OW cert and boat diving?

[jsmharley]

Headed to Ft. Lauderdale at the end of the month, gonna do some shore diving and am interested i maybe some baot diving. My question is do you have to have a any special certs do dive off a boat? If not can anyone recommend a good boat to go out on. Just want to check out some coral reefs and such, nothing deep. G-friend and I would like to keep things simple as possible being new and all. We have sausages, lites, whistles, and other special gear we may want to consider? Thanks for all input, cant wait till the end of the month to get here now lol .... thanks again

 

[brihno]

nope no extra cert necessary. Just pay attention to the divemaster during all the briefs

 

[www.scubamazing.com]

yeah no extra certification is required. I actually think for the most part, boats are easier than shore dives.

 

[VBlueV]

yep, i don't think there'd be any $ dive-charter that'd turn you away even if there was a "required" cert. however, while your on the boat anyways, if there's an instructor, you can see if they'll sign you off for one of your Advance Open Water dives ("Boat Dive Cert"... just in case you do ever run into an outfit that asks for it =)

 

[meekal]

read up on DRIFT DIVING..... the area is famous/notorious for currents.... can be a bit intimidating if you're not expecting them.... but don't be.... just go with the flow.... they're a blast.... once you've done DRIFT DIVING everything else will seem like work!

 

[MoonWrasse]

Headed to Ft. Lauderdale at the end of the month, gonna do some shore diving and am interested i maybe some baot diving. My question is do you have to have a any special certs do dive off a boat? If not can anyone recommend a good boat to go out on. Just want to check out some coral reefs and such, nothing deep. G-friend and I would like to keep things simple as possible being new and all. We have sausages, lites, whistles, and other special gear we may want to consider? Thanks for all input, cant wait till the end of the month to get here now lol .... thanks again

Yes you'll need the PADI boat diving speciality C-card, along with the sausage usage specialty.

I'd also suggest taking the DAN seasickness course

 

[Dive-aholic]

Headed to Ft. Lauderdale at the end of the month, gonna do some shore diving and am interested i maybe some baot diving. My question is do you have to have a any special certs do dive off a boat? If not can anyone recommend a good boat to go out on. Just want to check out some coral reefs and such, nothing deep. G-friend and I would like to keep things simple as possible being new and all. We have sausages, lites, whistles, and other special gear we may want to consider? Thanks for all input, cant wait till the end of the month to get here now lol .... thanks again

Some boats will require certain certs, such as AOW, for certain dives. It's a liability thing. When you book the boat, ask them what the minimum cert requirement is. Also be sure to ask the minimum equipment requirements. I don't know what Ft. Lauderdale requires, but other areas of the country require SMBs, pony bottles, etc. Just ask them.

 

[ScubaMike14]

You need nothing more than an Open Water C-Card. The area has GREAT reefs and tons of shallow wrecks. Yes, there is some drift diving and it's nothing to be worried about at all. I have done many dives in this area and enjoyed all of them.

As for a dive boat...try Parrot Island Scuba. http://www.parrotislandscuba.com/

They are just North of Ft Lauderdale in Pompano Beach. Thier boat goes out of the Hillsboro Inlet and they can have you at the dive sites in 10 minutes. The owners name is Jerry, give him a call. Nice guy, good prices, great diving.

Mike Rushton
PADI DM 174448

 

[jpcpat]

You don't need a special boat cert. Boats are sometimes going to advanced locations (wrecks below 60 ft, etc) and require AOW for the dive. Some will require a dive computer for the deeper dives. Ask them, they'll be happy to tell you. Also, most boat dives include tanks and weights.

Don't know the Fort Lauderdale area, but less than 2 hours south is Key Largo. My boat down there http://www.scuba-do.com. The website shows typical requirements. Professional crew, uncrowded boat, great dive briefs. As a new diver I found it very comforting.

 

[Guba]

I don't have any special information about the area in which you're going to be diving. Some of the other divers here can do a far better job at describing that. In my opinion, perhaps some of the best 'advice' came with the statement "Listen to the DM during the briefing". Great advice. Perhaps the worst two mistakes people make (particularly early in their dive experiences) is not listening and trying to pull the ol' "macho attitude" routine. It's easy to fall into the trap of trying to look and act "expert" when one really needs to be listening and absorbing all they can from the folks around them. These might be "old salts" or just people who are very familiar with the site to be be explored. Just relax, listen, and above all...if you have a question, DON'T SIT ON IT. Ask. Get clarification. You won't be embarassing yourself. Instead, you'll be getting the info you need and impressing the DM that you're willing to go the extra step to be safe and a trusted part of the dive party.
So have a great time! Be sure to come back and give us a dive report about what yu saw and learned. Take care, and bless ya!