Learn to scuba dive holidays

[condor]

Hi - I'm wanting to become a certified scuba diver this year mainly because I'm going to the Galapagos and would need to be certified beforehand to enable me to use the scuba gear available out there.
Locations near to me do the training/certification testing in a swimming pool and the cost still comes to around £300.

I'd far prefer to learn somewhere warm and in the sea (appreciate that 1st lesson has to be in swimming pool for safety reasons). Anyone know of a good, reasonably priced, place where I could learn how to scuba dive and get the required certificate? Duration a week to 2 weeks.
Thanks

[Mattt]

So you want to learn to dive before you go on holiday, and to do so you want to go on holiday to learn to dive?

[Du1point8]

Red sea.

Dahab is good location, got my padi there and want to get the advanced too.

I stay at dahab paradise and use posidean dive school which are very good.

Can't post links as I'm on the phone.

Really cheap for what it is.

[condor]

Mattt said:

So you want to learn to dive before you go on holiday, and to do so you want to go on holiday to learn to dive?

That's about it except learning to dive in the UK is cold and seems to be in swimming pools...and isn't that appealing. Learning to dive somewhere warm and in the sea, for a bit more money certainly is

[condor]

Du1point8 said:

Red sea.

Dahab is good location, got my padi there and want to get the advanced too.

I stay at dahab paradise and use posidean dive school which are very good.

Can't post links as I'm on the phone.

Really cheap for what it is.

Sounds great - can you post links later ( when you're at home PC ) please

[UnderTheRadar]

condor said:

Du1point8 said:

Red sea.

Dahab is good location, got my padi there and want to get the advanced too.

I stay at dahab paradise and use posidean dive school which are very good.

Can't post links as I'm on the phone.

Really cheap for what it is.

Sounds great - can you post links later ( when you're at home PC ) please

Are you bothered whether BSAC or PADI? Camel Dive (BSAC) at Sharm-el-Sheik have a good reputation and were excellent when we were there and qualified within a week. Admitted we had both done some diving before. We've used a number of PADI places and they have varied a lot down to the outright negligent. (leaving inexperienced buddy behind who then experienced a uncontrolled ascent, dragging the spare regulator across coral, getting a novice to enter the water without checking their air was on, which it wasn't, resulting in panic etc)

[CaptainSlow]

UnderTheRadar said:

Are you bothered whether BSAC or PADI? Camel Dive (BSAC) at Sharm-el-Sheik have a good reputation and were excellent when we were there and qualified within a week. Admitted we had both done some diving before. We've used a number of PADI places and they have varied a lot down to the outright negligent. (leaving inexperienced buddy behind who then experienced a uncontrolled ascent, dragging the spare regulator across coral, getting a novice to enter the water without checking their air was on, which it wasn't, resulting in panic etc)

Were these certified divers or students? When certified people do have to take some responsibility for themselves.

Learn in the UK OP, it may be cold but you'll be a better diver.*

eta

• This is purely my opinion based on a lengthly diving history diving and training in both the UK and abroad. This is for guidance only and you must conduct your own research on this matter. Please note divers can go down as well as up.

Edited by CaptainSlow on Thursday 26th January 14:21

[indi pearl]

Get started as soon as possible, take a look at this site.

http://www.regal-diving.co.uk/home/?m=page&id=...

The Galapogos is not a place for very new divers, especially if you are thinking about diving Wolf or Darwin islands. Heavy surge, powerfull currents and variable visibility often coupled to low (for wet suits) water temperature make for challenging sites. Most operators insist on divers showing they have completed at least 50 dives prior to coming. This said it ranks as probably the best destination I have dived to date (better than Palau, Sipadan, Komodo, and many Maldive trips!).

[UnderTheRadar]

CaptainSlow said:

Were these certified divers or students? When certified people do have to take some responsibility for themselves.

Learn in the UK OP, it may be cold but you'll be a better diver.

These were tourist places and almost all the divers were complete novices. In the worst case there was one instructor to eight completely inexperienced divers, plus ourselves. In hindsight maybe wy wife and I should have taken some responsibily and not stayed buddied together but have each taken on one of the novices. Although we have only basic qualifications and are not instructors, my wife would have been better with the 14 yo German girl who had been buddied with a panicy 50 yo German lady who would have been better with me. Having said that, when the girl's buddy went upwards fast, she completely held her nerve and stayed cool. My wife then buddied the girl whilst I chased down the "instructor" about 30m away.

Edited by UnderTheRadar on Sunday 1st January 16:23

[condor]

Thanks for the info guys Hadn't realised I'd have to do x number of dives - just thought I needed the certification. Will check with the tour operators exactly what competence level is needed.

[UnderTheRadar]

I think it's wise advice to check with the tour operator because it does vary. In Thailand there were no checks at all, you were free to pay up and do a 20m dive straight off, which some with zero experience did.

[Silver993tt]

Malta is fantastic for diving and easy within eassy reach. Also loads to do apart from diving

You don't need to take the first dive in a swimming pool. This can also be done in the sea (I've done this).

[Jimbo NW]

how about doing open water referral? Basically you do all the class room and pool dives in the UK then do your open water dives abroad meaning your not taking your whole holiday?

[condor]

That sounds interesting - I'm self employed so am able to have as much holiday as I like. I thought it would be convenient to do it as an all in one type holiday. Certainly, plenty of things to do further research on.
Thanks for your help

[audidoody]

I did my Advanced Padi at Red Sea Sport in Eilat. The same very high standards as in Sharm and Dahab but you can eat the food in Israel without fear of spending most of your time sat in one place!

[Jimbo NW]

i didn't do a course but met people that were, i stayed with emperor divers in marsa alam at a dive themed hotel, massive and had the looks of a hotel soon to be touristy but had all there own boats, dive pools and staff on site.

[Silver993tt]

Did my open water in 3 days in Malta and did advanced ow over another 3 days. Did further spacialities over the summer - all in Malta, it was great.

[Rotten Egg]

Just to throw another place into the mix - Lanzarote.

I did a couple of dives there and it convinced me to do my OW - early Xmas pressie to myself as I qualified 18 Dec !

I went with these guys - www.manta-diving-lanzarote.com

Simon

[CaptainSlow]

OW in Malaysia
AOW in Egypt
RD in Guildy lake
DM in Plymouth

[fadeaway]

condor said:

Thanks for the info guys Hadn't realised I'd have to do x number of dives - just thought I needed the certification. Will check with the tour operators exactly what competence level is needed.

Just to stress what indi pearl said - for Galapagos you need to have done 50 dives.

If you're just going to be staying on Santa Cruz and doing day diving from there then you might not need this. But you'd be really limited in what dives you could do, and would be missing out on the best Galapagos diving. Highly recommend getting 50 dives under your belt and doing a liveaboard if poss to get the most out of your trip. And what a trip! No one's mentioned this, but it's simply stunning!