I have dived on an introductory hand holding session at the GBR last year and would like to get a PADI open water. Just wondering if anyone out there holds one and if its possible to complete the theory (I guess?) in a week before I go on holiday and complete the practical whilst out there?
PADI
- Thread starter holymonk
- Start date
Yes it is possible to do a referral.
How long do you have before you go on holiday?
Also do you intend to dive just on holiday in lovely warm blue water or do you intend to dive in the UK when you return.
Info:
I am a BSAC open water instructor.
How long do you have before you go on holiday?
Also do you intend to dive just on holiday in lovely warm blue water or do you intend to dive in the UK when you return.
Info:
I am a BSAC open water instructor.
The reason I am asking about your plans for diving in UK is if you are thinking of diving in UK waters when you get back then I would seriously recommend contacting either your local BSAC Branch if you have enough time or if you don't then contact your local BSAC Centre.
PADI training is absolutely fine, my wife and I both learnt with PADI before crossing over to BSAC and becoming instructors, but BSAC training is more orientated to UK diving.
PADI training is absolutely fine, my wife and I both learnt with PADI before crossing over to BSAC and becoming instructors, but BSAC training is more orientated to UK diving.
You may be a bit short on time to get the theory done before you go but your best bet is to find your nearest PADI Centre and ask them. You can search here for the nearest to you https://www.padi.com/scuba-vacations/united-kingdom-and-ireland
With the referral system you will do all the classroom and pool lesson's before you depart and they will then provide you with all the paperwork to hand in to the centre that will be doing the Open Water dives.
Depending on the time frame between the pool sessions and the Open Water Dives they may get you to do a short skills review in the pool first just to make sure you remember everything.
Depending on where you are going on holiday you may find it easier to do the complete course at your destination but obviously this means you are loosing 4-5 days of your holiday sat in a classroom/pool.
With the referral system you will do all the classroom and pool lesson's before you depart and they will then provide you with all the paperwork to hand in to the centre that will be doing the Open Water dives.
Depending on the time frame between the pool sessions and the Open Water Dives they may get you to do a short skills review in the pool first just to make sure you remember everything.
Depending on where you are going on holiday you may find it easier to do the complete course at your destination but obviously this means you are loosing 4-5 days of your holiday sat in a classroom/pool.
Associate
- Joined
- 22 Mar 2004
- Posts
- 710
If you are short on time, get the theory stuff done now, and do the practical done somewhere nice.
Doing it here in a cold dark quarry pit is no fun, whatever the time of year.
That being said, 90% of my diving has been done in UK waters and it is really enjoyable and interesting.
Doing it here in a cold dark quarry pit is no fun, whatever the time of year.
That being said, 90% of my diving has been done in UK waters and it is really enjoyable and interesting.
Doing it here in a cold dark quarry pit is no fun, whatever the time of year.
That being said, 90% of my diving has been done in UK waters and it is really enjoyable and interesting.
Never dived in a quarry yet and well over 95% of my diving is UK the joys of living in Cornwall and always being able to get in somewhere
Every time I go abroad to dive by the end of the week I am looking forward to getting back and diving here preferably a wreck of some sort.
Although I have been out of the water for a while due to surgery I now have a new drysuit ready to be used and after we conducted over 90 try dives at the Scubafest this year I am anxious to get back in and start building up towards the trimix season next year probably/hopefully.
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Hey folks. I'm a PADI open water diver but only been diving 2 years with 10 dives under my belt. I'm in the Maldives at the moment and planning on doing some diving, in fact hoping to do my advanced open water. The dive centre here on the island seems good and professional, they offer both PADI and SSI training. I've never heard of SSI, but there seem to be some benefits to switching. For the advanced I won't have to waste a diving doing navigation, it's cheaper and for the lower price get a 6th dive to do nitrox plus there doesn't seem to be as much theory.
Anyone ever heard of SSI? Advice on whether to stick with PADI or change would be great!
Anyone ever heard of SSI? Advice on whether to stick with PADI or change would be great!
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Totally agree with this.
Just had a quick scan on the SSI Website does the SSI Advanced Adventurer give you any extra depth qualification like the PADI Advanced Diver one does as that will increase your diving to 30m until you do the Deep Dive Speciality that then increase to 40m.
If not the stick with PADI that way you will actually gain something for the money.
Also the 6th Nitrox dive will not then qualify you to dive with Nitrox it will just be an experience dive to try it out, the reality is though follow the MoD of the gas, breath in breath out thats it its not rocket science
In all fairness though this can happen anywhere not just abroad........
Its also the reason my wife and I carry Epirb's, As do a few other members in the club I belong to.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that comment.
Totally agree with this.
Just had a quick scan on the SSI Website does the SSI Advanced Adventurer give you any extra depth qualification like the PADI Advanced Diver one does as that will increase your diving to 30m until you do the Deep Dive Speciality that then increase to 40m.
If not the stick with PADI that way you will actually gain something for the money.
Also the 6th Nitrox dive will not then qualify you to dive with Nitrox it will just be an experience dive to try it out, the reality is though follow the MoD of the gas, breath in breath out thats it its not rocket science
In all fairness though this can happen anywhere not just abroad........
Its also the reason my wife and I carry Epirb's, As do a few other members in the club I belong to.
As far as I've been told, SSI advanced adventurer is the same as PADI AOW, including being rated for 30M. They said that the SSI theory is simpler and there isn't a compulsory nav dive. It is also quite a bit cheaper. I was also told that the 6th dive would give us nitrox qualification and we'd be using it for all the dives not just a single one.
I do see that it's not ideal missing the nav dive, however my only experience is a quick compass exercise as part of my original OW course. I found it very dull and didn't seem very practical since we usually don't even carry compasses.
It's just tough to make a proper informed decision when you don't have the experience or knowledge to make it.
It wasn't a general comment to my opinion of navigaion, it's more trying to make best use of my time in the Maldives.
To be honest with your lack of knowledge/experience of other training agency's if I was you I would stick with the system you already know i.e. PADI
As for the Navigation dive what happens if you dive off a boat that requires you to return to the shot line how can you do that if you don't know how to navigate properly underwater........getting lost leads to divers getting stressed so using more gas therefore running out = death have a read up on the "incident pit"
Although if you are looking to dive when you are back in the UK then can readily recommend crossing over to BSAC.
As a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver you would enter BSAC system as a trainee Sports Diver upon completion of which you can dive to 35m, and carry out planned decompression dives. It also gives you a full Nitrox qualification. Plus BSAC include full rescue training which PADI doesn't include until/if you decide to do the Rescue Diver Course.
As for the Navigation dive what happens if you dive off a boat that requires you to return to the shot line how can you do that if you don't know how to navigate properly underwater........getting lost leads to divers getting stressed so using more gas therefore running out = death have a read up on the "incident pit"
Although if you are looking to dive when you are back in the UK then can readily recommend crossing over to BSAC.
As a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver you would enter BSAC system as a trainee Sports Diver upon completion of which you can dive to 35m, and carry out planned decompression dives. It also gives you a full Nitrox qualification. Plus BSAC include full rescue training which PADI doesn't include until/if you decide to do the Rescue Diver Course.
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I did SSI.
My wife did it with me.
We were given a book and a DVD and told to come back the next day to do an exam.
Once we got 85% on the exam we were taken to do the 4 dives required.
Very cool and better than PADI imo.
Mattcrane just said about advanced open water. The only thing SSI open water is missing is the Nitrox.
I did a dive on holiday last month, we did a 29.5m section to see some sea horses. They advise <--- ADVISE you not to go below 18M as an open water. But that's only Advice and you can dive deeper if the guide and equipment is sufficient.
My wife did it with me.
We were given a book and a DVD and told to come back the next day to do an exam.
Once we got 85% on the exam we were taken to do the 4 dives required.
Very cool and better than PADI imo.
Mattcrane just said about advanced open water. The only thing SSI open water is missing is the Nitrox.
I did a dive on holiday last month, we did a 29.5m section to see some sea horses. They advise <--- ADVISE you not to go below 18M as an open water. But that's only Advice and you can dive deeper if the guide and equipment is sufficient.
Good luck claiming on an insurance policy to pay for overseas chamber treatments if you dive deeper than your qualification and it all goes wrong.
Egypt 2005, a Brit on holiday dived deeper than his qualification and suffered a massive case of DCS, he spent the next few months in Egypt as they wouldn't let him leave until the bill was payed which his insurance refused to cover, so he had to wait until friends and family could raise the money.
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Actually I was talking about the BSAC Sports Diver Qualification including Nitrox training not the PADI Advanced Open Water.