Topic: Anybody here Scuba dive?

[GroovieGhoulie]

I'm just starting to get into it.  My fiancee is REALLY into it and now I'm getting started.  Any divers here?  Any tips or advice for a newbie?

[Rushoid]

Make sure the tanks aren't filled with helium. 

I've never had the chance to dive but someday I will. One of my life goals...

[tazzmann]

I am a rescue diver through PADI. My advice for anyone that scuba dives......breathe! I know it sounds like a 'duh' thing, but you would be surprised how many people try to hold their breath. 

Other than that, get a good quality regulator and a dive computer. The dive computer isn't a necessity, but after the first 150 dives or so, you will WANT one! LOL

[csendker]

Just like bikes, there's risk involved.  Take some courses & get good equipment & take good care of it.  Baby steps; don't do a 150' wreck dive on your first time out.  And if you're not in shape, attempting to get into a full wetsuit will really, really motivate you.  Oh yes, and never, ever use rechargeable batteries in your dive light.  Unless, of course, you enjoy the feeling of total sensory deprivation in 50' of water...

[GroovieGhoulie]

I am a rescue diver through PADI. My advice for anyone that scuba dives......breathe! I know it sounds like a 'duh' thing, but you would be surprised how many people try to hold their breath. 

Other than that, get a good quality regulator and a dive computer. The dive computer isn't a necessity, but after the first 150 dives or so, you will WANT one! LOL

I already picked up a regulator, (I know people don't usually buy them immediately, but I found a deal and I'm weird about using rental gear I put in my mouth), and I should be starting the classes in a little bit.  Of course, if I deploy, I'll have to wait, but we'll see how that turns out.

[martini]

Have fun, thats all I can say, diving is awesome!

[seaweb11]

My wife, myself and one of my daughters (15yrs when she started) all dive

...huge surprise to all I'm sure

[putnaja1]

I am certified- although I haven't been too much lately.. 

Just don't make the mistake I did.  PADI seems to be the overwhelmingly most popular- so I'd go with them for your certification.  I got my cert from PDIC, and I lost my card, it's not been very easy to find them so I can see about getting a replacement.  I might jsut take the cert class over though- as it's been 10 years or so.

[crash]

Starting diving in 1978, in the cold murky waters of the Great Lakes.  Lots of wrecks north of here in Lake Huron (place called Tobermory, Fathom Five Underwater Park).  Wreck diving is amazing.  Have done a dive since I got involved in these d@mn bikes, but that's the price you pay.

My suggestion, find a dive-buddy with large floatation devices (female I mean). And don't pick the tank up just by the valve (did they show you the footage of a tank going thru a concrete wall yet?).

Remember the old slogan, Divers Do It Deeper (used to have that bumper sticker until my Mother-In-Law saw it)  

[Rhonda750F]

Diving should be near the top of everyones must do before I die list.  It is awesome.  I was certified openwater1 in Egypt of all places at the Red Sea with NAUI.  It was nice but you definitely have to go to the Caribbean for some of the best diving. 

[GroovieGhoulie]

My fiancee is a divemaster with NAUI and so i'm getting involved in the program that taught her.  I hear NAUI is pretty good though.  I've heard some good and some bad about PADI, but I guess being the biggest, you are gonna get a good cross-section of opinions.

I REALLY want to get into wreck diving.  I think that would be soooo cool.  And regarding flotation devices, she's getting hers pumped up soon. 

[crash]

Grand Cayman is supposed to be amazing in the Carib.  But before I die, I want to do the Truk Lagoon.  I have seen pictures from there and all the Japanese tanks, aircraft etc at the bottom, covered with corals and everything else.  Just looks like another world.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Grand Cayman is supposed to be amazing in the Carib.  But before I die, I want to do the Truk Lagoon.  I have seen pictures from there and all the Japanese tanks, aircraft etc at the bottom, covered with corals and everything else.  Just looks like another world.

She just did Truk in May.  Said it was amazing.  It's something I would love to do, but of course, I would need to be pretty good.

One question about dive computers, and I am NOT trying to be a smart-ass:

What did divers do before the days of computers?  And if it was good enough for them, why is it not good enough now?

[seaweb11]

I don't have a dive computer.
They are for people who can't do the math Just kidding...a bit.

They are helpful when doing repetitive dives and especially when traveling by air.
The math formulas still work the same way, you just need pencil and paper.

[putnaja1]

I don't have a dive computer.
They are for people who can't do the math Just kidding...a bit.

They are helpful when doing repetitive dives and especially when traveling by air.
The math formulas still work the same way, you just need pencil and paper.

I kinda think of them like GPSs..  People have them in their car now, and have become relient on them.  Before people could have a GPS, they used a map, a sometimes even a compass. 

Seaweb is right, the math still works.  Dive computers are cool- they let you know exactly how long you need to wait at each decompression stop, based on the computer sensing your time at depth, etc.  It's certainly essential to know and be fluent with both- in case the dive computer takes a dump on you while you are on a dive.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

PADI Divemaster RxmanGriff here. It's a great sport. You'll be in another world! Take your lessons and learn well. Be safe and enjoy.

[el kabong]

my experience wasn't so great.  my very first dive was at the Club Med resort on Martinique, using their scuba equipment.  the "o ring" that seals the regulator to the tank burst at about 40 feet down, and i lost all my air within a few seconds.  i had to make a quick decision to swim up to the surface or further down to the dive leader who had a buddy tank and mouth piece.  fortunately i watched enough Sea Hunt episodes as a kid to know about the dangers of swimming fast to the surface, so i swam down to the dive leader and was sucking a dry tank just as i reached her.

i guess the lessons are, never leave home without an angel on your shoulder, and beware of resort equipment that might not be well maintained.

[Weatherman]

Enjoy the training and by all means stay within the limits of your physical ability and experience. You should be comfortable with a dive plan/site, avoid succumbing to peer pressure. Having a divemaster for a fiancee works in your favor. I have been all over the Caribbean and Grand Cayman offers the best all around experience and is a great place for beginners. Belize is my favorite, however a live-aboard is the way to go there.

Before there were computers everyone dove using the recreational dive planner, which is a more conservative version of the US Navy dive tables. There is also a version of this called "The Wheel" which calculates nitrogen absorption for multi-level dives. Computers provide real-time calculations for nitrogen absorption at any given depth and bottom time. I wouldn't dive without one. Since you are a beginner you should consider an enriched (Nitrox) certification once you are certified, and encourage your fiancee to do the same if she isn't already. It increases your available bottom time due to less nitrogen absorption and can help reduce the risk of decompression sickness during repetitive diving. A nitrox capable computer doesn't cost a lot more than an air only computer.

Have fun!
Dennis
PADI Divemaster

[my78k]

Biggest piece of advice is find the right dive club!!! The guys (and gals) you dive with are just as important (if not more so!) as the gear you choose.

I dove for a number of years but haven't lately...the club made all the difference in the world. Trick is to find a group that is experienced but still willing to work with Newbies (not unlike this site!).

I dove with that club for 4 years and through guidance learned a TON! Even made it to 156 feet! Narc'ed out of my mind and in the murky depths of Fathom % provincial park! Talk about dark...even on the brightest of days up there you can barely see your hand in front of your face...

Dennis

[Jim Shea]

I've done a lot of snorkelling around Bermuda; problem is, I hate the taste of salt water! 

[Toyman321]

I am certified- although I haven't been too much lately.. 

Just don't make the mistake I did.  PADI seems to be the overwhelmingly most popular- so I'd go with them for your certification.  I got my cert from PDIC, and I lost my card, it's not been very easy to find them so I can see about getting a replacement.  I might jsut take the cert class over though- as it's been 10 years or so.

My wallet was stolen a few years back... I had new c- cards in two weeks. Just contact them, I think it cost me a few bucks and a new card was in the mail.


Tips for a new diver? Be safe, enjoy it, and take it slow. If your going to buy equipment try eBay first, the number of people that buy gear and never use it is amazing. Just be sure it's maintained and inspected. And the most valuable tip... when getting into your 8mil farmer john wetsuit bring a bottle of baby shampoo.... you'll thank me later

Be safe and have fun!

[sparty]

I have my SCUBA certifications and I dive a few times a year when my wife and I vacation in the Caribbean.  When I was in college I did a study abroad in Australia and I got to dive in the Great Barrier Reef.  That was the cat's ass!

Sparty