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Vance's Diving Portal | Homepage:
http://www.vancestevens.com
UAE and Oman Dive Sites |
Vance's
logbook and Vance's Dive
bLogs | UAE and Oman Diving Directory |
Courses |
FrogLegsScubaClub
"Plan your dive, dive your plan"
| If you want to dive with
us or see what we're planning, view our dive plan here: http://tinyurl.com/froglegs |
Training
FAQs and getting STARTED (get the
crewpack) | Congratulations | Open
Water | Advanced | Rescue |
Sample proposal for o/w training
Abu Dhabi Weather:
http://www.adiamet.gov.ae/forecast.htm
Northern Emirates: Wind and temperature forecasts for
Fujairah are reported here
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/41198.html
and for the Emirates here:
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=United+Arab+Emirates
but I have yet to find a sea state forecast.
Weather in Oman:
Climactic conditions including winds and seastate for Muscat and Salalah:
http://www.timesofoman.com/
Weekend Weather Forecasts for
Abu Dhabi: are issued for 4 days, the current day and three
in advance. - Best times tend to be in summer and fall.
What have we done lately?
Check
the logs from our most recent dives here.
Interesting postings on diving
ecology for northern emirates (Dec 3, 2004) here:
http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/default.asp?cntDisplay=10&ID=261
Gonu hit the East Coast UAE in June 2007. The damage is being compounded by construction and development taking place there, seriously encroaching on the marine eco-systems. In 2009 devastation was further caused by red tide which stayed in the area for 6 months and more.
For June 8/9 2007 adverse conditions due to Cyclone Gonu: http://tinyurl.com/2uet43
Aftermath: June 18, 2007 - Newspaper reports severe destruction on reefs on East Coast, especially Dibba Rock: http://www.emiratestodayonline.com/Default.aspx?selpg=649
Rescue dive course requirements
| Academic | Open Water |
In addition to proof of certification in first aid
and CPR in the past year:
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Dive Plans | Where to catch the boat | Costs | FAQs
about training and safety
FAQs about the PADI
Open Water dive course:
General information
When I receive general inquiries about the Open Water course, I send this letter in reply:, updated in September 2009:
I'm an independent PADI instructor with a full time job in education. I do what I can to promote diving and environmental awareness locally, and I maintain a website on diving, particularly in the UAE: http://www.vancestevens.com/scubadiv.htm
I teach diving in my spare time (evenings and weekends). You can find information about my courses, costs, etc at my web site: http://www.vancestevens.com/scuba_plan.htm#faqs
There is a description of the beginning Open Water course here: http://www.vancestevens.com/ow_info1.html
Advantages of working with me would be my expertise and experience (diving since 1966; instructor since 1993), one-on-one attention, and maximum flexibility. I have given the OW course in a single 2-day weekend, when the student has been prepared, keen and capable. Most people take weeks or even months to pace the course.
If you wish to arrange training, or if I can help with more information, don't hesitate to get back in touch,
Vance
I'll teach o/w divers who will pay my fee plus cover expenses incurred in their training. Just to give you an idea, here are some of the costs involved, in UAE dirhams (3.65 per $, May 2008). Not all students incur all these costs (doubling up on pool sessions or using shallow water off beach instead of pool, for example):
Dive Plans | Where to catch the boat | Costs | FAQs about training | Safety concerns
In Khor Fakkan, Musandam:
In Abu Dhabi:
Wherever you decide to dive, when discussing prices for Scuba courses, be sure get an itemized list of what is and what is not included (manual included? PIC certification card at end of course?), and verify condition of boats and equipment.
How long does the course take?
Most people are happy to meet once a week for academic and pool work. If you have a deadline to meet we could do it faster than that, and some prolong it more, but assuming you adhere to the once-a-week schedule you can have your PADI open water certification in about 6 weeks. If the course is taken through the hotels, some allow pool use for diving is only at night. Also, it is possible to do open water dives only on weekends, so scheduling can be a problem with busy, active people involved.
When can I start the course?
Once upon a time when I had very few students taking my courses I used to make up a 'class' and try to keep the students together. However, it is unwieldy to try to get more than two or three people to agree on times suitable to all and even small groups find it impossible to all dive on the same day, so the result has always been that people who start together will vary their progress in the course.
These days I encourage people to start whenever they like. I'll take one or more students at a time (if two or more, we'll have to agree on the one night a week we go in the pool or have academics). We can accommodate trainees at all levels at any pool or academic session. So the simple answer to this question is start whenever you are ready and join others who have already started the course,or others may join you later. You'll find that being in the pool or ocean with more advanced dive trainees will help you; as observing their training helps prepare you for when you reach their level.
If you want to start a course, contact me. I will let you know how to pay the fees and get the 'crew pack' or box containing a book and a green folder.
You need to pick up a PADI manual which comes in the
'crew pack' pictured here (2008)
On the green folder are three forms which must be filled out. One is a medical form. When you fill out the form, if any answer is 'yes' you must have a doctor countersign; otherwise just complete and sign the form. The other two forms are PADI liability release and statement of safe diving practices, which must also be signed. All forms are to be signed and handed over to your instructor before we get wet.
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Before any academic session you must view the DVD for that Module. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for this. It is required viewing prior to any academic session. The DVD cover looks similar to the picture at left. So before meeting your instructor for the first lesson, arrange to view the Module 1 portion of the Padi O/W DVD. As you progress through the course, you'll need to watch the remaining 4 video segments prior to each academic session for that module (in addition to reading the book and answering the knowledge reviews at the end of each chapter - all knowledge reviews must be completed, signed, and handed in to your instructor before he can give you your certification.). |
What do I need to do for the first meeting?
Before meeting the instructor first time, prepare the following:
During our first meeting
After that you will be ready to join us in the pool. Often we leave this till our second meeting. (After that we can usually do the academic and pool sessions on the same day, up to Module 5, which is the Final Exam taking about an hour to complete). Most people can take the Module 2 and 3 quizzes after watching the DVD and reading through the book. I usually explain the dive tables before my students sit for the Module 4 exam, so we might need an hour for that.
Incidentally, you can do your first ocean dive after you have completed your Module One academic and pool sessions.
What do I have to do to complete the course?
In a nutshell:
For more detailed information about the course click here
What certification do I get?
On successful completion of your course you will receive your PADI Open Water dive certificate. PADI certifies the majority of divers worldwide (55% according to http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/faq.asp, which means that the remaining 45% are divided among the many other certifying bodies). PADI certification is recognized almost anywhere, and I can't imagine where it wouldn't be honored actually. The certificate allows you to participate in diving with dive companies operating at resorts etc throughout the world as well as rent equipment and have tanks filled.
Once all requirements are complete, your instructor will give you a temporary certification card valid for 90 days from completion of your final open water dive (careful here that you don't delay completion of your paperwork too long beyond date of your final o/w dive for the course). Along with your temporary card you will receive a PADI PIC Form (your PIC or Personal ID Card will have your photo on it). Your instructor signs off on the form and you fill in your details, put a photo in it, stamp it, and mail it to PADI Ltd. in UK. Your permanent card should arrive in a few weeks. If you have any doubt at any stage of this process PADI have an excellent track record of expediting and resolving difficulties with their instructors in email; they almost always respond within one or two working days.
What does your instructor get out of this?
Considering the time and effort involved, as you will see, the instructor is clearly not in it for the money. Instructors teach to maintain their training skills, to be credited with certification of divers (which can be used later for advanced instructor credentials and to increase karma in the next life), to dive for free, to enjoy spending recreation time with interesting and ecologically-minded people, and to have the opportunity to interact with nature and to help others to appreciate and preserve it. Instructors especially like the natural environment, diving for its own sake, and other people who dive.
What's the next course after O/W?
What do we do during an open water training pool session?
Some notes on training (which tend to get copy/pasted into the training schedule)
Note: prior to academic training, trainees must watch DVD for each module undertaken and should bring completed Knowledge Reviews to class
Open Water Dive #1 (max 12 m) is an acclimitization dive, no skills assessed on this dive.
Skills for Open Water Dive #2: (max 12 m)
Skills for Open Water Dive #3: (max 18 m)
Skills for Open Water Dive #4: (max 18 m)
List of flexible skills: Tired diver tow and cramp removal / snorkel & reg exchange / surface compass heading / remove & replace weights and bcd at surface / compass navigation under water / CESA
We have many requests for refresher courses from divers who have been certified but who have let their skills lapse. A refresher course involves a pool session for which I might charge 200, including the scuba tune up guide (65 Dhs). Or if you simply want me to meet you at the pool for a refresher, cost is 100 dirhams plus pool fees.
What have we learned about diving safely in the UAE?
On the FrogLegsScubaClub list, we've been thinking about safety issues for changeable weather and sea conditions as are sometimes encountered around Abu Dhabi in the winter months - Dec 2003
Pre-dive Boat Briefing:
It is important that as many of our divers as possible become aware of and pro-active in their role in the pre-dive boat briefing. The briefing is the dive leader's responsibility in particular but everyone's business and when it comes down to it, it's everyone's responsibility to facilitate the safety of themselves and each other by reminding the dive leader if necessary to include the following points in the briefing:
Special considerations for afternoon diving:
In case of currents causing divers to surface in unpredictable locations and vision from the boat being obscured by wave conditions and glare from sun low on horizon ...
Suggested safety equipment on divers
This is in addition to in addition to required safety equipment such as a timing device, depth guage, pressure guage, redundant second stage or octopus ...
Wish list for safety equipment on boat
Safety equipment on many dive boats operating in UAE waters is typically minimal to non-existent. The boat should carry oxygen to treat diving emergencies and the following safety equipment is recommended:
| Device needed | Reason |
| Marine radio with specific instructions as to how to call the coast guard | Iin a wind at sea, a mobile telephone cannot be heard. |
| a pair of binoculars | to find divers at sea in poor conditions |
| flares and a foghorn | to signal other boats, helicopters |
| space blanket | treating hypothermia |
| oxygen on board | treating decompression sickness and other diving related accidents |
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For comments,
suggestions, or further information on this page, Last updated: September 20, 2009 at 09:00 GMT Copyright 2009
under Creative Commons License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ |
January 18, 2007
