Oh. Well then, perhaps the FlyerTalkers should leave you be. :)

I'm interested... on my way next week to Playa del Carmen for some Cenote diving, as well as reef/drift diving in Playa and Cozumel. It would be fun to get a group together!

Cozumel is excellent wall diving, in fact I got my open water there years ago. Curacao which is just starting to become a tourist destination (it's the biggest of the ABC, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao islands) is also good diving. I'd definetely be up for looking into something like this - long weekend type trip. Fly in on a Thursday afternoon, maybe do an afternoon/night trip on Friday, dive Saturday and Sunday morning, fly out Monday afternoon type thing maybe?

I have done Snuba in Kauai...but THIS would get me to get Scuba (PADI?) certified!!

PADI open water is what you want. Do the classroom and pool stuff at home, checkride in the ocean looking at something interesting.

Beaubo , as bdesmond stated do the classroom stuff locally and then get your tucchus to some exotic locale to get certified. I believe you need 10 dives to become Openwater 1. I took my lessons and was certified on the great barrier reef in OZ .Thailand, Bali etc. are all good places too. If you want some more info, you know how I can be reached :) .

Unless it's changed recently, PADI OW and NAUI Basic are both four (4) dives. Five (5) more will get you AOW (Advanced Open Water). I did both certifications in one week (13 years ago). AOW is definitely worth it - some great diving (like Saba) requires it.

I have no idea what it is now, I don't even remember what it was when I did it three or four years ago. Night diving though which I think is one fo the things you can do with an AOW card is an incredible experience in some places - to me that alone makes it worth it.

AFAIK, AOW is not "required" per se for things like night dives. Certain dive operators, though, will restrict your dive profile if you're not AOW. Not necessarily because of your skill/experience, but because of the potential liability.

FWIW, you don't need to get your open water certification at an exotic locale. I did mine in an old rock quarry that was turned into a lake here in MN. ;)

I never said need.......he could always go to Westhawk lake in Ontario and freeze his arse off.......then of course there is always the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans :D !

When I took my licence all those years ago I am sure I was forced to get 10 dives in........too bad it was on the Great Barrrier Reef and not in MN. or ONT. ;)

I usually have had the dive places tell me I can't do this and that with only Open water 1. Then I show them my dive logs and they just let me dive when I want. BTW, I respect the currents and depth and am not one of those deeper and deeper maniac divers. For me it's just a relaxing quiet time.... ^

So when do you all want to meet in the South Pacific?

I just caught a show this afternoon on the Maldives. *drooling

But really, anywhere wet is fine with me. :)

Another person with an interest, though I just did Hawaii for 3 weeks straddling the beginning of last month, and just got back from a long weekend MR (FLY3) followed by a week at Hilton Head Island, so my boss will probably expect my butt to actually stay in the office for a little while. ;)

For this spoiled rotten FTer......

* gotta be far away and exotic- S Pacific,Maldives; not Hawaii or Australia
* mid-July to end of July ideal window

I accept donations toward travel expenses in the form of paypal, FF miles, hotel points, dive gear, or really just about anything else tangible. ;)

How about something a little exotic, yet perhaps easier to redeem points/miles for and a little closer to home? I'm thinking Turks & Caicos...? I hear they've got some really decent diving.

the most pristine reefs we've seen ^ ^