Learning to Scuba Dive

xxxdarlingxxx

Hi there

Considering a holiday in February and thought perhaps learning to scuba dive. There are a few packages in Egypt and the Canary Islands. My budget is about £500 so places like the Maldives are out.


Anyone every done this and got any advice.

saveapenny

I did a dive course in Lanzarote.
It was fantastic
We stayed in Playa Blanca and did it with a school up by the Timanfaya Palace but cant remeber the name of them but they were PADI instructors.
First lesson was in the lagoon then out to open water (well just off shore) we went along the lava flow plenty of fish to be seen along the coast and a few sharks.
Cost was about 250 but that was 16 years ago .
I am going to do it again when we got to Hurghada because since 1990 I have only dived once since then and that was a ship wreck dive in the Seychelles ..very different and a bit scary.
Florida Keys are also very good John Pennycamp marine park you could pick up flights for about 200 and an apartment in the Key nearest ..think its long Key if memory isnt going completely

KathrynPenguin

I learned in Malta, in March (I don't know how many years ago!). Because it was off season I was the only person wanting to learn that week so I got individual tuition! It was cheap, wonderful and a great bargain. There were other people coming out on dives but I had my instructor all to myself as they were experienced divers so would go off on their own.

I've been back there a few times since and its a lovely place to dive. The diving school I used are Divewise (you can google them) based in St Julians which is a big tourist place so its dead easy to get a cheap holiday out there - with your budget you should get holiday and dive course in February!

cundall

Currently an Open Water Advanced though doing my Mater Divers course in just over a month. You can go to Thailand for that money and all the way to Koh Tao (a bus from Bangkok then a ferry). Koh Tao is a diving island and has more diving shops then you will ever see! I did a course with master divers there and they even provide free accommodation during your course! It only cost me 200 bart about 3 pounds extra to stay on longer!

website is http://www.masterdive.org/

I have been told that Koh Tao is one of the cheapest places in the world to dive though i have found cheaper... It will push your budget to the limit though you could just about do it will a cheap flight.

alric

cundall, where do you find cheaper places to learn?
since I'm heading out that way...

dieseldog

This week is try scuba diving week find your local club for a taster session £10 for 90 minute lesson with instructor.

kittykat100

Hi,
We went to Kenya last February and the other half did a scuba diving (Padi course- the first stage)... Did some training in the pool then taken out to sea!! He paid around £75 and had a fine old time. Kenya was great value for money and the weather is great and the water is very warm. They had excellent qualified instructors and were very patient (with me.. who wimped out after the pool! lol).
You will have a great time wherever you go. We went with first choice and it cost us around £1K for two of us 4 star all inclusive.

Enjoy!

Kittyx

cundall

alric wrote:

cundall, where do you find cheaper places to learn?
since I'm heading out that way...

When you catch the boat to Koh Tao (turtle island) there are people on the boat trying to get you to go with them.. Mainly one group called Ban Divers.. Don't go with them!

The reason i say dont go with them is that the group sizes are too big and you will not have a good time. When you arrive on the island you cannot help but tripping up over the shops, the main question apart from the price is how big are your groups! I selected Master divers due to the group size though i have had very good reports of another dive company called buddha view divers (http://www.buddhaview-diving.com) They quote 9,000 bart (125 pounds) though you can knock them down in price, note this includes accommodation and some times even food too.

The island is very small so all you can really do is dive, watch movies, get a tan ect... The island is that small it states on one website it has a population of 750 people (people who live not just visit) and over 25 dive shops... There is only one main road!

Read some info via http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Issue54/kohtao.htm

For dive shops just google really.... though try and read as much as you can into the company but like i say if you want to enjoy your diving get the group sizes as small as poss, IE mine was a max of 4 people with only 3 at that time (me, 2 english and the teacher)

All the best..

pin

Re Ban's, I dived with them years ago (doing my Advanced Open Water) and really enjoyed it there. However, yes as the above poster has said, the numbers are big.

As for learning to dive, how about doing the pool and class room lessons in the UK (i.e. spreading the cost a bit) and then doing the open water element when you go abroad?

As for Egypt, been there and have to say it was great, very cheap. Was in Dahab. However if you don't feel safe re the security situation may not be the best bet.

Thailand is a good option as well, cheap, however for flights you are looking at at least £400.

What about learning in the Channel Islands?

alric

Isn't there an island off the northeast coast of borneo that's great for diving?

cundall

alric wrote:

Isn't there an island off the northeast coast of borneo that's great for diving?

I think that might be out of her price range...