Go down, come up, that's about it. What'cha stressing about?

July 2, 2012 4:09 PM

I got PADI certified well over a decade ago. Since then I've lost all my paperwork, and I want to get re-certified and start diving again. Advice?

I live in the Southern LA/Orange County area, and there is no dearth of stores which advertise PADI certification and classes.

I would like to take refresher course, for my safety, but I also wouldn't like to waste a bunch of money. I would appreciate any advice on steps I should take (getting copies of my old PADI documentation maybe, is such a thing possible?) to make it cheaper and easier. I would also like recommendations on where to take the classes if you know of any particularly great classes (either in quality or in cost).

Finally, I haven't done any diving in SoCal. Any places I need to check out once I'm back in the water? Any particularly great groups I should go diving with?

posted by bswinburn to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

PADI will happily send you a new card

Once you have that you can pay for as many refresher lessons as makes you feel comfortable before diving again, but you won't need to go through the whole process.
posted by pseudonick at 4:17 PM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, just checked that and, evidently, the place I got certified (Cancun, in around 1986) wasn't particularity scrupulous about getting me into the PADI database. Looks like I'll have to start from scratch.

Suggestions still welcome!
posted by bswinburn at 4:40 PM on July 2, 2012

Best answer: Unless you did a ton of diving after your certification, I'd just redo it. It's kind of fun anyway, not all that expensive, and it'll give you some piece of mind.

Then, maybe after you do a bunch of easy dives on your own (with a buddy) to get your bearings, go back and do the Advanced certification. That one's really fun. They'll teach you to navigate underwater (which was the hardest thing), take you on a deep dive, and take you night-diving; you'll have a great weekend and feel like a champ, and it'll get you excited about diving more.
posted by eugenen at 5:09 PM on July 2, 2012

I feel like NAUI has better courses, but that may be an artifact of the instructors I had in each program. You will probably be best served by starting at the very beginning - while you may have retained the book knowledge, diving is a perishable skill, and it never hurts to keep polished.

I had a great time diving the Channel Islands from a large, liveaboard-type yacht. Expensive, but fun as all hell. About froze my bippy off too.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:15 PM on July 2, 2012

Yeah, your certification never really expires, but refresher courses are definitely a good idea. Re-taking the open water course is also not necessarily a bad thing, and compared to the cost of diving in general, once you factor in the cost of buying your own gear, etc. isn't really that much more.

Another good step is to find a local dive club, and do a bunch of dives with them. Club Members will likely have tons of experience about local conditions and how to read/time them that you'll never learn in official courses. Listening to other people's stories will also give you things to think about, and possible strategies when things go wrong.

As far as PADI vs. NAUI, I'm under the impression that NAUI's open water course jams in as much information as PADI's open water, and advanced open water course. You'll also spend longer in classrooms, or doing book work before you hit the water, but in either case, it's not a huge amount of work.
posted by fnerg at 8:07 PM on July 2, 2012

I got my first PADI ticket in 1986, then when on holiday in the Phillipines a few years ago they just made me do a refresher and magicked up a card for me. Perhaps it was because when they came to paperwork they were dodgy.

But I would echo others - just do it again, that's easier.
posted by wilful at 8:10 PM on July 2, 2012

Best answer: Another thing to look for: local dive shops usually host regular fun dives. The idea is to get people to rent equipment, so they're generally free, and they're usually lead by someone pretty experienced. They'll also have good ideas about local clubs and whatnot, and are a good way to meet more knowledgable people.

Lastly, check out ScubaBoard. They've got regional message boards, and you can find instructors and some good discussion there.
posted by fnerg at 8:14 PM on July 2, 2012

I got my PADI certification 20 or so years ago and dove regularly for a while but stopped ages ago; I am with those who say redo it. I plan to wait until my daughter is old enough to get certified and we can do it together; if you know anyone who is interested in getting certified it would be the perfect reason to do it that way. Having a dive buddy with experience, even if it is long ago makes things more enjoyable.
posted by TedW at 6:26 AM on July 3, 2012