Better to Get Certified at Home or in Cayman?

Newbie Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

JOE,

I am going to the Caymans in October for my honeymoon. One, how's the weather that time of year? Two, would you recommend trying to get certified here in the States and THEN going to GC, or getting the cert there?

Native Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 2033 Location: Illinois

Well I'm not Joe, but I can tell you what my son did. He did all the class work at home and then did the open water dives in Cayman--much nicer to dive there than in the Chicago area. Then you don't have to waste your time in Cayman doing the class stuff. Just my opinion. He did do his Nitrox certification in GC and had to go to the classes. He did his advanced at home and had to dive in a yucky quarry.

Shelly :-)

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:27 pm Post subject:

Hello kmbunderwood - And welcome.

Shelly is 100% correct. You don't want to waste valuable vacation time cramming for tests and performing confined water dives. The best of both worlds option is called a referral course, which enables you to perform the perfunctory tasks at home while enjoying your open water dives in the warm clear waters of the Cayman Islands. All of our recommended dive operators offer referral courses, many with discounts for Activity Guide members.

October nears the end of our rainy season but failing any significant tropical developments, any rainfall is usually brief and isolated. Air temperatures will typically be in the high 80s to low 90s with 80-90% relative humidity; water temperatures will average 90° at the surface and only a few degrees cooler at depth.

Prepare yourself for one of the most exciting and rewarding vacations you have ever taken. Diving in the Cayman Islands is unsurpassed with visibility averaging 100 feet or more. With clear warm water and thousands of species of fish and coral, you could not find a more suitable destination for your completion dives anywhere on the planet.

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:42 pm Post subject:

Definitely get at least the class and confined work done at home.

We (Mrs DS, Brother DS, Brother DS' now ex and me) got it all done here in Michigan first. We get our cert in the spring and logged about ten or twelve dives in Traverse Bay and the Ohio quarries. This built our comfort and confidence so when we got to GC we were all set to jump right into regular diving.

Another of our group did the referral course and loved it.

Either way, as long as you don't have to waste vacation time in the class it'll be great.

DS

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

I can vouch for doing your open water dives at home. I'm glad we did.

One of the great things about Cayman is the gin-clear water. One of the bad things about Cayman is the gin-clear water. That is to say, if you plan to dive anywhere else besides Cayman, you will not be adequately prepared for crummy visibility or that pesky thermocline. Having certified in 18" visibility (yep, not 18 FEET...18 INCHES), I can dive just about anywhere but a mud puddle. I know what the worst is, so I can plan for it.

Think about that when planning your certification.

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:53 pm Post subject:

SalannB wrote:

I can vouch for doing your open water dives at home. I'm glad we did.

One of the great things about Cayman is the gin-clear water. One of the bad things about Cayman is the gin-clear water. That is to say, if you plan to dive anywhere else besides Cayman, you will not be adequately prepared for crummy visibility or that pesky thermocline. Having certified in 18" visibility (yep, not 18 FEET...18 INCHES), I can dive just about anywhere but a mud puddle. I know what the worst is, so I can plan for it.

Think about that when planning your certification.

Absolutely!! I am a Great Lakes/Quarry diver- if you can learn to dive in lkow vis/cold water, you can dive anywhere! It will make you a better diver. After that- Cayman is a breeze-

good luck!

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject:

Heck Sal, I don't know which end of Clark Lake you were in, but it was more like 6 inches where Mrs DS and I were! It was kind of like diving in chocolate milk, just not as yummy.

DS

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:35 am Post subject:

divesergeant wrote:

Heck Sal, I don't know which end of Clark Lake you were in, but it was more like 6 inches where Mrs DS and I were! It was kind of like diving in chocolate milk, just not as yummy.

DS

Okay, so time softens one's memory. Could have been 6 inches...could have been 18"... BouncingLaugh

It was still pretty crummy! Chocolate milk is just about right!

You know, our Dive Master, Jim, keeps telling us that Clark Lake is a great place to dive. I've been diving in there what? Four, five times? It's NEVER been good visibility. Me thinks he doth protest too much.

I still proudly wear my "I survived Clark Lake" t-shirt.

Sal

Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I'm considering getting my open water certification while I'm in GCM. I'll be there for 6 nights in mid-August. Any recommendations for a dive operator who has a good AWC course?

Also, do you think I'm trying to pack too much into my vacation? I'm told the certification course will take 3 (or possibly 2) days. This is my first time on GCM, so we would like to see the other major attractions.

Thanks for your help.

Native Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 2033 Location: Illinois

Hi GCMbound

You might want to think about doing the class work at home--getting a referral and then doing your open water dives in Grand Cayman. That way you won't have to spend your time in a class and studying for the test.

Just an idea. I'm sure others will tell you about who to dive with. I don't dive, but our son got his open water this way. He also did rescue certification in Cayman--including class work. I guess it depends on how you want to spend your time in Cayman

Shelly :-)

Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Thanks. I am considering the referral option.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:43 am Post subject:

Welcome to the forum GCMbound Smile

,

Congratulations on making the decision to get your diving certification! It will be a sport you can enjoy for many years, and I'm sure you won't be sorry!

I would have to agree with Shelly, in discouraging you from waiting until your Cayman vacation to start the certification process......I think that could take even more than three days.....most people do their coursework through a dive shop at home and then bring a referral letter with them and finish up with their Open Water dives in Cayman.

You're not the first person to ask this question, so I'm merging this thread in with a similar one in our Diving forum.

Have fun planning your vacation, and let us know if we can answer any more questions.

Char