Red Sail Sports divers making a “wall” dive at the dramatic Cayman drop-off. New courses in Red Sail’s Scuba School offer the chance to combine open water certification with two specialty courses. Photo by Amanda Nicholls
New divers who want a quick start on their dive training while on vacation in the Cayman Islands, or certified divers looking to sharpen scuba skills, will find a ready solution in 2014 with Red Sail Sports. To meet demand for saturated and immersed training programs, Grand Cayman’s leading resort dive operator is introducing 3-day courses that combine PADI Open Water Certification with two specialties: Enriched Air Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy. Also added to the dive training program for certified divers is an Advanced Diver/Nitrox Combination course that can be done in two days.
“We know our guest’s time on Grand Cayman is limited and they want to make the most of it, so Red Sail Sports is being creative and accommodating. Our extensive dive training program and resources allows us to do this,” said Operations Manager Rod McDowall. “We want our new divers to enjoy a great experience in the island’s warm, clear water, and this will keep them coming back. That’s good for business.”
Grand Cayman, with its warm, crystal clear water, is the perfect place to complete or continue scuba training. Photo by Amanda Nicholls
The Enriched Air Diver course is reportedly PADI’s most popular specialty course – Nitrox allows a diver to safely dive more often and for a longer period of time. McDowall says demand for Nitrox is a big motivation for adding the combo courses, and as is the wide use of dive computers, which allow divers to accurately track dive profiles. Both the Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy specialties are easy to integrate with the open water certification in Red Sail Sports’ extensive dive training program.
The three combination courses require online theory work with PADI in advance of the trip. Once on Grand Cayman students undergo a quick eLearner review and then do three days of in-water training with Red Sail Sports, both from shore and from the dive boats, to complete their certification. To add a Nitrox specialty, the student is taught the basics of enriched air diving during the morning two-tank boat trip, and then does last open water checkout dive on Nitrox. An afternoon Nitrox classroom session is then done to complete the specialty certification.
Grand Cayman resident Carrie Van Lier took advantage of Red Sail Sports’ combo courses to complete two certifications in three days. Photo courtesy Carrie Van Lier
The same basic schedule is followed for the Open Water Certification/ Peak Performance Buoyancy Combo, where a student works on breath control, proper weighting and streamlining – making them more comfortable in the water and a better, more confident diver. This specialty requires an extra dive on day 3 of training. The Advance Diver/Nitrox Combo involves 5 adventure dives over two days including; navigation, peak performance buoyancy, deep diving and Nitrox.
Red Sail Sports has certified an estimated 50,000 divers on Grand Cayman through its extensive dive training program and island-wide locations over the past 25 years. Dive Supervisor Clive Webb says the most popular courses are Open Water Certification, Advanced Diver and Nitrox.
“Last year we certified 11 Nitrox divers, and so far this year we have already certified 51, so 2014 looks exciting,” says Webb, adding that resident divers take advantage of living in a top dive destination. “Our courses for local residents have gone through the roof! Most Open Water classes are full, and we’ve had to add extras – our prices are so good that we have a constant stream of residents going through scuba training.”
Dive conditions in the Cayman Islands are almost always perfect for scuba training – warm crystal clear water where visibility usually exceeds 100 feet. Photo by Amanda Nicholls
“The Advanced and Nitrox combo course provided an extremely efficient way for me to complete two certifications in just one weekend,” said island resident Carrie Van Lier who just completed one. “Not only did I save time and money, but I found that they complimented each other perfectly at my current level of diving education.”
The Open Water/Nitrox combo course is US $575; the Open Water/ Peak Performance Buoyancy combo course is US $550. Both fees include all equipment use, manuals, instruction and boat diving. A fee of US $138 must be paid directly to PADI for online theory work done before arrival in Grand Cayman. The Advanced/Nitrox e-learner course is US $475, and a US $130 fee must be paid directly to PADI for the e-learning portion.
Red Sail Sports operates full-service dive and watersports shops across Grand Cayman. Also available are glass-bottom boat trips to the Stingray Sandbar, Catamaran snorkel trips, sunset sails and dinner sails, and all the beach sports that include windsurfing, kayaking and more.
About Red Sail Sports
Red Sail Sports, a member of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association is a leading resort based dive and watersports operator.Since 1987 it has been setting the standard on Grand Cayman by providing the highest level of guest services. On Seven Mile Beach Red Sail Sports operates locations at the Westin Resort, the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, the Grand Cayman Beach Suites and the The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. At remote East End the company has a watersports shop at Morritt’s Tortuga Club, also offering dive and catamaran services to The Reef Resort. On North Side Red Sail Sports offers watersports activities at the Rum Point Club. The company offers several dive packages through its affiliation with island hoteliers.
For more information
Call toll free: (877) 506-6368
On Grand Cayman: (345) 623-5965
Web: www.redsailcayman.com
Facebook: www.facebook/redsailcayman
Twitter: @redsailcayman
