Anyone here SCUBA dive? I've been off a couple years but plan on taking it up again in the Spring.
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Anyone here SCUBA dive? I've been off a couple years but plan on taking it up again in the Spring.
I dove many years ago. Great sport if you've got the money. I got to experience Nitrogen Narcosis in a hyperbaric chamber. Awesome!
X
Back in the 90's I went diving every weekend I was off. As time passed life got in the way of fun and all of my dive buddys quit. We dove every mud puddle including the Ohio River in South East Ohio. I still have all of the gear and would love to go again. Everything would need inspected and tested. I hate to spend the money getting all of the gear up to spec for a couple of dives though.
Don
PADI Advanced Open Water diver here. I love diving, and go as often as I can. Went diving whilst on a cruise last October, enjoyed some spectacular reefs down in Cozumel (one of my favorite dive spots... 200 ft. visibility! clearest water in the world).
PADI Open Water diver since 1991. I used to dive regularly, but not so much the past 10 years or so. We are planning to do a trip to Cozumel this fall. Several of us have talked about it, but our lives never really let it line up between military stuff (our friend in the National Guard has been to the Sinai Peninsula, Afghanistan and now Iraq) and another friend doing his residency training.
The older I get the more I like simplicity. I am considering buying new regs, since my Dacor regs breathe horribly. I also want to ditch the dive computer (also Dacor) and go back to analog gauges.
Only diving I have done in the Carrbbean is in the Dominican Republic. Compared to the Northeast US waters I am used to it was diver's heaven to me, but I constantly heard people say that Cozumel was much better. Sheesh, I couldn't see how anyone could complain about the waters in the DR, so Cozumel must be one helluva place.
I too like analog guages. Never used digitals but it would seem they would be hard to read under certain lighting and glare conditions?
I got to go diving off of Cancun 6 years ago and I have always wanted to do it again, but i never found myself in a location that would top the clear waters of Cancun... Yet.
I dive,
have dove in: Guam, Yap, Pilau, and Saipan :)
still have not touched the water stateside though.
and i would likely fight that cozumel isnt the clearest water in the world :D
In guam the water is a constant 84 degrees year around. simply lovely.
I've dove in Cozumel a couple of times, awesome, its an incredible place to dive. If you have the chance do it. I've been there, grand cayman, and the great barrier reef. Was a lot of fun but its been about a decade since I've been the water.
havent been yet but totally want to, i would love to do some open ocean dives. i might look into it when i get back from iraq. can anybody reccommend equipment types like brand names or a good place to buy from?
-dan-
Been diving for about 15 years. Haven't been to the exotic places like the South Pacific though, just Cozumel (like about every year), Grand Cayman, Gulf of Mexico out of Florida panhandle, and some Texas and Oklahoma lakes and quarries.
I was supposed to go to Roatan a couple of years ago but the plans fell through. Would still like to go.
sinnfein, there are so many brands and places to buy...like Mike said, your LDS would be the best bet.
You might also try this board as there are a lot of helpful people there like on this one.
ScubaBoard - Online Scuba Diving Community - Equipment, Dive Travel, Training and More!
You can usually find me in the Texas Swamp Divers forum...or the Coz. forum, with screen name sealskin98.
Texas Swamp Divers - ScubaBoard
Cozumel - ScubaBoard
forgot to add places i've been diving!
Cozumel, Cancun, Curacao (south america), Hawaii (molokini and parts of maui), the Florida Keys (largo and west).
hoping to add even more to the list this summer!
A local dive shop is your best bet for all of the above. A lot of this is subjective and these are my opinions; I'm sure there will be disagreement.
You can get certified at resorts but my observations are that the training you would get from a local dive shop is more thorough. The resort courses for the most part cover the bare essentials and IMHO you would not want to venture in other than shallow, clear water with their training. The two most popular certifying agencies are National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). I would seek out a dive shop that offers either of these certifications. I have certifications from both agencies and both are very good. I have found that NAUI training is more thorough, but PADI is internationally recognized so you might have an easier time getting in the water overseas with a PADI certification. There are also Scuba Schools International (SSI) and YMCA certifications. I am not familiar with them but a shop I went to years ago when I lived out of state switched from PADI to SSI. The SSI program at that time was not as thorough. The shop owner told me one didn't need all "that stuff" that PADI requires to be a good, safe diver. Maybe so. Call me old fashioned but I feel that the more training you can get the better. I don't know how SSI rates now but that experience always left me wary of them.
As far as equipment brands go, I have good equipment, not top of the line but good. My wet suit is a Henderson, my regulators are Sherwood, fins are Scubapro, my tanks are Aqua-lung and my buoyancy compensator is Seaquest. These are all good names and there are others.
One thing I would do when buying at least major items of equipment is stay away from the internet. You can get good deals on the internet but if it doesn't fit right or work right a lot of them won't stand behind it and many local shops won't touch them if you didn't buy it from them. You don't want to fool around with that stuff.
Hope I've helped. If you're at Fort Campbell aren't there SF people there? Many of them are trained divers and could also point you in good directions.
I'm a PADI Divemaster in Tucson. We do our "local" diving in Mexico, around San Carlos. I would encourage you to get some training and jump right in, the water's fine!
It's still great diving. Our shop runs trips to San Carlos and we also host a beach diving operation about 30 clicks north of San Carlos. We camp, have unlimited shore diving and we run Zodiac boats all weekend. If you're ever this way PM me and I could send you details.
I love diving. only have about 20, had all the gear the great thing benig once you have it you can dive really cheap (air fills). actually Ididn't have tanks so rented them. problem was I had no friends that dove, and the friends I had gave me a lot fo grief if I dove alone. I would like to pick it up again though.
at one point I paid for my girlfriend and brother to take lessons, bought my brother a bc and all the basic gear. he never would make time or rent the extra stuff, she made a tropical dive and refused to dive cold water any more. :(
Red
I'm new to it but I have my OW and AOW/Nitrox and dive as often as possible.
For what it's worth I'm a SCUBA instructor
trained open water and advanced through PADI then went through the SSI system to become an Instructor and a platinum level (1000+dives) diver...I have personally certified over 300 divers and I love SCUBA!:rock:
I can tell you my thoughts about gear...( I worked in a dive shop and taught SCUBA classes and my little brother is an aqualung/seaquest master technician)
I don't think there is a BC on the market that compares with the SeaQuest Pro QD..
Aqualung Regulators (legend or Titan lines) are my preferred regs, but scubapros have treated me nicely too. Atomic regs are pricey, but good
Stay away from IST gear and Dacor (dacor is actually not a bad product...it's just that they have ceased production and will not continue to make parts for repairs or service).
My 2 cents;)
If you have any gear questions PM me and I'll give you my opinions... I've used almost every brand out there
Also buying from the internet automatically cancels the manufacture warranty for most major brands... they release statements for their dealers to post on their walls to warn customers...
As far as certifications courses go... YMCA actually started dive training, PADI has certified the most divers, NAUI is a good and technically thorough course, SSI is a VERY good program, and ALL are recognized internationally. All of the programs (except NAUI)are governed by the RSTC that sets the standards for dive training. Here is more on that RSTC business
Most of the differences come down to naming identical skills differently so each org. can sell their own books. All of these programs are great, and SSI believes that they eliminated one technique that PADI teaches because the technique itself was unsafe... SSI actually has the most conservative practices for things like ascent rates etc..... sorry to go on... to sum up, find the SHOP you like best and you'll get the training you need.
Another diver here....PADI Divemaster....fun stuff ;)
I was certified by NAUI and YMCA in 1965. Throughout high school and college, I dove almost every weekend, Winter included in the icy waters of New England. That came to an end when I got married in '73. I managed to make it to the Florida Keys twice, La Jolla once and just a few years ago -- Cozumel. That one got the saltwater in my blood pumping again. I wish I'd never stopped. My son got the chance to try it in Roatan a few months ago. Made me envious.
Certified technical to 170'. Was once thinking I would love to dive the Andrea Doria off the NJ coast. But I can't rationalize the additional expenses for the required certs at age 57. Love most all places to dive. Yes, even the quarry for training and practice. Never been narced, nor have I ever been bent.
Man, you guys have lots of certifications. I live in Florida and I'm only open water. I want to get my Nitrox, wreck diver, night diver, Deep, stuff like that. I live in No.Florida and we have cave and cavern's that are great for diving. A really extensive cave system called, "Ginnie Springs". I see guys there with Re breathers. That's the way to go if your cavin'.
Of course, I'm minutes from the Ocean. I have a Zeagle ranger ltd BC and Atomic Aquatics reg, amongst other stuff...
Been diving since i was able to get certified (13yrs now) and never really went beyond open water as far as certifications, though i did get AAUS dive certification. I love diving and that is what got me into marine science and eventually led me to the Virgin Islands (where i am working on my master's). The diving is phenomenal here compared to FL where i was born and raised. The Ningaloo Reef in Australia was better but who can complain... really because you just cant beat the feeling of being under water. I would propose that right now anyway, the best brands for regs are Apeks and atomic; however, as others have stated they are expensive. For BCs Zeagle is good, but everyone has their favorites.
In regards to the quote above I am wondering how they have NEVER been narced, epecially at those depths (170'), because everyone gets narced to some degree especially below 100'. My collegues and I routinely make dives to 140' during fish/coral surveys and everyone gets narced. Being narced isn't something you should be ashamed of though i think a lot of divers consider it some kind of weakness. The reality is that it will happen if you dive long enough. It may be minimal this dive then be severe the next, and the depth at which you are affected may change as well, which is why it's important to recognize the signs and react appropriately. If you just realize what is happening and dive within your limits you should be fine.
Most of the things you want to see are above 50' anyway. I love to hover on a reef and watch all the critters go about their daily business. What's really cool is that the little 'uns are first scared, then when they figure out you aren't there to eat them they ignore you, then it dawns on them that you're pretty big so you become protection for them.
Great wreck diving off Cape Hatteras. Not only the wrecks, but lots of sand tigers too. However, you will need deep water certs because most really cool wrecks are below 100', including a few U-boats. Be careful with Nitrox. It does give you more bottom time and less surface interval. But not safe below 135', depending on the mixture.
WWW.SCUBABOARD.COM
Great Site.
Just thought I'd start a thread to see if there are any divers on the forum. I just completed my PADI open-water diver certification this morning. I've been meaning to do it for a while as I was previously just snorkeling on the reefs in Hawaii but now diving has changed things immensely even after just a few dives to get certified seems like the underwater world is much more open now.
Any other divers out there? :D
Yup... There was another thread on this a bit ago.. but I'm a diver. FWIW I taught scuba diving with my two brothers for years (took a break last year when I moved, but I'll be teaching again in may). Love the water!:rock:
Since everyone is posting pictures, Here is a pic of me working on the back of a dive boat in catalina from a while back.,
Attachment 22248
and a picture of a WWII corsair wreck I dove.
Attachment 22249
Please visit Scubaboard.com. A very nice community of folk.
yup, padi advanced open water certified.
below are some pics taken with a very crappy disposable camera at cozumel last fall: (who knew disposables were watertight to 100 feet?)
Thanks for the link to the other forum for scuba equipment. Being totally new at this and looking at buying some equipment (BCD, Regulator & Gauges) any recommendations on good equipment that I should go for as a beginner?
Scubaboard will take good care of you.
What is your price range, and what is important to you (features, performance, etc.). I woud give you my honest thoughts on gear... as an instructor and having worked for years in a dive shop selling many brands, I have used almost everything and I can tell you what I like and why.
Not bad brands... Dacor is a division of Mares (that has been discontinued since about 1-1.5 years ago... they will offer parts for servicing until the parts run out, but many of these parts are somewhat generic). You can still see their products on their website, and many places still sell stock they have, but they are not manufacturing new products. That said, Dacor can probably be found cheap, but there are likely to be some support issues in the future.
Us Divers is a division of Aqualung (which also owns SeaQuest BC's) and is generally a pretty good brand. Now, unless you were buying the conshelf reg. you'd probably see their gear with the Aqualung name on it (unless you are buying the soft goods such as mask, snorkel and fins).
Also, in most cases (except for a few brands like TUSA) manufacturers do not support any gear that was purchased online. Online sellers will say they offer their own warranty, but you can't expect anything from the manufacturers... I always recommend buying from an authorized retailer, and many of them will let you demo gear in some way before buying (very important to at least try everything on before buying). Just for your consideration
Thanks for the info ... I put a thread on scubaboard asking for some direction also. I'm looking at Zeagle BCs right now and considering the Ranger, Scout or a BP/W. Any of you guys have some spare gear and possibly willing to swap for some straights? Drop me a PM :D