Hi,
My kids (age 20 and 13) want to go scuba diving this summer.
We will just be going for a long weekend, so that will be our main focus.
We live on the east coast USA, so I am considering FL. and Mexico. I would appreciate any thoughts....

I don't dive myself, but having read a lot on this and other travel boards, I'll throw this out. Your kids should get certified before you travel. I'm not sure you can even get certified in a weekend. And if you can, alot of time will be spent studying. Most of the certification things can be done in a pool. Contact a local dive shop for more information.

I agree with Jean. I am a certified diver, and there was plenty of classroom time required. And, I also don't think you can get full certification in just a weekend. Take a local course for at least the classroom portion, and then ask the company the best place they can recommend for the 'open water' portion.

Have you considered Belize? Several of the places we stayed at on the beach offered resort courses. It is a beginner dive and you don't go very deep but it would give your kids a taste of it and if they liked it they could take certification classes when they get home.

Hi there:

I am also a certified diver and agree with Ally. You should at least take the class before going somewhere, and then you can have a referal to get the open water where ever you go. I did the class in a weekend and then the certification in another weekend. The resort courses just are not enough. It can be dangerous down there, and if you do not know what to do or panic it can be worse. Also need to remember that you cannot scuba dive within so many hours of stepping off a plane, and you cannot get back on a plane within so many hours of scuba diving.

Good point about the diving/flying times Peg.
I believe it's 24 hours. That is how long I wait to dive before and after flying.

You should at least achieve a blood tissue code of B before you board a plane to fly - this is often achievable in a lot less than 24 hrs. I've never heard of waiting to dive after coming off a plane. The concern is going from high atmospheric pressures (diving) to low (aircraft cabin). You can probably achieve the PADI open-water qualification in three days but it won't be much of a holiday!

Some of the best diving in the world is in Cozumel, Mexico. Key Largo is pretty good easy diving in Pennekamp Park and certainly easy to get too. Many shops in and around Fort Lauderdale which is easy to get to from east coast.

Who is certified and who is not? Basically you have 2 choices.

Full certification: Bare minimum is 4 days if you are prepared - there are several hours of required classroom preparation and several more hours of pool work before the minimum 4 supervised open water dives. Some folks spend weeks in the classroom and the pool before getting to the open water dives - it all depends. If this is what you want, I agree that you can/should do the classroom and pool work at home then get a referral for the open water dives. Also agree with the comment that you must wait 24 hours after multiple dives before flying home. Also, your 13 year old may not qualify for full certification. In South Florida and the Keys, the going rate for boat dives is about $50-60 per diver per trip [usually 2 tanks]. Mexico is similar. Must have certification to sign up and rent tanks/gear

Resort course: This may be what you really want, altho I haven't found it in too many US resorts, usually more in Caribbean and Mexican resorts. Basically you get about a 1 hour orientation session to the gear in the hotel pool in the AM then 1-2 supervised dives in the afternoon limited to no deeper than 35 feet - all resort divers MUST be accompanied by a certified instructor. The pool session is often free in many resorts, then the dive is anywhere from $35-100 based on location. This gives you a good taste of whether diving is right for you, but does not "certify" you for anything - you still need to take a full course to be a certified diver.