Researching dive/scuba options

One thing that been on my to-do list for a long time is earning my scuba divers certification. I started taking a scuba class during my junior year of high school but couldn't commit to the dive portion because I couldn't afford the cost of buying my own equipment (and rental wasn't an option for some reason). I started snorkeling in 2001 on my first Fiji trip during graduate school. I almost decided to earn my scuba certification then, but I couldn't afford the approximately $400 cost. Since then, I've also snorkeled in Tonga, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii. Now that I'm applying to be an astronaut and have a decent income, it's high time I start diving.

First, I investigated all PADI instructors on Oahu. The costs generally range from $250-$500 for 3-7 day classes. The best deals I found were $249 for a 4 day course and $275 for a 3 day course, both of which include all fees and gear rental in that price. This is good because I don't have to invest in buying my own equipment just to learn the sport.

Second, I looked into options for diving through my employer, NOAA. As it turns out, the NOAA Dive Center in Seattle offers free training for NOAA employees. The result is a "Working Diver" certification, which allows one to perform almost any underwater work for scientific, government, commercial, or military purposes. The course is 3 weeks long and is offered during May and September. I'm in the process of trying to convince my supervisor to let me go (and pay my travel and lodging). I'll post an update when I have one.

Update 4/01/08:
As it turns out, the local NOAA dive unit in Hawaii doesn't need any more divers at this time, so we can't justify the expense of training me through the NOAA program. Thus, I'll go back to my original plan of earning my PADI open water certification and will try to accumulate some dive experience on my own.

Comments

Anonymous said…
$249 is a nice deal especially considering it's 4 days. If it also includes the PADI certification fee I would get suspicious. A bit too low maybe? Well, I can confirm that competition is quit high nowadays.
06 August, 2008 00:09
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insider tips on NASA's astronaut selection

Image
While NASA wraps up interviewing the second group of finalists to determine its 2013 class of ASCANs, the head of the NASA Astronaut Selection Office Duane Ross gave an illuminating presentation at JSC last Thursday about the selection process.  He covered questions ranging from academic degrees to interview questions, medical screening, and Russian language requirements. Pete Dimmick was among those present in the audience. Here are his notes from the event, reprinted with permission: Today I attended a lecture by Duane Ross and his protege, Anne Roemer. Duane has been the head of the astronaut selection process for 37 years and I had a few minutes to speak with them after the lecture was over. Here is what I found out about becoming an astronaut. I won't discuss so much the published requirements, rather I'll be focusing more on the insider things. There have been 257 NASA astronauts over the years and an applicant has a 0.6% chance of being selected. Of those no
READ MORE >>

NASA selection begins!

Image
NASA opened the 2015-16 astronaut selection opportunity on USAJOBS . Applications are due February 18, and details are on astronauts.nasa.gov . Good luck to all who apply! I wrote an article called " The Astronaut Hopeful's Manifesto: An Applicant's Guide " on Forbes with some advice to applicants. Check it out!
READ MORE >>

Interesting Astronaut Statistics

Image
In my continuing quest to become an astronaut, I wanted to figure out what the "typical" astronaut's background is like, so I mined the NASA astronaut bios for information. I was interested in the educational, military, selection age, and spaceflight histories of the astronauts, so I focused on that information. I think the plots below speak for themselves, but if you'd like the raw data or have questions, please feel free to ask. Note that I only compiled information on NASA's 126 active and management astronauts. I didn't include the Payload Specialists, former, or international astronauts, although I might go back later and add them to the analysis. I learned that only 36% of astronauts have earned doctorate degrees, but most of the astronauts selected with only a masters or bachelors had extensive NASA and/or military experience. The typical astronaut has one bachelors and one masters degree, although some do have more than one of either type of de
READ MORE >>