Where to get certified by August

[bubblesmd]

My family did all the book and pool work August of last year and were planning to do the open water component in June or July. They even took a refresher pool lesson in March. Then COVID hit.

Where in the world can we travel to and do our open water portions of our PADI dive certification before my year lapses? Looking for warm water destinations, preferably easy to access from California.

thanks!

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

The answer can change wildly depending on your budget, time and willingness to travel.

You also have to keep in mind that whilst maybe you wont have any travel restrictions back home but the destination you are planning on might have severe restrictions.

 

[bubblesmd]

I don’t think anyone really knows. I’m curious if there are any dive ops running right now in the world.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I cant speak for the rest of the world but dive ops in my area are starting to open up again

 

[-JD-]

Maybe consider something "localish" just to get the checkout done.
There is plenty of ocean/bay near you but is not known for warmth. You may need to just suck-it-up and put on a 7mm wetsuit. I help out somtime on certification weekends. By November, airtemps are often downright cold and water temps are falling into the lower 60s hereat the quarry.

Lake Mead may be an option. It is domestic and driveable, but I honestly don't know what the water temps might be by July. I imagine significantly warmer than Pacific or Tahoe temps, though. Between Covid and summer heat, they may pay you to stay in Vegas too.

 

[Scraps]

Yes, dive ops are running in some parts of the US.

I don't know what's happening in your home state, but I saw an article saying that your neighbor state to the north intends to start a slow and gradual re-opening next week and some "outdoor recreation" businesses may be included, depending on the county and some other factors.

If your e-learning is through PADI, you can use the dive shop locator to call around to shops any place you think you're willing to travel.

I would think somebody within reasonable travel distance will have access to a diveable body of water and will figure out COVID-appropriate ways of teaching before August. If not, we have bigger problems than that.

 

[runsongas]

once restrictions lift in california, an easy option is to do your checkouts locally in monterey. hawaii is warmer if you don't want to brave the cold water locally.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @bubblesmd

Not that it is close to you, but Florida would offer many options. Much of SE FL is open for diving now. I do not know when the Keys will reopen, some operators think June 1.

Best of luck to you and your family

 

[formernuke]

I don't think anyone can really say right now. The saying around here is things change daily, what is open/closed today might be the opposite tommorow.

 

[Joneill]

Maybe consider something "localish" just to get the checkout done.
There is plenty of ocean/bay near you but is not known for warmth. You may need to just suck-it-up and put on a 7mm wetsuit. I help out somtime on certification weekends. By November, airtemps are often downright cold and water temps are falling into the lower 60s hereat the quarry.

Lake Mead may be an option. It is domestic and driveable, but I honestly don't know what the water temps might be by July. I imagine significantly warmer than Pacific or Tahoe temps, though. Between Covid and summer heat, they may pay you to stay in Vegas too.

Agreed! I'm not a fan of cold water diving either - but also don't want to "waste" warm water dives for training. As a result I've sucked it up, rented a 7 mm wet suit, and done a few certs locally at Dutch Springs in PA - it can be quite cold and the viz can be absolute crap (last Rescue course was ~2 m viz @ depth), but it does give you a different perspective (and reinforces my strong prerference for warm water, high viz topical dive destinations ).