My Christmas gift last year was a scuba certification class. I put it away for a while since I knew surgery was coming up. I took the paperwork out this weekend and saw that it expired at the end of this month, so now I’m rushing to get everything done. Anyone here have scuba experience?
The reason I wanted to get certified is because we’re planning to go to the Red Sea next summer and I thought it would be the coolest thing ever to explore the reefs and shipwrecks there.
Maybe you could find some ancient egyptian chariots 
@BanjoBen my only experience was a supervised dive on the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns of the Queensland Coast Australia back in 1994. It was amazing.
My friend Ken, a very experienced diver, is also going to the Red Sea next year for the same reason. I’ll get you in touch with him.
Hi @BanjoBen I just watched the BBC documentary “Drowning in Plastic” and I was shocked to see what has been happening to our rivers and oceans these past twenty odd years.
This is a personal pet peeve. They have your money. Why does it expire!?!? 
Technically it expires 12 months from purchase (which was at Christmas), but their last course for the year is this month. I get it.
Ah… “It’s a profit deal”
If you can still get in the last class, I would do it. I did the NAUI and PADI certifications ages ago, and enjoyed every minute. Not terribly stressful or complicated. Red Sea diving should be fantastic. My best experience was in the Hawaiian Islands, esp., near Maui and worst off Atlantic City , NJ. Alternatively, see if you can finagle a grace period due to traumatic surgery.
I’m enrolled in the PADI course and good to go! I’ve done my book learnin’ and have confined pool dives next weekend, then open dives in a quarry last weekend in October. I’m excited!
My brother did a lot of diving in the Navy, and then had to get recertified as a civilian after he got out… go figure. I know absolutely nothing about diving. I hope you do well, good luck!
I must admit something. I like to do a lot of things: bungee jump, fly planes, ride bulls, etc. But I go on the record to say I do not like trying to breathe underwater very much. I am supposed to finish up my cert this weekend, but I don’t know if I’ll go again or not. Hahaha.
Good luck! I hope you enjoy it.
Hmnnn, this sounds like trying to master those big mandolin chords – keep working at it and it gets easier. I sympathize with you on scuba breathing. After practicing it for 10 hours, it got easier for me though it was an unpleasant sensation at the beginning. Another analogy to your scuba training situation – remember the first time doing stall/spins in your airplane? Another unpleasant sensation, but even there when practiced for 20-30 times a controlled spin is just another pleasant thing to do with an airplane. Go get that certification, young man!
Dang Ben…be careful out there buddy! We need you in good shape to create a lot more videos.
Fully Certified - Well done Sir,
I did it! And I don’t care if I ever dive in a deep, dark, cold Kentucky quarry ever again!
Well, you’ve now gone further than most people ever will. That is a success in itself
@BanjoBen Congrats…Now that you are certified you can literally “Dive into” those lessons now