Hi All,
Just got back from a wonderful week or sun and snorkelling in Cozumel. Another vacation where I pondered getting SCUBA certification while I was on vacation. I have been thinking of getting certified since I did one of those "discovery dives" about 10 years ago. Recession hit and now that I am above water again with money in my TFSAs I can afford to finally make this happen.
I live in south Guelph so commuting to one of the shops in Kitchener is an option. However, with the Victoria St. bridge getting chewed up soon for the highway 7 expansion it is going to be a big PITA to get there. Another option is to go to Hamilton or Burlington for my training. It seems to be that you do the online learning/classroom, followed by pool work and then hit the Quarry or local lake to finish it off.
We bought our Akona snorkelling gear many years ago from Groundhog divers in Kitchener and they seemed very competent and professional and it is cool that they have their own pool on-site which makes it easier to schedule stuff (which is handy since I drive a transit bus and work weird hours). Then again, the Float N Flag people in Burlington have a course in April which will coincide with my schedule.
I am curious to hear from people who have certified themselves via PADI and/or SSI and see what you thought. Most dive shops I have dealt with in my Caribbean vacations for Snorkeling trips seem to be associated with PADI. I have only done some initial research but it sounds like both organizations are well recognized and would be accepted. PADI just seems like the more "recognized" certification is all.
Anyone with experience with the dive shops in Hamilton, Burlington, or Kitchener?
Just got back from a wonderful week or sun and snorkelling in Cozumel. Another vacation where I pondered getting SCUBA certification while I was on vacation. I have been thinking of getting certified since I did one of those "discovery dives" about 10 years ago. Recession hit and now that I am above water again with money in my TFSAs I can afford to finally make this happen.
I live in south Guelph so commuting to one of the shops in Kitchener is an option. However, with the Victoria St. bridge getting chewed up soon for the highway 7 expansion it is going to be a big PITA to get there. Another option is to go to Hamilton or Burlington for my training. It seems to be that you do the online learning/classroom, followed by pool work and then hit the Quarry or local lake to finish it off.
We bought our Akona snorkelling gear many years ago from Groundhog divers in Kitchener and they seemed very competent and professional and it is cool that they have their own pool on-site which makes it easier to schedule stuff (which is handy since I drive a transit bus and work weird hours). Then again, the Float N Flag people in Burlington have a course in April which will coincide with my schedule.
I am curious to hear from people who have certified themselves via PADI and/or SSI and see what you thought. Most dive shops I have dealt with in my Caribbean vacations for Snorkeling trips seem to be associated with PADI. I have only done some initial research but it sounds like both organizations are well recognized and would be accepted. PADI just seems like the more "recognized" certification is all.
Anyone with experience with the dive shops in Hamilton, Burlington, or Kitchener?