Divequest??

[DarthGoofy]

Have any of you fellow DVCers here done Divequest? I will be certified by the time our trip roles around, and this tour sounds great.

[nono]

DG,

Sorry, I missed this when you first posted it. I did DiveQuest with 6 other friends in November 2003. It's a tour you should definitely do!:goldfish:

I came away with the conviction that I would never have an aquarium in my home though! I am not claustrophobic, but there's something about knowing all the boundaries of one's diving "world" that seemed so, well, unnatural to me.

Regardless of the feelings I had during/after, I highly recommend you taking the plunge and experiencing for yourself!

[pouncingpluto]

Haven't done Divequest, but I did Aqua Seas, which is very similar (not scuba certified, so they give you scuba equipment to breathe but no weights) and it was awesome! One of my favorite Disney memories, and that's saying something!

[Colorado Belle]

Im doing it May4 with jiggerj, matysgramma and maybe Mar watching (jeering, more likely)
Will let you know, but I think it will be kinda fun tho kinda 'fake' in a Disney kind of way.

[Michelle1503]

I know this is an old thread... but do you mind sharing your experience with Seas Aqua Tour?

See my thread in Tours/Attrractions, Epcot Seas Aqua Tour! Thanks :)

[JimP]

Debbie (DW) and I took a trip to Fiji a few years ago... and when one of my flying buddies who also owns a dive shop heard about our trip... he sent me an email that said: If you go to Fiji and do not dive... you will be performing a sin.

How do you respond to that? With only 3 weeks to go before our trip, Debbie and I signed up for a crash course in diving, completing our classroom and confined water (pool) dives in Portland... and continuing with our 4 open water dives in Fiji. After the 4th dive... Debbie climbed onto the boat (there is a pic on my website)... everyone congratulated her for becoming a certified scuba diver... and then she said "I did it !!!, and I am never going down again".

Oh well... Ive tried to talk her into doing DiveQuest... because that is about as difficult a dive as "Soar'n" is to hand gliding. Nope... not happening :(

Maybe I will do it myself one of these trips... but I would enjoy it more if she would join me.

/Jim

[Colorado Belle]

Jim , DO NOT let her read my trip report: how I almost drowned at Disney.

That said, it might just be that she had to dive too many times in too concentrated of a time period. Give it 6 months or so and then ask her what it was about diving that made her feel uncomfortable...there are so many things that can interfere with having a blast diving and most of those things can be fixed...so just give it some time and I bet you will regain your diving buddy! (But do NOT let her read my trip report.)

[7swans]

"I did it !!!, and I am never going down again".



/Jim

Why, what was so traumatizing about her experience?

DS 17 is certified, and DH is getting his certification this weekend, I am really curious.
Can you persuade your wife to share her experience w/us?

[JimP]

Give it 6 months or so and then ask her what it was about diving that made her feel uncomfortable...there are so many things that can interfere with having a blast diving and most of those things can be fixed...so just give it some time and I bet you will regain your diving buddy! (But do NOT let her read my trip report.)
First of all... we learned to dive in June '03... so the six month waiting period has expired ;)

She really is not a strong swimmer... and she had a very hard time equalizing... and we took lessons during alergy season.

She really didn't want to go... but when Larry told us it would be a sin to not dive... she reluctantly went along with it.

We bought very good gear... figuring that if she had to adjust to new equipment each time we went down... that it would make things worse. In the end... that was not enough.

We went back to Fiji in Feb/Mar '04. I did dive with a friend (a different Deb)... while our spouses and other friends stayed back at the resort. That was fun... but I would prefer my Deb to join us. I just like doing things with her.

Oh well... I have conceeded to the fact that she is not going to be my diving buddy. I'll still dive from time to time... including a Divequest dive sometime.

/Jim

[glypnirsgirl]

I love to dive. I originally got certified in 1994. I dove for several years and then stopped do to lack of money. In 2005, I asked my DH if he would like to learn to dive and he was game. The first class that I signed us up for, I chose because it was convenient to his work. Within 10 minutes of being in the class, I told my husband that we could complete this class, but I would not want to go diving until he took from Don Reece, who had originally certified me. Don is an EXCELLENT dive instructor. His goal is to make his divers "bullet proof" - the training in the beginning course is beyond what most people experience in an advanced class. Any way, I would trust Don to teach anyone to dive. He has taught NON-SWIMMERS to dive (although he does not recommend it).

Don says that it takes two things to learn to be a diver: (1) the ability to breathe; and (2) a burning desire to dive.

It just does not sound like Deb has the burning desire to dive. I suspect that she may have never been particularly interested in diving. If she never was interested and learned to please you, she may not ever be a diver. If she had the burning desire to dive, and just got spooked, additional training may be the answer.

I commend you on your acceptance of her decision. Things like this can so easily become a bone of contention between a couple and it sounds like you have accepted it instead.

I have never done the DisneyQuest dive. I have made side trips to dive while staying at WDW. We went to the Blue Grotto - it was a BLAST! But it is several hours away from WDW. We basically lost a whole day at the parks, and you would not do that with DiveQuest.

[JimP]

It just does not sound like Deb has the burning desire to dive.

Spot on.

/Jim

[Colorado Belle]

When you sign up for DiveQuest, they actually let your spouse participate from OUTSIDE the tank. The photographers even take photos of you inside the tank with your wife outside the tank. After, your spouse can come backstage and participate in some of the 'conservation' stuff.

I think DiveQuest is less about diving and more about being an honorary cast member and entertaining the people watching from outside the tank. If you are a natural born HAM you will love it!

I agree that Deb just might not be interested in diving...it really is a hassle getting in and out of a boat, equalizing if you are at all congested is painful, and sometimes diving can be scary. I learned in college from a Navy Seal who taught us that there were 4000 ways to kill yourself diving and he was going to teach us how to avoid all 4000 of them...rather daunting.

I love diving, but would agree with an argument that you can see an d do just as much snorkling if you know where to go!

Now about meeting up with Deb at Club 33???????????????????????????????
:jumpingbe I'll be in DL on Mother's Day...you'll find me waiting by the door!!!! (if I can find it)

[JimP]

CB,

I really think that diving is easier than snorkling. On the surface... you deal with wind, waves, mouthfuls of water. Once you are 2' down... all that goes away and you are weightless.

Regarding Club33... It is in New Orleans Sq right next to the Blue Bayou. You can't miss it if you know what you are looking for.

/Jim