Hi,
I am new to this forum, so I apologize if this is the wrong section for this question.

I am going to go to Fort Lauderdale/Key West, Florida, in June and am considering to take an OWD course to do something meaningful while there

Does anyone know of any good OWD course/instructors in either of the places? I am a non-diver, yet , so I really have no idea where to look... Considering a PADI course, but I am also open to other suggestions.

Thanks in advance for your answers
Mike

Hi Mike,

Welcome - and don't worry, you posted in the right section!

My (probably bias) recommendation would be to go for a PADI course, they are the most internationally recognised diving qualification. So, if you get PADI certified you shouldn't ever encounter problems diving elsewhere.

Your first qualficiation would be Open Water Diver, which consists of a theory and practical sessions.

You can actually do the theory online now, so you don't have to do what I did and spend your holiday nights sitting up reading a handbook, haha.

I haven't personally dived in Florida, so I can't give you a recommendation. My advice would be just look for a 5 star PADI centre.

I'm sure someone here can give you a recommendation for Florida - if you want to get really nitty gritty, you can check if instructors are up to date and still certified with PADI.

I just had a reply from a friend in Florida and he recommends:

"florida keys Dive center in key largo, or Coral Springs dive center,Austin dive center Miami fl"