Scuba Lessons

stan marshall said
I got mine in 1967. I live in northern mi so it has clear water and lots of shipwrecks. I don't use tanks anymore due to 4 back operations but i snorkel
almost every summer day. Kind of like watching black and white tv compared to colored where you will be diving but it is great exercise.

So true, about diving in freshwater compared to Salt Water

64DartGTinAZ said
Do they have Snuba where you're going?

http://www.snuba.com/about-snuba/

Getting certified is expensive, and you need to buy mask/snorkel/fins/booties, too.
If the only time you'll use it is this trip, it'd be an expensive thing to do.

I got certified when we lived in SoCal - went diving a bunch. Last time I went Scuba diving was in 1990. Many snorkeling trips since then.

Don't get me wrong...Scuba diving is cool (especially night diving!), but if you don't live where you can go pretty often, it's a lot of time/money for not much return on your investment.

Im sure they do have the Snuba stuff, but I've never been a big fan of that I would rather free dive. You do have a big point with it being expensive to do with what little use I may use it. There are a few lakes locally I have wanted to dive and explore but I would have to have all my own equipment or try to rent it.

diymirage said
I would get certified (I am not, but I my dad is an used to be an instructor so I got all the free instructions I needed and ive been below the surface a couple of times)

just because it is a different world down there and different rules apply
especially if you plan on taking the missus down I would want to know that I was prepared to handle whatever situation might occur (keep in mind, once you get married you are no longer responsible for the safety and wellbeing of one person but two, plus whoever gets born into your new family)

the initial cost of buying all the gear is high but how says you have to buy it all at once or that you have to buy it new?
or that you have to buy it at all, im sure that where you are going there are rental shops and there might even be some in minusooooda

I looked up that dive shop locally and just for the instruction you have to provide your own Mask, Fins and Snorkel. Like anything Im sure the more you pay the better the equipment fits and functions. We figured for the both of us it would be around $1400 just to get certified. So sadly its out of our budget with the wedding and cruise we have to pay for. I think we will just be snorkeling this trip and maybe by the time the next cruise comes around we will be certified.