I recently just finished a PADI Open Water (OW) course with two students last week, Renee and Michelle. Renee had done her Discover Scuba with me about 6 months ago and knew she wanted to come back to continue with OW. She also recruited her friend, Michelle, who had never been scuba diving before. Just a few days before the course, Michelle expressed concerns about doing the full OW course. I explained that she didn’t have to commit to the full course, she could simply start out with the Discover Scuba Diving program (which is the beginning of the OW course) and if she liked it, she could continue or she could just do the one dive and call it day. Well, after her very first dive, she was hooked! I think a big part of that reason is due to the fact that Cozumel is a great place for all level divers, especially beginners. Here we have:
– Warm weather, warm water
– Pool-like conditions in the ocean
– 100 ft. visibility
– Actually get to see marine life from the very first dive (parrot fish, seahorses, angel fish, eels, stingrays, crabs, lobsters)
– Dive in a marine park/protected area – Parque Nacional
– Cozumel is part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world
Furthermore, Renee explained she wanted to avoid cold water dives in New York where you have to wear thick wetsuits, hoods, gloves, boots etc… which is why she decided to come back to Cozumel. I sent her the OW manual beforehand so she could study before and not have to worry about reading the manual during her vacation time. We completed all the Open Water skills in three days of diving and once they finished their written exam, they were PADI certified divers! You can use a few vacation days to do your certification – don’t worry, you won’t be sitting in a boring classroom and you will actually learn in the environment you will be diving in!
2 Comments
by Carolyn
I agree completely!! Which is why I am bringing 2 friends the first week of June for this exciting adventure. I got certified by Eco Divers in 2003 and have been diving with them ever since. Great people, wonderful experience. Don’t pass up the chance to see the underwater world.
by Renee Valenti
I wanted to go back and get my OW certification in Cozumel and with Eco Divers and have absolutely NO regrets. Michelle and I worked with Kristin for our 3 day course and she explained everything to us very clearly and made us feel comfortable learning our new skills we would need to be safe and conscious divers. We started in shallow water the first day, practicing different skills then the other 2 days we saw four amazing reefs and dive areas around the island. I feel spoiled having been able to learn to dive in a place that even experienced divers come to because of how incredible it is in terms of marine life and beauty. We saw turtles, sharks, and rays, among tons of other types of fish. It’s intimate as well-they keep a small boat of people going out with great dive masters and captain. It was so much fun, I couldn’t have had a better experience in getting my OW.