a night diver specialty to do night dives, the class can be very useful in expanding your knowledge, skill and comfort level. Either way, night dives are fantastic experiences, if you are properly prepared, properly equipped, and mentally ready. For some people, no course is needed, if they have good mentor or divemaster. For others a class leads to more enjoyable diving. Have a great trip.
DivemasterDennis

 

[drbill]

Sandals Whitehouse is a nice resort, but you will pay extra for more than two dives a day.

So much for the "unlimited diving" they advertise

 

[Doc]

The best night diving at a similar "resort that offers some diving" was at Hedonism II.

Night diving:grouphug:,anyway.