OW Certification Dives on Vacation - Why?

[diverdad]

OW certification dives while on vacation??? Because you can!!!

[jo8243]

I think doing check-out dives on vacation is fine, but doing a resort course where you have to do pool work is silly. Why waste your vacation time?

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Zenagirl

Personally, I think you should do your training in the environments you'll be diving in.

I agree. I'll take that one step further and propose that you should train in the worst conditions you're likely to dive in: If that means cold, low-viz quarries so be it. If that means cold low-viz ocean waters with surge and current, all the better. Once you have learned how to dive in the more challenging environments, you're set for life because it's all easy street from there: You're qualified to dive in cold, low viz waters in challenging conditions, and clear warm water in a calm Caribbean location will seem dreamily easy by comparison.

Turn that around, however, and if the only thing you have ever done is dive perfect conditions, not only will you never want to dive locally (and miss out on some potentially amazing fun times), frankly, your training will not have prepared you to do so.

It's a whole lot easier to move from cold waters to warm waters than the other way around.

OTOH, if you know for a fact you'll never dive cold waters or anything remotely challenging, I can see the attraction... but frankly, you're missing out on some amazing sights that the vast majority of the rest of the ocean (and other waterways) has to offer.

[Charlotte Smith]

I can see doing other classes after being certified because you can simply see more than in fresh water most of the time, except for those perfect days, and I for one would rather do a navigation class in blue clear water than in a lake...but thats just me....

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Charlotte Smith

I can see doing other classes after being certified because you can simply see more than in fresh water most of the time, except for those perfect days, and I for one would rather do a navigation class in blue clear water than in a lake...but thats just me....

You'll learn a lot more in that cruddy lake than in the clear ocean class.

A Fish ID class, on the other hand... that would be a good candidate for clear tropical waters!

[ertechsg]

Out side of body recovery why would you ever want to dive in 50 degree 0 vis I know were all my gear is and sure don't need to practice bouyancy in something I can't see in like DDG I did that 'SPECIAL' experience at Travis and have no interest in that type of diving.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by ertechsg

Out side of body recovery why would you ever want to dive in 50 degree 0 vis I know were all my gear is and sure don't need to practice bouyancy in something I can't see in like DDG I did that 'SPECIAL' experience at Travis and have no interest in that type of diving.

Low vis, not no viz. I've had some great dives in 3' vis. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have preferred 20' or better, of course.

And why? Because there's great stuff there, even if the viz isn't up to Cozumel standards!

Most of these shots were taken on dives with under 10' vis... most around 5-8':





I might feel otherwise if all I had access to was a dim, murky lake without much life... but I can assure you that low vis is not necessarily a reason to pass on a dive.

[CompuDude]

Darned limits. Here are a few more from low-vis dives:




Point made?

[CrzyJay456]

very nice pictures. i love them

[Charlotte Smith]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

You'll learn a lot more in that cruddy lake than in the clear ocean class.

A Fish ID class, on the other hand... that would be a good candidate for clear tropical waters!

You are soooo right cause its like being blind if other divers hit the bottom! I have yet to get a fish ID class done but I have only been looking for wall-eye and catfish lately (we have a contest at our lake)....If I got to go to the ocean ALOT...I am sure I will take the class.