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Dive On In, the Water's Fine!
by Glenda Catron
What do vacationers see when they close their eyes and visualize their ideal tropical paradise? Is it rows of lounge chairs that lie waiting for them to rest their tired bodies and soak in the blistering sun? Or is it the thought of turquoise waters dancing back and forth upon the shoreline? Despite the powerful lure for the beach that many have while on a tropical get-away, there are many vacationers that hear the call of the ocean’s sirens and hunger for adventure that lies below the ocean’s surface.
So here’s the problem: How do resorts satisfy the sea hungry appetites of those inexperienced vacationers who have never had the opportunity to obtain the skills needed to scuba dive?
Because exploring the depths of the ocean has become extremely popular with vacationers, resorts have incorporated diving as part of their vacation packages. Vacationers commonly travel to island resorts that feature snorkeling and scuba diving trips arranged through the resort’s dive shop. But wait a second; even though resorts now offer their own dive trips, what does it do for the vacationer from South Dakota that has no experience at all?
Since resorts do not allow vacationers without proper scuba certification to strap on a tank and plunge down 80 feet into the sea, inexperienced vacationers are repeately told to try snorkeling. This activity has become a huge hit within resorts because it is simple to learn and requires little equipment. However, despite the simplicity that accompanies snorkeling, many restless vacationers may grow weary of floating along the water’s surface while burning their backs to a crisp.
Fortunately, many dive agencies have heard the cries of pain from sunburned vacationers and have come up with a solution for those interested in scuba diving. The solution is a pre-certification course that allows the inexperienced to dabble in the sport of scuba diving. John Hudson, a PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) instructor at Prodive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida applauds the pre-certification courses that various dive agencies offer. “These courses are a wonderful way for people who have never had any experience with diving to get over their anxieties and find out how easy it is.”
By offering these pre-certification courses at resorts, vacationers are able to literally dive into a sport that they may have never been able to. These courses are quick and effective, and allow resorts to offer vacationers a new twist to their trip.
Think about it: People go away on vacations to escape their daily lives and to relax in a new environment. People want to experience new things because of the very fact that they are on a vacation. These courses offer possibilities of adventure that many people, especially those living in land-locked states, have never even thought about. Knowing that you can dabble in scuba diving without becoming certified is a huge attraction for many people.
The pre-certification courses are offered by many of the major dive agencies such as the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI), the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and Scuba Schools International (SSI). All of the pre-certification courses that these agencies offer may differ slightly, but for the most part they are all founded on the same principal: to spark an interest in scuba diving. Being a dive instructor for many years at Prodive in Fort Lauderdale, John Hudson cannot stress how important he feels these programs are to the perseverance of the sport. “One of the biggest struggles of this industry is that there are lots of people out there who have always wanted to dive but have never done it. The question we continually face is how do we get people through the door? These courses definitely help.” Resorts must choose the dive agency that best suits their needs. Although most of the pre-certification courses are very similar, they do vary from one agency to another.
PADI’s pre-certification course is composed of two parts entitled Discover Scuba and Discover Scuba Diving. The first part of the course, Discover Scuba, is a one-day class that consists of a classroom session, where participants view a video and are briefed on basic knowledge of the sport. The second step of Discover Scuba consists of a pool session where participants are given the chance to become acquainted and familiar with the equipment. After all steps of Discover Scuba are complete, participants have the opportunity to finish with Discover Scuba Diving, a two-hour ocean dive led by numerous dive instructors. The two-hour dive allows participants to use their newly acquired scuba skills under the direct supervision of instructors down to a maximum depth of 40 feet.
SSI dive agency offers Try Scuba, a similar pre-certification program to PADI’s Discover Scuba. Try Scuba begins with classroom and education about the sport and is followed by a pool and/or open water dive. The program focuses on the basis knowledge that is needed to conduct a safe open water dive in a shallow water environment. The agency also furthers its program by teaming up with NAUI dive agency to offer a course entitled Passport Diver.
Passport Diver is a program that was developed to serve the needs of those who have completed the Try Scuba course and wish to further their newly acquired skills. The program prepares individuals to continue to dive without certification as long as they dive under the direct supervision of a NAUI/SSI instructor. The Passport Diver will remain effective with any dive facility that offers the program as long as the individual has logged one dive every 6 months. If the individuals have not logged one dive in the past 6 months, then they are required to be evaluated by an instructor before being allowed to venture into open water.
Finding out about these courses and how they give individuals a chance to explore the underwater world through scuba diving opens up many new possibilities for resorts and vacationers. The courses are safe, usually four instructors are assigned to each class, and they are relatively inexpensive, a little over $100.
Most people flock to tropical resorts because they have an interest in the beach or diving. If resorts advertise these pre-certification courses in their promotions, vacationers will be more interested in going to a place where they can have the option to explore the ocean in a way they may never have never thought about before. If the courses are enjoyed well enough, resorts can benefit by urging vacationers to go ahead and become fully certified at the resort’s personal dive shop. The next time you see a shaky vacationer who is questioning whether or not to try underwater exploration, point him or her in the direction of the resort’s dive shop and tell them to ahead, dive on in, the water’s fine.