Does diving certification worth it?

Question

I'm 25 y.o female based in Indonesia. Couple of months ago I tried on snorkeling and enjoyed it! Now I wanted to go diving to Bunaken - North Sulawesi, a very famous dive site. I never tried it before - and wanted to know is it worth it to take the PADI certification? The place offers "introduction class" - non certified but you can dive with guide. But i'm confused whether i should just take seriues of introduction class or just take the certification?

Answer 1

I would do the resort course first.  If you like it then spend the money to get certified.  The resort course should give you enough experience to decide whether or not you will want to become a diver ( alot of people eithor love it or hate it).  Becoming certified has it's advantages. Many dive sites are deeper than what is allowed during a discover dive (40' max vs 130' max).  Also, with a certification, diving is cheaper as you don't need a dedicated DM with you.

Answer 2

When you've got the proper open water certification, you can dive with a buddy who's also certified. No need to hire a Dive Pro to come with you, like on those intro dives you're talking about. If you're properly certified, it's for life. There's no expiry. You can call a buddy up and be in the water in minutes.

What I might suggest, is for you to try the PADI Discover Scuba. It's free ( or a very minimal cost to cover pool expenses). You get some basic instruction, use of the dive gear and are let loose in a pool for 30 minutes under an Instructors supervision. If you like it...sign up for the Open Water course. If you don't like it ( some people don't get used to breathing through their mouth underwater) then it's cost you next to nothing except an hour of your time. Contact a local dive shop that's a PADI. All of them should offer this mini course.