Is it better to get your open water certification at home or while on vacation? In short.... do it at home. But why?
Comfort and Familiarity
You're likely more relaxed in your familiar environment. This can make absorbing new information and focusing on your skills easier without the added excitement or nerves that might come with being in a new place.
Consistency in Learning
Sticking with a local dive shop for your certification allows you to build a relationship with the instructors and staff. This can be beneficial for continuous learning and future dive opportunities.
Course Pace and Scheduling
Typically, local dive centers offer a more flexible schedule for completing your certification. This might mean weekend classes spread out over several weeks, which gives you more time to study and practice. Vacation courses are usually intensive, designed to get you certified within a few consecutive days. While this is time-efficient, it can feel rushed if you prefer a more laid-back or thorough learning pace.
Cost and Convenience
Opting for a local certification course can be more cost-effective. You save on travel expenses, and often, local dive shops offer competitive pricing for certification packages. Plus, you have the flexibility to spread out the cost of gear and course fees.
Diving Conditions
Training in conditions you are likely to dive in regularly is a practical choice, especially if you plan to dive often in your local area. Being familiar with local waters, temperature, and visibility can boost your confidence and skills.
Waste of your Vacation
Probably the most convincing argument for doing your open water certification at home is that you are wasting your vacation and the opportunity for fun diving with sitting in a class or doing skills tests with an instructor.
However...you can be a Referral Diver
There is an option within the scuba diving industry where you take the classroom and pool sessions at one dive shop with one instructor and then you go somewhere else (usually to a warm water location) to do the 4 open water dives with a different instructor. It's not an optimal choice because the training consistency will not be there and you usually have to find a dive shop/instructor from the same agency as where you did your classroom work. I went this route because my certification began during the winter in Chicago and then flew to Florida to complete the open water work. It worked out okay...but it would have been better to do it all local.
