31
Dec
2008
Thx to all of you for your (almost immediate!) answers.
I think I will consider investing in a full 5mm. I assume I’ll have to fine-tune buoyancy during the first dives with a new wetsuit.
The first things I learned during my OW training is “safety first” and “Dive within your limits”. This is why I asked questions regarding depths of dives because looking on the CM website for CI, I saw some dive site descriptions saying, for example: “Doctor John's, Depth of 12 m to 40 m, a huge garden of coral on the reef, with tunnels…”.
On the other hand, I know that CM is a very responsible dive operator because I did dive at Turks during February 2008 (There is a typo in my original posting. I will dive at CI in February 2009, not 2008). There, I did a CM Discovery program (2 pool sessions plus 2 dives on the third day, at Pinnacles and Black Forest). However, before going there, I had a full day PADI DISCOVERY from my local dive shop (prescribed by my wife!). Once at Turks, I was impressed by the professionalism of the scuba team (C.Lee and my instructor Adrienne). I had a one on one pool and a from-shore training with Adrienne. Then, I was very comfortable diving with her on the third day. I think she also was comfortable diving with me as our training sessions went smoothly. We did 2 wonderful 45mins shallow dives at 35’. It was a dream that came true! During the first few minutes of my very first dive, I saw a huge shark, a sea turtle, zillions of fishes, visibility was almost unlimited and it was sunny at 35’! What to say of the amazing ballet, while hanging at the safety stop trapeze, more than 30 divers were converging, all of them smiling… Adrienne was right when, at the end of the day she said: “I am pretty sure you’ll be a certified diver when you’ll come back”. That is exactly what I did. Back in Montreal I did the PADI OW certification. I realized that diving is fun everywhere: I discovered that the St-Laurence River is full of wrecks and marine life and that visibility can be as low as 6’!
Now, I can’t wait to be at CI.
With respect to the suggestion regarding the AOW certification, I will consider it seriously. I realized that many dive sites in North America and Caribbean are in the 75-90’ range. Also, my goal is twofold: I want to dive, and I want to be a better diver. Is an OW diver with 15 dives in the log book experienced enough to take the AOW course?
Typically, what is the daily schedule for the AOW training at CI (am and/or pm)? My wife is not diving and I would like to spend a little time with her…
Thanks again to all for your wisdom.
Happy New Year. For the next few hours, let’s trade scuba bubbles for champagne bubbles…
Charles
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