Scuba Diving

[tituslo]

Hey Guys,

I think this is the right section to post in?

I want to learn how to scuba dive, does anyone have any reccomendations for places to learn how to scuba dive?

I live in Toronto Downtown...

Thanks!

Titus

[brute33]

contact PADI
try and find a 5 star school. also i would suggest using a school that has their own pool rather than rents out a public pool.

Reason for that is if they have their own pool they will probably let you practise as often as you want with no extra charge. If they rent public pools and you need a few extra lessons before you feel you are ready to try certification you will have to pay extra$$$.

[nini1204]

yea i would like to know too...thoughts/expertise anyone? Thks.

[Prophallus]

went scuba diving in cuba this summer

fun experience, but it killed my ears, at about 10 meters my ears just started popping like crazy, i thought my head was gonna cave in

its pretty easy to learn, our instructor taught us what to do in about 10 minutes or so, then we did the dive

[rfdrfd]

Then you can buy yourselves a very very cool DIVING watch !!!

http://www.princetonwatches.com/images/watches/SHC033.jpg

http://www.ewatchandclock.com/catalog/images/CW-NH6931-06E.jpg

http://www.rruegger.ch/images/iwc_aquatimer/iwc_dive_watch_history_sihh.JPG


Sorry couldn't resist.....

[tituslo]

haha good call on the diving watches... they look nice...

anyone have any places to reccomend?

did you go snorkelling or scuba diving in cuba?

[tracker123]

I bought my PADI training material here at Yonge and Davisville. When I visited Japan I got trained and certified on Kochi Island. There's nothing like being trained on the open ocean.

The largest place around but not in Toronto seems to be http://www.aquasubscuba.com/

However, the place I picked up the PADI kit from was Water Sports @
2082 Yonge Street, Toronto which seemed to be a nice little store but I think they rent pool space.

There's not a lot in the GTA to choose from but you should probably still drop by a few and just chat with them to find out where they go to train and how often they have outings which you can participate in.

Wish I have more info...sry.

[nini1204]

I just came back from an Eastern Caribbean cruise last weekend...went scuba diving for the first time in St.Thomas => beauuutiful beach...what a great experience :)

i'm considering to get certified here...cuz that way i won't need to follow an instructor to scuba around the gorgeous Caribbean beaches next time around :razz:

[Prophallus]

did you go snorkelling or scuba diving in cuba?

scuba diving
took hours for my ears to 'unpop'

[gqbluez]

scuba diving
took hours for my ears to 'unpop'

You probably just didnt equalize correctly. Its important to equalize the pressure in your ears every meter that you go down in order to maintain the correct pressure relative to depth. If you dont do it every meter that you go down you'll feel the strain on your ears and your head.

I went scuba diving in Aruba in May and i found that I had to equalize almost twice per meter in order to maintain the correct pressure. My friend didnt equalize on her way up and ended up getting really sick when she got back on the boat. She threw up and everything and said she was dizzy. Can't stress it enough guys. EQUALIZE!!

[tituslo]

where did you guys get your padi certification?

[aZnRYcEbOi]

I'm interested in doing this too. I did discover scuba diving last month in the caribbean and it was awesome!

How much did you guys pay for all the training, pool dives, & open water dives?

So far, here is what I've found.
These are all the PADI certified sites around the Toronto area:
http://www.padi.com/padi/common/dcnr_distance/results.aspx?cityid=403515



------------------------------------------------
Aquarius Scuba S-4430
4020 Dundas Street West
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M6S 4W6
Ph.: (416) 604-4203
Fax: (416) 604-8461

http://www.aquariusscuba.com/training/?page=training
$175 for the winter special (350/couple), which has the training & 5 pool dives
$150 for the open water checkout (4 dives)
total = $325+gst
(they had a summer special which was $300 flat for everything, but it's over now)


------------------------------------------------

Waterline Sports, Inc. S-4375
1953 Avenue Road
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M5M 4A3
Ph.: (416) 488-6000
Fax: (416) 449-2783

http://www.waterlinesports.com/html/training.html
$350 to do academic stuff and pool dives
$250 to do the open water dives
total = $600+gst


so...why is aquarius half the price?!?!



------------------------------------------------

I also found a place at around Leslie & Hwy 7, which is closets to me. There's no website though.

Scuba 2000 S-4265
9033 Leslie Street
Unit #12
Richmond Hill
Ontario
CANADA
L4B 4K3
Ph.: (905) 771-1500
Fax: (905) 771-1597


------------------------------------------------

Someone mentioned this one...no prices on website...
this place is at major mac & bayview

Aquasub Scuba Diving Centre S-12960
10610 Bayview Avenue
#15
Richmond Hill
Ontario
CANADA
L4C 3N8
Ph.: (905) 883-3483
Fax: (905) 737-3483


------------------------------------------------

again, no website

Water Sports S-4444
2082 Yonge Street
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M4S 2A3
Ph.: (416) 488-1055
Fax: (416) 485-9116

------------------------------------------------



So, does anyone have any experiences they can share?

[ElChico]

So, does anyone have any experiences they can share?

I did it in Mexico. The had a package for a couple of dives without a need to be or get certified. They gave a lesson in the pool, and taught us what to do in an emergency, purge the regulator, equalize pressure, hand signals, etc. We went on a boat to the dive site, went down to 10 metres, saw some fish, swam around. My friend had a problem equalizing on the way down, and had to see a doctor afterwards. I was fine.

[Steeve Urkel]

Do you need a certification in Canada to do a dive?

I did a dive in the Caribean, a 50 foot dive for 1 hour and had no certification.
I did have training tho and do have the certification you get right before becoming a lifeguard...so I do know about water safety ect...

[curtis]

Scuba 2000 does have a webpage, just throw the name into Google.

They have their own pool. Really nice place.


I'm interested in doing this too. I did discover scuba diving last month in the caribbean and it was awesome!

How much did you guys pay for all the training, pool dives, & open water dives?

So far, here is what I've found.
These are all the PADI certified sites around the Toronto area:
http://www.padi.com/padi/common/dcnr_distance/results.aspx?cityid=403515



------------------------------------------------
Aquarius Scuba S-4430
4020 Dundas Street West
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M6S 4W6
Ph.: (416) 604-4203
Fax: (416) 604-8461

http://www.aquariusscuba.com/training/?page=training
$175 for the winter special (350/couple), which has the training & 5 pool dives
$150 for the open water checkout (4 dives)
total = $325+gst
(they had a summer special which was $300 flat for everything, but it's over now)


------------------------------------------------

Waterline Sports, Inc. S-4375
1953 Avenue Road
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M5M 4A3
Ph.: (416) 488-6000
Fax: (416) 449-2783

http://www.waterlinesports.com/html/training.html
$350 to do academic stuff and pool dives
$250 to do the open water dives
total = $600+gst


so...why is aquarius half the price?!?!



------------------------------------------------

I also found a place at around Leslie & Hwy 7, which is closets to me. There's no website though.

Scuba 2000 S-4265
9033 Leslie Street
Unit #12
Richmond Hill
Ontario
CANADA
L4B 4K3
Ph.: (905) 771-1500
Fax: (905) 771-1597


------------------------------------------------

Someone mentioned this one...no prices on website...
this place is at major mac & bayview

Aquasub Scuba Diving Centre S-12960
10610 Bayview Avenue
#15
Richmond Hill
Ontario
CANADA
L4C 3N8
Ph.: (905) 883-3483
Fax: (905) 737-3483


------------------------------------------------

again, no website

Water Sports S-4444
2082 Yonge Street
Toronto
Ontario
CANADA
M4S 2A3
Ph.: (416) 488-1055
Fax: (416) 485-9116

------------------------------------------------



So, does anyone have any experiences they can share?

[Frankie3s]

Hey Guys,

I think this is the right section to post in?

I want to learn how to scuba dive, does anyone have any reccomendations for places to learn how to scuba dive?

I live in Toronto Downtown...

Thanks!

Titus

First, start off by renting "Open Water." Then google Toronto Scuba.

[wakeboarder]

Digging up an old thread here but I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with Dive Central in Barrie. That's the closest dive shop to me.

[Wing Nut]

went scuba diving in cuba this summer

fun experience, but it killed my ears, at about 10 meters my ears just started popping like crazy, i thought my head was gonna cave in

its pretty easy to learn, our instructor taught us what to do in about 10 minutes or so, then we did the dive

I'm guessing you're not certified. Scuba diving is not easy to learn. It was an intro dive, right? It's a dangerous sport and taking the risks for granted can get you dead. I don't want to discourage anyone. Diving is a great sport and you'll see things that are weird and wonderful. Learn it well because your knowledge can save your life.

[abu_sme]

Don't bother with any of the dive shop in Canada. Go down to Belize or Cozumel Mexico and get it done down there. The diving is better, cheaper, and arguably safer (cozumel has at least half a dozen hyperbaric chambers in case you get the bends)

I got my advanced in Thailand, I can go down to 30 meters if I want to although when you chew through 3X more air than at the surface and your no decompression limit is about 20 minutes it isn't something that I do just for the sake of doing.

[i6s1]

Don't bother with any of the dive shop in Canada. Go down to Belize or Cozumel Mexico and get it done down there. The diving is better, cheaper, and arguably safer (cozumel has at least half a dozen hyperbaric chambers in case you get the bends)


I think it's better to do a referral course here and the open water dives in the tropics. Less vacation time spent in a classroom or in a pool.

[ken0042]

Don't bother with any of the dive shop in Canada. Go down to Belize or Cozumel Mexico and get it done down there. The diving is better, cheaper, and arguably safer (cozumel has at least half a dozen hyperbaric chambers in case you get the bends)

Put me in the camp that preferred to have it done here so I can enjoy my vacation. When doing your open water certification you shouldn't be going that far down anyways that you might need a hyperbaric chamber. Yes, it can happen at any depth- but at ~30 feet you should be OK.

Plus I would rather learn a "life or death" skill from people who know English; and have the reputation of a local shop on the line as well.

Being in Toronto I would think there would be no shortage of lakes to complete your open water certification.

[The Rochester Mirkins]

Please consider this: If you learn to dive in the tropics, please don't dive up here in Canada without further instruction. You have to wear at least twice the gear, twice the weight and the visability generally sucks. If you learn down south in perfect conditions, you will be ill equipped to deal with any situations/emergencies up here. I don't want to read about any more fatalities in the annual O.U.C. report.

[ThinkOutsideTheBox]

where did you guys get your padi certification?
Open Water in Dundas, ON
Advanced OW - Egypt
Rescue Diver - Malaysia

Egypt and Malaysia had amazing diving, probably within the top two in the world.


Do you need a certification in Canada to do a dive?

I did a dive in the Caribean, a 50 foot dive for 1 hour and had no certification.
I did have training tho and do have the certification you get right before becoming a lifeguard...so I do know about water safety ect...

Canadian diving requires certification, definitely

Swimming certification does not double as diving certification. Although swimming skills are important, there are a tonne of other skills you learn in a diving course that are important underwater.

[abu_sme]

Put me in the camp that preferred to have it done here so I can enjoy my vacation. When doing your open water certification you shouldn't be going that far down anyways that you might need a hyperbaric chamber. Yes, it can happen at any depth- but at ~30 feet you should be OK.

Plus I would rather learn a "life or death" skill from people who know English; and have the reputation of a local shop on the line as well.

Being in Toronto I would think there would be no shortage of lakes to complete your open water certification.

A lot of the dive instructors are american, australian or french. The I did my O/W in 3 days, so it isn't something that takes up your whole vacation that's for sure.

[terribly]

I'm with The Rochester Mirkins here.

You'd be foolish to think that your "scuba certification" you got in an afternoon at a resort in Cuba is the same as what you'd get up here after 2 or 3 weekends.

Many places around here would be hesitant to rent you equipment knowing you'd only dove a couple of times down south for many of the reasons The Rochester Mirkins mentioned. Vis. tends to be crap here, the water is right chilly... From what I've heard, the diving in Canada is about as bad as it gets, such that if you can dive here, you can dive almost anywhere.

I'd also have to disagree with abu_sme here, too. I'd guess that places like Cozumel have numerous decompression chambers for a few reasons, the least of which being "because they're safe."

Cozumel is arguably the diving capital of the world. Dives/day is probably through the roof compared to anywhere around here
There are probably a pile of people who are the 1-day-learn-to-dive-at-the-resort specials, who panic and surface, giving themselves the bends


Would you be more or less likely to visit a place that advertised "All our rental cars have bulletproof windows!"? Would you feel more or less safe?

Anyway, all that aside, I dive here in Niagara with Dans Dive Shop (www.dansdiveshop.ca (http://www.dansdiveshop.ca)) and would highly recommend it. The manager, Matt, is one of the coolest guys I've met, and he's super into the sport. He's up on the latest gear, the latest courses and organizes more trips than you could shake a stick at.

To get your Open Water cert was about $700, I think. I bought all my gear soon after (short of a tank) for ~$4000. While the rental gear was good, having my own meant being able to get some nice new stuff, and being able to get comfortable with consistent gear.

I haven't been south yet to dive, but up here Tobermory is hella tough to beat. Visibility is just spectacular (compared to the rest of this area, anyway). Brockville is supposed to be really nice too - haven't been up there yet, though.

If you have any questions, PM me. I'd be happy to answer them.

It's super fun, and an absolutely exhilarating experience, but don't kid yourself; you're trusting your life to your gear and your training/experience. It's not something you'd want to skimp out on.

Edited to add: It's really a surreal experience. It totally changes the way you're used to interacting with water. It's incredibly peaceful, but exciting at the same time. You'll also meet a crapton of really cool people while you do it. Sure, you might be able to see similar stuff snorkeling, but you can't beat frog-kicking over a shipwreck, completely weightless listening to the sound of the bubbles gurgling past your head. I think there are some videos up on the website and/or on Youtube of various Dan's trips; they're worth a view.

[i6s1]

Canadian diving requires certification, definitely


No, you can do introductory dives down to 40' with an instructor without any significant training.

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx

[wirebound]

No, you can do introductory dives down to 40' with an instructor without any significant training.

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx

The question is if you'll get your tank filled by a company for the diving without the certification. If you have your own equipment and your own air, you could dive as deep as you want but if you need to get the tanks filled or plan to rent equipment, you'll need to show that you're certified. Introductory dives are very different from certification dives IMO.

I got my O/W here in Ontario (although the company who certified me doesn't seem to exist anymore) and yeah, it was around $600. My husband was certified in Australia and became a divemaster in the Carribean. Oddly enough, when it came to our first cold water dive in New Zealand, I knew how much weight to use and he didn't; despite all of his experience; he'd never dove in cold water. I'm quite glad I had the experience here in Ontario, although I haven't dove here since. I still laugh at my first log where I wrote "saw two bass and a crayfish".... maybe not the most exciting dives but its a good way to learn to be comfortable in a variety of conditions.

[i6s1]

The question is if you'll get your tank filled by a company for the diving without the certification.

No, this was the question:

Do you need a certification in Canada to do a dive?

You can do an intro dive without certification.

Although the question was asked in 2006, so I doubt that the poster even cares anymore.

[ThinkOutsideTheBox]

No, you can do introductory dives down to 40' with an instructor without any significant training.

http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx

My apologies, I mis-spoke. If you want to do any significant amount of diving without paying for an 'introductory' dive every time, then yes, you need certification. If you want to pay the introductory, guided dive price, then no, you do not.

40' is not very deep IMO, and will give you limited experience...at best. However, it is a good way to see whether you are comfortable in the water and to ignite that 'diving' fire in you. I seriously doubt that >5% of people would take introductory dives in lieu of actual certification if they enjoy it....it sort of doesn't make sense.