PADI courses - how intensive?

[TheAardvark]

Hi as the title suggests, I'm contemplating doing one of the PADI courses and was just trying to ascertain how intensive typical week long courses are?

Do you actually get much dive time and would their still be some latitude for nightlife or is it usually fairly full on?

Also, any good destinations/companies worth checking out?

Cheers!

[Du1point8]

I did the whole open water in Dahab using Poseidon:

http://www.poseidondivers.com

very good reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g29...

pay for your flights rest is here under offers:

LEARN TO DIVE - includes Open Water course, equipment, airport transfers, 7 nights accom in 2* local hotel, a bag full of fun
€319
extras - certification and manual (if required) €30

Its 4 days and really is nice, easy and relaxed, the hardest bit is the underwater tests (remove mask, swim underwater 50m with no mask, etc)...

[Jamie VTS]

Mrs VTS here...

I used to manage a dive centre hopefully can offer fairly comprehensive advice!

You will be looking at completing the full open water course which can be completed intensively over 4 days or spread out a little more up to 12 months. If you struggle to commit large amounts of time then I would recommend spreading the course, however in my opinion, completing the course intensively is a much better option.

The course consists of theory, swimming pool (or confined water) sessions, and your open water dives. When signing up for your course you will receive a manual split into 5 chapters, each with a review at the end and corresponding with one of the swimming pool sessions. You will typically find you will review one or two of the chapters and then complete the pool sessions so that the information is fresh. You will also have a multiple choice exam, which shouldn't be too much stress, just watch out for the americanised wording! During the swimming pool sessions you will be slowly eased into being under the water and gradually build your skills and confidence. Skills you will learn will include clearing water from your mask, and what to do in an out of air situation. You will also have some watermanship skills to complete such as a tread/float and swims, but aren't anything too athletic just a demonstration of confidence in the water.

Once you complete these five sessions you will go on to do 4 dives in open water. During these dives you will not have to do any skills that you haven't already done in a swimming pool.

In total you will spend approx 7 hours in water and I really wouldn't recommend heavy night time activity the night before, 1 because you will be absolutely knackered, and breathing the compressed air can leave you very dehydrated, this mixed with alcohol and tiredness can potentially be a very dangerous mix, if not leading to very bad leg cramp.

A popular option is to complete the course whilst abroad, and I can highly recommend Red Sea Diving Safari in Marsa Alam Egypt - http://www.redsea-divingsafari.org you will be more than looked after here. However, I cannot stress how beneficial learning to dive in the UK is. A lot of people dismiss the idea as they think the water is cold, the weather in miserable and conditions not always enviable, despite this it is important to remember that once you have completed the course you will be qualified in and up to the conditions you learnt in, therefore learn in the UK where conditions aren't great, but you will be set in terms of training for most conditions. Not only this, but it then means you don't waste 4-5 days of your holiday in a classroom and completing training sessions, you get the whole time to dive and build up your time in water. If you are worried about the cold, a common option in the UK is to learn in a DrySuit, which some centres will offer without extra cost, or at a subsidised price if you want an extra qualification. Failing this go for a referral; you complete the theory and swimming pool sessions in the UK and your 4 open water dives over two days when you get abroad.

If you are looking for UK centres I highly recommend DiveStyle in Reading Berkshire - www.divestyle.co.uk although obviously not as good since I have left them! They offer exceptional training, competitive prices and massive flexibility to suit everyone.

If this isn't within location, my best tip is to make sure the centre you choose is PADI accredited, ideally 5 star.

I hope this helps, but if you have more questions, give your local dive centre a call, and they will be more than happy to answer your questions.

[Catz]

Du1point8 said:

I did the whole open water in Dahab using Poseidon:

I did mine in Dahab too but not with Poseidon. Can't remember who off-hand.

It was a 4 day course and quite intensive as we had a lot of reading to do at night for the theory sections plus early starts. Diving, heat and drinking the night before really doesn't mix. So I guess it depends where you choose to do it.

[Laplandboss]

Jamie VTS said:

A popular option is to complete the course whilst abroad, and I can highly recommend Red Sea Diving Safari in Marsa Alam Egypt - http://www.redsea-divingsafari.org you will be more than looked after here. However, I cannot stress how beneficial learning to dive in the UK is. A lot of people dismiss the idea as they think the water is cold, the weather in miserable and conditions not always enviable, despite this it is important to remember that once you have completed the course you will be qualified in and up to the conditions you learnt in, therefore learn in the UK where conditions aren't great, but you will be set in terms of training for most conditions. Not only this, but it then means you don't waste 4-5 days of your holiday in a classroom and completing training sessions, you get the whole time to dive and build up your time in water. If you are worried about the cold, a common option in the UK is to learn in a DrySuit, which some centres will offer without extra cost, or at a subsidised price if you want an extra qualification. Failing this go for a referral; you complete the theory and swimming pool sessions in the UK and your 4 open water dives over two days when you get abroad.

This.

There is some awesome diving opportunities in the UK but the conditions can be a bit more challenging. Learning in the UK will ensure you are properly prepared for them. Also as Mrs. VTS says, you don't waste precious holiday time.

Why do you want to do a PADI course? What do you want to get out of diving? PADI are not the only agency out there. Have a look at the British Sub-aqua Club (BSAC). BSAC are a club as the name suggests. You pay your membership and they train you for free. Membership fees for BSAC clubs are typically around £250 a year and your membership includes training and use of club facilities (many own a RIB or two). The only problems is the training sometimes takes a while as instructors are volunteers, and some can be a bit political. This depends on the club you choose though.

[rogerthefish]

Laplandboss said:

Why do you want to do a PADI course? What do you want to get out of diving? PADI are not the only agency out there. Have a look at the British Sub-aqua Club (BSAC). BSAC are a club as the name suggests. You pay your membership and they train you for free. Membership fees for BSAC clubs are typically around £250 a year and your membership includes training and use of club facilities (many own a RIB or two). The only problems is the training sometimes takes a while as instructors are volunteers, and some can be a bit political. This depends on the club you choose though.

Padi, Pay and Dive(or Die)Instantly is recognised worldwide, whereas Bsac is one of those outdated old British institutions where they swap tales of "do you know before wetsuits were invented we used to tie bits of rubber to our bodies with ropes"

If you want fun and dive in warm water do a Padi.

If you get your jollies by wreck diving in the scapa flow in ice cold water and enjoy using slide rules then BSAC.

[sjg]

Referral is a good route and either maximises your dive time or lets you have a mix of diving and relaxing out there. Or the Mrs and I both did ours in the UK - IME it's no different cost-wise. Overseas places will advertise low headline prices but charge through the nose for everything (manuals, equipment hire, fills, etc), UK is typically all included. It also gives plenty of time at home to read the manuals, get familiar with the tables, etc before starting.

As said, breathing dry air underwater, plus the higher temperatures, exertion carrying kit, etc means I'm usually not up for anything more than a quick beer or two, dinner then bed on holiday. You don't want to be getting in steaming drunk at 4am then be bobbing around on a boat at 9.

[Vytalis]

sjg said:

You don't want to be getting in steaming drunk at 4am then be bobbing around on a boat at 9.

No, but find someone to dive with that does do this - you'll see loads of fish when they vomit last night's excess back up...

(Suggest you don't take them as a buddy though)

[Du1point8]

Catz said:

Du1point8 said:

I did the whole open water in Dahab using Poseidon:

I did mine in Dahab too but not with Poseidon. Can't remember who off-hand.

It was a 4 day course and quite intensive as we had a lot of reading to do at night for the theory sections plus early starts. Diving, heat and drinking the night before really doesn't mix. So I guess it depends where you choose to do it.

I was there for the Padi, as OH was living in Egypt at the time so it was pass the PADI, then move on to somewhere for more fun, so no drinking in the heat and to be honest the theory was more common sense, the only thing that took any working out was working out the multiple dives and how long the person could dive.

Im not the got the greatest memory, but can do maths, I scored high 90s out of 100 on the course.

Once done there later on in the year we went to http://www.redsea-divingsafari.org and Marsa Shagra Village. Excellent place with my only regret was there was a sand storm on the 2nd day which messed up some of the diving.

[audidoody]

You really don't want to start a PADI classroom session after caning it the night before, let alone go in the water. You'll need all your mental faculties intact to comprehend the physics ,theory and calculations to pass the final exam. Plus, throwing up in your regulator at 10 meters will probably spoil your morning.


ETA: apologies for multiple posts - Safari bug rearing its head again!

Edited by audidoody on Thursday 3rd January 18:09

[Jamie VTS]

Du1point8 said:

Once done there later on in the year we went to http://www.redsea-divingsafari.org and Marsa Shagra Village. Excellent place with my only regret was there was a sand storm on the 2nd day which messed up some of the diving.

What time of year were you there? We went last July, although its not a big fancy 5* complex the food was great, and the staff brilliant! But most importantly the diving was second to none!

After doing 4 dives a day all we had the energy to do was have dinner, a cup of tea and a shisha before bed at about 9! Although the 5am trips to elphinstone were totally worth it

[Du1point8]

Jamie VTS said:

Du1point8 said:

Once done there later on in the year we went to http://www.redsea-divingsafari.org and Marsa Shagra Village. Excellent place with my only regret was there was a sand storm on the 2nd day which messed up some of the diving.

What time of year were you there? We went last July, although its not a big fancy 5* complex the food was great, and the staff brilliant! But most importantly the diving was second to none!

After doing 4 dives a day all we had the energy to do was have dinner, a cup of tea and a shisha before bed at about 9! Although the 5am trips to elphinstone were totally worth it

April/May time...

We hired a boat to cruise down the nile stopping at all the temples on the way before reaching Luxor, from Luxor we went to Marsa Shagra.

It was a chill out, so was not trying to do as many dives a day as possible, we usually ended up doing 3 a day on the 3 days we could dive... It was quite surreal at night to sit out having the meal watching the stars, whilst having 10-15 lights of the night divers just off the shore running round the reef searching for octopi.

[marcosgt]

audidoody said:

You really don't want to start a PADI classroom session after caning it the night before, let alone go in the water. You'll need all your mental faculties intact to comprehend the physics ,theory and calculations to pass the final exam. Plus, throwing up in your regulator at 10 meters will probably spoil your morning.

Probably best to avoid posting on a forum in that state too

I did my OW in Sharm a couple of years back and would recommend it to anyone.

You read a lot of "It's a waste of your holiday" replies, but I bet none of these people "wasted their holiday" doing it.

If you do a referral, it will cost you more, fact. You will spend a lot of time in a swimming pool doing exercises. Tedious stuff (I know, I see people doing it most weeks), so much more interesting to sit in the Red Sea surrounded by glorious sea life as the others take their turn to flood their masks or recover their second stage, imo. Unless you're really unlucky, you'll do all your exercises in the sea with fish, not in a swimming pool with the detritus of the day's swimming pool use (not a pleasant thing...).

I spent a week in Sharm. I did my OW over 3 days, had another day's boat diving at the end of the week and a day off midweek (primarily because my classmates went to Cairo on a day trip, but it was nice to look around and veg by the pool a bit).

I'd recommend it to anyone, personally. I think the whole thing, holiday and course cost me about £600.

People will repeatedly tell you how hard it is to dive in the UK and that if you learn in the Red Sea you'll be a danger to yourself and others, but that's nonsense. Certainly don't do a week's OW followed by 5 dives of AOW and then do a 30M wreck dive as your first UK sea, but what you learn in clear blue water will stand you in good stead in any conditions if you actually apply it.

Of course, for some people, it's more convenient to do a referral course, just doing an evening a week and then a couple of single days at a weekend and that's fine, but don't believe that you'll be a BETTER diver for doing it that way, because diving's like driving. Getting your OW (or Ocean Diver from BSAC, although it's a little more thorough in terms of training imo) will let you 'behind the wheel' - That's when you'll actually learn to d(r)ive!

RogertheFish - Have you any actual experience of BSAC or are you just trotting out tired cliches? If you've experience, I'd say you were unlucky. I tried my local PADI club and they were very cliquey and totally focussed on "how deep can I go with all my shiny techy gear" In contrast my BSAC club were friendly, totally welcoming of a PADI trained diver looking to improve and get more experience and despite some having decades of experience don't look down their noses at people who are interested in fairly gentle diving. The training, I would say, is more thorough than PADI's and is free (with your membership fees) up to Dive Leader (well above AOW in PADI terms).

Finally, if you've not dived in Scapa Flow, don't knock it and I can't believe you have if you are knocking it.

Best diving I've done, bar none, although I'm as partial to anyone to a bit of blue water, colourful fish diving too

M

Edited by marcosgt on Thursday 3rd January 10:51

[Laplandboss]

rogerthefish said:

Laplandboss said:

Why do you want to do a PADI course? What do you want to get out of diving? PADI are not the only agency out there. Have a look at the British Sub-aqua Club (BSAC). BSAC are a club as the name suggests. You pay your membership and they train you for free. Membership fees for BSAC clubs are typically around £250 a year and your membership includes training and use of club facilities (many own a RIB or two). The only problems is the training sometimes takes a while as instructors are volunteers, and some can be a bit political. This depends on the club you choose though.

Padi, Pay and Dive(or Die)Instantly is recognised worldwide, whereas Bsac is one of those outdated old British institutions where they swap tales of "do you know before wetsuits were invented we used to tie bits of rubber to our bodies with ropes"

If you want fun and dive in warm water do a Padi.

If you get your jollies by wreck diving in the scapa flow in ice cold water and enjoy using slide rules then BSAC.

I am PADI trained and my club is attached to a PADI school. It used to be BSAC affiliated until the commercial side changed to PADI, and a lot of the older boys are BSAC trained. None of these chaps have had any trouble whatsoever with their BSAC qualifications being recognised worldwide.

[magpies]

Laplandboss said:

rogerthefish said:

Laplandboss said:

Why do you want to do a PADI course? What do you want to get out of diving? PADI are not the only agency out there. Have a look at the British Sub-aqua Club (BSAC). BSAC are a club as the name suggests. You pay your membership and they train you for free. Membership fees for BSAC clubs are typically around £250 a year and your membership includes training and use of club facilities (many own a RIB or two). The only problems is the training sometimes takes a while as instructors are volunteers, and some can be a bit political. This depends on the club you choose though.

Padi, Pay and Dive(or Die)Instantly is recognised worldwide, whereas Bsac is one of those outdated old British institutions where they swap tales of "do you know before wetsuits were invented we used to tie bits of rubber to our bodies with ropes"

If you want fun and dive in warm water do a Padi.

If you get your jollies by wreck diving in the scapa flow in ice cold water and enjoy using slide rules then BSAC.

I am PADI trained and my club is attached to a PADI school. It used to be BSAC affiliated until the commercial side changed to PADI, and a lot of the older boys are BSAC trained. None of these chaps have had any trouble whatsoever with their BSAC qualifications being recognised worldwide.

I started with PADI and then joined a local BSAC club - both enjoyable, and still dive on PADI trips. Main differences for me were - PADI rent you any gear you need while BSAC (certainly the ones I know) do not, so an outlay at least of several £100s (or £1000s!) required before you know whether you enjoy diving or not. The technical/theory side is very similar with only very slight differences - ascent rates / safety stop depths being examples. Personally I found from observing that both PADI and BSAC when tought correctly are great ways into diving, however I have found the 'teaching skills' vary more widely with PADI. Although the referal method can be more expensive it does mean you will be diving much sooner into your holiday having done the theory and pool work beforehand.

[Jamie VTS]

marcosgt said:

Mrs VTS again...

I completed all of my training up until rescue diver out in the Red Sea in various locations with all of my confined sessions completed in the sea and not a swimming pool, and although I was aware of marine life being present I was so focused on completing the skills I couldn't for the life of me tell you what I had seen! I went in to complete my Divemaster and other specialities leading to my MSD in the UK.

Also UK diving isn't necessarily hard but my god was it a shock on my first dive in Wraysbury after only ever diving in warmer climates, but I loved it, and after completing my open water in the Red Sea spent a lot of time diving around the UK. There is no argument that it requires extra skills, especially due to having to wear thicker exposure suits or even dry suits resulting in extra weight to compensate for buoyancy and reduced movement. However I do agree that it is overall time in the water experiences many different conditions and problems that produce the skill needed to become a good diver. I have seen people come out from the open water course both abroad and in the UK varying in skill from poor to excellent and this comes down mainly to the individual and how they take to diving, of course the quality of instruction helps massively too.

I have found from many dive clubs and centres from all agencies, PADI, BSAC, SSI, NAUI, TDI, etc can all be cliquey and really just depends on the mentality of the club and if they are more interested in diving and welcoming new people to the sport of sitting around reminiscing about challenging dives (which can be off putting for any new inexperienced member).

I honestly do not think there is a best way to learn to dive, and everybody learns at different paces and enjoys different styles of course, however I cannot stress the importance of ensuring you receive the best quality of teaching from your instructor, and definitely having a chat with a local dive centre/club for advice on what might suit you best.

[marcosgt]

Jamie VTS said:

Mrs VTS again...

I completed all of my training up until rescue diver out in the Red Sea in various locations with all of my confined sessions completed in the sea and not a swimming pool, and although I was aware of marine life being present I was so focused on completing the skills I couldn't for the life of me tell you what I had seen! I went in to complete my Divemaster and other specialities leading to my MSD in the UK.

Also UK diving isn't necessarily hard but my god was it a shock on my first dive in Wraysbury after only ever diving in warmer climates, but I loved it, and after completing my open water in the Red Sea spent a lot of time diving around the UK. There is no argument that it requires extra skills, especially due to having to wear thicker exposure suits or even dry suits resulting in extra weight to compensate for buoyancy and reduced movement. However I do agree that it is overall time in the water experiences many different conditions and problems that produce the skill needed to become a good diver. I have seen people come out from the open water course both abroad and in the UK varying in skill from poor to excellent and this comes down mainly to the individual and how they take to diving, of course the quality of instruction helps massively too.

I have found from many dive clubs and centres from all agencies, PADI, BSAC, SSI, NAUI, TDI, etc can all be cliquey and really just depends on the mentality of the club and if they are more interested in diving and welcoming new people to the sport of sitting around reminiscing about challenging dives (which can be off putting for any new inexperienced member).

I honestly do not think there is a best way to learn to dive, and everybody learns at different paces and enjoys different styles of course, however I cannot stress the importance of ensuring you receive the best quality of teaching from your instructor, and definitely having a chat with a local dive centre/club for advice on what might suit you best.

I don't think I disagree with anything you said, except the thing about not being aware of the fish around you, but maybe our training - OW at least - was a little different. I had time to take in the fish as I knelt on the bottom waiting for others to complete tasks I'd completed or was waiting my turn for.

My first dive after the two post-OW course boat dives I did in Sharm was on a drysuit course at Wrasbury in January with a water temp of 5C, but I was so inexperienced I didn't really experience the shock you probably did. Diving was still so new to me at that point that a (leaky!) drysuit, cold water, etc were just some of the many new experiences that I seemed to encounter on every dive (and still often do).

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from undertaking dive training in the UK (Our BSAC club regularly train people, including myself), just saying that there's a degree of BS spoken by people who've trained here. If you've dived in UK waters (I'm no expert at 55 dives, but I've done a few in the UK in varying conditions) you soon appreciate the differences and whilst you can be a bit more casual about many things when vis is really good, the basic skills you learn are applicable anywhere.

I don't think the difference is where you LEARN, but what you have experience of. I've seen an 'experienced' UK diver experience vertigo in clear blue water!

M

Edited by marcosgt on Thursday 3rd January 15:00

[Du1point8]

Im of the opinion that as long as the person learning has a great experience that makes them want to do more, then that is good for the diving.

However Im also of the opinion that most people would prefer to learn in warm waters, surrounded by marine creatures like fish and turtles for their first experience to make it all that more special.

If they want to do it in the UK in different surroundings like a swimming pool or water so cold your bks decide to retreat into your body never to be seen again then fine.

But many people I meet that learn to dive in somewhere like bali, red sea or borneo... love it all the more and are more enthusiastic after their first go.

[Laplandboss]

marcosgt said:

Jamie VTS said:

Mrs VTS again...

I completed all of my training up until rescue diver out in the Red Sea in various locations with all of my confined sessions completed in the sea and not a swimming pool, and although I was aware of marine life being present I was so focused on completing the skills I couldn't for the life of me tell you what I had seen! I went in to complete my Divemaster and other specialities leading to my MSD in the UK.

Also UK diving isn't necessarily hard but my god was it a shock on my first dive in Wraysbury after only ever diving in warmer climates, but I loved it, and after completing my open water in the Red Sea spent a lot of time diving around the UK. There is no argument that it requires extra skills, especially due to having to wear thicker exposure suits or even dry suits resulting in extra weight to compensate for buoyancy and reduced movement. However I do agree that it is overall time in the water experiences many different conditions and problems that produce the skill needed to become a good diver. I have seen people come out from the open water course both abroad and in the UK varying in skill from poor to excellent and this comes down mainly to the individual and how they take to diving, of course the quality of instruction helps massively too.

I have found from many dive clubs and centres from all agencies, PADI, BSAC, SSI, NAUI, TDI, etc can all be cliquey and really just depends on the mentality of the club and if they are more interested in diving and welcoming new people to the sport of sitting around reminiscing about challenging dives (which can be off putting for any new inexperienced member).

I honestly do not think there is a best way to learn to dive, and everybody learns at different paces and enjoys different styles of course, however I cannot stress the importance of ensuring you receive the best quality of teaching from your instructor, and definitely having a chat with a local dive centre/club for advice on what might suit you best.

I don't think I disagree with anything you said, except the thing about not being aware of the fish around you, but maybe our training - OW at least - was a little different. I had time to take in the fish as I knelt on the bottom waiting for others to complete tasks I'd completed or was waiting my turn for.

My first dive after the two post-OW course boat dives I did in Sharm was on a drysuit course at Wrasbury in January with a water temp of 5C, but I was so inexperienced I didn't really experience the shock you probably did. Diving was still so new to me at that point that a (leaky!) drysuit, cold water, etc were just some of the many new experiences that I seemed to encounter on every dive (and still often do).

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from undertaking dive training in the UK (Our BSAC club regularly train people, including myself), just saying that there's a degree of BS spoken by people who've trained here. If you've dived in UK waters (I'm no expert at 55 dives, but I've done a few in the UK in varying conditions) you soon appreciate the differences and whilst you can be a bit more casual about many things when vis is really good, the basic skills you learn are applicable anywhere.

I don't think the difference is where you LEARN, but what you have experience of. I've seen an 'experienced' UK diver experience vertigo in clear blue water!

M

Edited by marcosgt on Thursday 3rd January 15:00

There's no reason why somebody who trained abroad cannot dive in the UK, however, it is likely they may need additional training or familiarisation, particularly if they want to dive in a drysuit. I learned in a drysuit (although moistsuit was more appropriate for the school suit I used on my OW course), as does everybody who comes to our club. This means you can dive at home and abroad without undergoing further training. Yes, the basic skills (air sharing, reg retrieval, cramp removal etc) are the same but your buoyancy changes completely when you dive dry. Also, when you complete the application for your cert card at the end of the course, you sign a disclaimer agreeing to dive in conditions equal to or better than those you trained in.

I have never experienced vertigo in clear water, nor have I seen anybody else but you're right - it does happen to many experienced UK divers.

[croyde]

I did mine in a reservoir near Heathrow in the midst of a freezing winter.

Certainly made the subsequent dives around the Great Barrier Reef a blast.