Beginner Diving Site Courses

Grinderman

Hi All
I am interested in learning diving this year and have some questions.
Is there a more respected certification than PADI, i know PADI can be used almost anywhere, but it also appears that everyone who has donned a diving suit has one of these, No offence to PADI's :-).

Where would people recommend i try, i am thinking somewhere like Egypt or Florida at the end of the year.
But i would like to get a cert this summer, somewhere close to home such as Sicily or Malta.
I am not into Wreck diving, i would prefer to swim with the fishies.
I dont want to dive in ireland, as i don't want to freeze in the water and i want a warm holiday with my course.
I don't want a course organized by an irish company, as the prices tend to be Irish also.
Also is there anywhere in Ireland i can try diving for a few hours, sounds hyprotical i know.
Garry

Scuba.ie

Hi Gary,
Globally no, there isn't a diving agency as respected as PADI (IMO). Theie course and course materials are excellent, but of course its up to the Instructor to make/break the course. There are good and bad Instructors in every agency, and likewise in every sport.
You can do a try-a-dive in a swimming pool with most dive centres, try contacting one near you.

eastcoastscuba

For Malta, try Maltaqua, they are very good and you'll get transfers from the airport to your accomidation and dive sites too. If you dont fancy doing the classroom stuff there, you can do a referral which is were the dive centre here, puts you through the theory and pool sessions and gives you a copy of your trainig which you give to the dive centre abroad, apart from one possible review with an instructor (to just see if your skills are ok) you then can move on to the open water dives, this is going to cost you but is a handy option.

bigross

eastcoastscuba wrote: »

For Malta, try Maltaqua, they are very good and you'll get transfers from the airport to your accomidation and dive sites too. If you dont fancy doing the classroom stuff there, you can do a referral which is were the dive centre here, puts you through the theory and pool sessions and gives you a copy of your trainig which you give to the dive centre abroad, apart from one possible review with an instructor (to just see if your skills are ok) you then can move on to the open water dives, this is going to cost you but is a handy option.

Good advice, both on Maltaqua and on referral.

corklady

Hi,
I had my first experience of diving last October in Borneo. If you'd be willing to travel that far it's well worth it. We did a 3-day open water course in Kota Kinabalu which was fantastic. There's 1 day spent in the classroom and the rest of the course is spent diving in the marine park off the coast so while you're learning the basics on the beach you've the chance to see fish swimming past you and whatnot. So the lessons are really enjoyable, not like learning in a pool I'd imagine!
Then we went to dive Sipadan, one of the top dive sites in the world. We stayed on a nearby "paradise island" and went diving at Sipadan twice a day, with one dive a day at Mabul (which is in itself a great site). Sipadan was absolutely spectacular, I realise I've nothing to compare it to, but seeing dozens of turtles on each dive, as well as barracuda, jacks, reef sharks, (..... i could go on for a while here!) ... was just amazing. At one point 10m from the beach there's a 600m drop-off into the deep!!!
And it was all quite cheap really, especially compared with the kind of prices i'd imagine you'd get from irish travel agents. The flights were about EUR1000 from Cork, 5nights in a 4star hotel in Kota Kinabalu were EUR200 per person, the open water course was EUR114, and then 5nights full board at the Borneo Divers resort on Mabul (with pool!) with 4 days diving (12 dives) was EUR500. Internal flights from Kota kinabalu down to Tawau for going to Sipadan were EUR50 return. So in all that's only EUR1864. As well as that we got the chance to see some orang-utans and did white-water rafting. We were there 10 days in total.
A 1 week holiday in Fuerteventura with an open water course and 12 dives will cost EUR1250.
For me there's no comparison, although I think I may be spoiled diving-wise now. I can't see how anywhere else will live up to sipidan!
Any I 'd DEFINITELY reccommend Borneo! ... can't wait to go back myself

eastcoastscuba

corklady wrote: »

Hi,
I had my first experience of diving last October in Borneo. If you'd be willing to travel that far it's well worth it. We did a 3-day open water course in Kota Kinabalu which was fantastic. There's 1 day spent in the classroom and the rest of the course is spent diving in the marine park off the coast so while you're learning the basics on the beach you've the chance to see fish swimming past you and whatnot. So the lessons are really enjoyable, not like learning in a pool I'd imagine!
Then we went to dive Sipadan, one of the top dive sites in the world. We stayed on a nearby "paradise island" and went diving at Sipadan twice a day, with one dive a day at Mabul (which is in itself a great site). Sipadan was absolutely spectacular, I realise I've nothing to compare it to, but seeing dozens of turtles on each dive, as well as barracuda, jacks, reef sharks, (..... i could go on for a while here!) ... was just amazing. At one point 10m from the beach there's a 600m drop-off into the deep!!!
And it was all quite cheap really, especially compared with the kind of prices i'd imagine you'd get from irish travel agents. The flights were about EUR1000 from Cork, 5nights in a 4star hotel in Kota Kinabalu were EUR200 per person, the open water course was EUR114, and then 5nights full board at the Borneo Divers resort on Mabul (with pool!) with 4 days diving (12 dives) was EUR500. Internal flights from Kota kinabalu down to Tawau for going to Sipadan were EUR50 return. So in all that's only EUR1864. As well as that we got the chance to see some orang-utans and did white-water rafting. We were there 10 days in total.
A 1 week holiday in Fuerteventura with an open water course and 12 dives will cost EUR1250.
For me there's no comparison, although I think I may be spoiled diving-wise now. I can't see how anywhere else will live up to sipidan!
Any I 'd DEFINITELY reccommend Borneo! ... can't wait to go back myself

Sounds like a great trip, but for the majority of people who take up diving, they will try and dive once a week or so, so training here in Ireland is a more realistic option as you will go from diving in a fish tank to diving in a cooler environment, personally Ive dived as far as Thailand and I still prefer Irish waters, west coast like Cork, Mayo, Galway can be just as beautiful but you need to wear different wetsuits or drysuits to allow stop getting cold. The cost in Ireland for diving is down to pools being very expensive, some start at €100 upwards and if you do 5 to 6 sessions thats a big chunk of cost already, where abroad the sea can be used, once its "pool like" conditions you are fine. You should try an orientation somewhere like Scubadive West in Renvyle Galway, some great diving there.

corklady

eastcoastscuba wrote: »

Sounds like a great trip, but for the majority of people who take up diving, they will try and dive once a week or so, so training here in Ireland is a more realistic option as you will go from diving in a fish tank to diving in a cooler environment, personally Ive dived as far as Thailand and I still prefer Irish waters, west coast like Cork, Mayo, Galway can be just as beautiful but you need to wear different wetsuits or drysuits to allow stop getting cold. The cost in Ireland for diving is down to pools being very expensive, some start at €100 upwards and if you do 5 to 6 sessions thats a big chunk of cost already, where abroad the sea can be used, once its "pool like" conditions you are fine. You should try an orientation somewhere like Scubadive West in Renvyle Galway, some great diving there.

But didn't Garry say he doesn't want to dive in Ireland? I suppose it depends on whether you're into diving for diving's sake (and thus willing to suffer the cold both under and over the water) or into it as part of a holiday (being more willing to overcome the fear of overheating on the boat! ... which is the category I unashamedly fall into! ).

eastcoastscuba

corklady wrote: »

But didn't Garry say he doesn't want to dive in Ireland? I suppose it depends on whether you're into diving for diving's sake (and thus willing to suffer the cold both under and over the water) or into it as part of a holiday (being more willing to overcome the fear of overheating on the boat! ... which is the category I unashamedly fall into! ).

Your right, he doesnt, but just regarding your experience, its nice to have the warm water, but like going skiing, if you didnt wear the right clothing you wouldnt enjoy it, Irish diving isnt such a hardship as made out to be,:D, once you have a good insulation your sorted, Ive seen some amazing things in the waters around the coast, juring the summer the waters can be quite nice, 18 degrees and even sometimes warmer.

Fratton Fred

Grinderman wrote: »

Hi All
I am interested in learning diving this year and have some questions.
Is there a more respected certification than PADI, i know PADI can be used almost anywhere, but it also appears that everyone who has donned a diving suit has one of these, No offence to PADI's :-).

Where would people recommend i try, i am thinking somewhere like Egypt or Florida at the end of the year.
But i would like to get a cert this summer, somewhere close to home such as Sicily or Malta.
I am not into Wreck diving, i would prefer to swim with the fishies.
I dont want to dive in ireland, as i don't want to freeze in the water and i want a warm holiday with my course.
I don't want a course organized by an irish company, as the prices tend to be Irish also.
Also is there anywhere in Ireland i can try diving for a few hours, sounds hyprotical i know.
Garry

there are other bodies, but apart form the serious stuff like BSAC, they are all much of a muchness from what I gather. from the sounds of it, the diving you are after is pretty much what padi is designed for. Nice easy resort diving with optional extras for people who are more adventurous.

I learnt in the UK, doing my open water in a lake near Heathrow. It was very cold but it did make everything else seem easier. The first serious diving I did was with Atlantic Diving in Gozo, which is a great place to dive.

eastcoastscuba

Fratton Fred wrote: »

there are other bodies, but apart form the serious stuff like BSAC, they are all much of a muchness from what I gather. from the sounds of it, the diving you are after is pretty much what padi is designed for. Nice easy resort diving with optional extras for people who are more adventurous.
quote]

Coming from an experienced diver, who is cave,wreck and rebreather trained, I started with PADI and teach PADI, and would disagree with BSAC being serious stuff in comparison, I have dived with alot of agencies and its down to the instructor,the system is modular and is very adaptable to being used alot for holiday training, but you also can go into tec diving through DSAT who have an excellent system, which is also PADI. Club training from BSAC, CMAS etc is just as good but I have seen some who wouldnt be half as good in the water as others trained by other agencies, training in warm water gets you ready for that environment, my students who have certified as Open Waters and continued have shown excellent skills in some tough conditions at times, all skills needed for survival underwater are nearly the same, PADIs continuing development of their training materials and skills are alot more than the clubs can boast, and if you check with BSAC and CMAS, they have adapted some of the techniques that PADI implemented a few years ago. Just my tupence worth:D

Fratton Fred

eastcoastscuba wrote: »

Coming from an experienced diver, who is cave,wreck and rebreather trained, I started with PADI and teach PADI, and would disagree with BSAC being serious stuff in comparison, I have dived with alot of agencies and its down to the instructor,the system is modular and is very adaptable to being used alot for holiday training, but you also can go into tec diving through DSAT who have an excellent system, which is also PADI. Club training from BSAC, CMAS etc is just as good but I have seen some who wouldnt be half as good in the water as others trained by other agencies, training in warm water gets you ready for that environment, my students who have certified as Open Waters and continued have shown excellent skills in some tough conditions at times, all skills needed for survival underwater are nearly the same, PADIs continuing development of their training materials and skills are alot more than the clubs can boast, and if you check with BSAC and CMAS, they have adapted some of the techniques that PADI implemented a few years ago. Just my tupence worth:D

I didn't mean the standard of training or the level of skills involved, just that BSAC being more serious in that it is club membership and more regular diving. PADI is recognised the world over so in terms of ease of use, for a fair weather diver (which I would class myself) PADI is the easiest way forward.

One thing I would add though, is that getting trained at home can mean you get to check out the instructor first and get references etc. Plus, it gives you more time in the water when you are abroad rather than in a classroom or pool.