I know I can...but should I?...and when?

[John_B]

What I didn't know at 20 dives that I learned by 100 dives: Diving is easy when everything goes right, and a beyatch when stuff goes wrong.

The tech stuff isn't going anywhere, it will still be there when you are ready for it.

 

[BigJoshCRNA]

One of the greatest traits a technical diver can posses is PATIENCE.

There is no substitute for experience: not aptitude, not training, not skill, not gear.

Take it slow and enjoy!

I really appreciate all the advice, but this rings especially true. As I have perused different training programs, I find myself wondering exactly what it is that I want to spend my time underwater doing. So, for the next year or so, I think I am going to get as much exposure to all diving has to offer. I already have a couple more trips planned and I think I will try it all...wrecks, caves, photography, salvage, dry suit etc...if the deeper water is still calling my name at least I will have quite a few more dives under my belt. In the meantime, I want to get really good with my buoyancy and air usage. With that said, and I already have a peak performance buoyancy class under my belt, but I want to find a clinic or seminar to further enhance my buoyancy skills...any recommendations?

 

[DiverLS]

One of the requirements for diving the Red Sea is 50 LOGGED dives, signed by your buddy. I had to scramble for that even though I've been diving for 20 years.

That is not a requirement by the boat, it's a requirement by the Egyptian Government.

And the Red Sea is not all that great. The salinity is twice that of normal ocean water. It bleaches all the coral to beigh and there aren't many fish, it's been over fished. People say it's better down by the Sudan but with the piracy there right now I wouldn't come close.

For the money - I'd try another location. But the land tour, nothing beats Egypt it in the world.

Just my 2 cents.

And welcome to diving. I am working on my DM but it's real slow for me. I'm also just going tech, cave diving and I am excited. So I can identify with you.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

With that said, and I already have a peak performance buoyancy class under my belt, but I want to find a clinic or seminar to further enhance my buoyancy skills...any recommendations?

GUE Fundamentals with Bob Sherwood or Ed Hayes; or UTD Essentials with Andrew Georgitsis.

Trim, buoyancy, propulsion (frog kick, modified frog kick, backward kick, modified flutter kick, helicopter turns), technical equipment configuration, safety drills, valve drills, unified team procedures, liftbag deployment and other subjects will be covered and practiced with precision and the highest standards of the diving industry will be observed.

 

[Druid]

One of the requirements for diving the Red Sea is 50 LOGGED dives, signed by your buddy. I had to scramble for that even though I've been diving for 20 years.

That is not a requirement by the boat, it's a requirement by the Egyptian Government.

And the Red Sea is not all that great. The salinity is twice that of normal ocean water. It bleaches all the coral to beigh and there aren't many fish, it's been over fished. People say it's better down by the Sudan but with the piracy there right now I wouldn't come close.

For the money - I'd try another location. But the land tour, nothing beats Egypt it in the world.

Just my 2 cents.

And welcome to diving. I am working on my DM but it's real slow for me. I'm also just going tech, cave diving and I am excited. So I can identify with you.

This is going a bit off topic, but there are so many errors in the above post I can't just let them pass.

1. You do not need 50 logged dives to dive in the Red Sea. You need 50 dives to dive in the marine parks, but there are lots of dive sites that are not in marine parks.

2. Average salinity of seawater is 3.5%, average salinity of Red Sea is 4%. Any coral species that is native to the Red Sea will have evolved to expect relatively high salinity. I'm guessing that you dived in Hurghada, which has suffered from over fishing and coral damage due to building work (sand & rubble dumped in the sea). Had you dived in Sharm, Dahab, or the southern Red Sea you would have had a very different experience.

3. The piracy problems are in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, 800 - 1500 miles from the Egypt/Sudan border. I haven't heard of any southern Red Sea dive boats experiencing piracy problems.

For the money, the Red Sea is the best diving in the world. It's much cheaper for me than it is for you though It's certainly better than Bonaire (the only western hemisphere dive destination I've been to)

 

[drdaddy]

This is going a bit off topic, but there are so many errors in the above post I can't just let them pass.

1. You do not need 50 logged dives to dive in the Red Sea. You need 50 dives to dive in the marine parks, but there are lots of dive sites that are not in marine parks.

2. Average salinity of seawater is 3.5%, average salinity of Red Sea is 4%. Any coral species that is native to the Red Sea will have evolved to expect relatively high salinity. I'm guessing that you dived in Hurghada, which has suffered from over fishing and coral damage due to building work (sand & rubble dumped in the sea). Had you dived in Sharm, Dahab, or the southern Red Sea you would have had a very different experience.

3. The piracy problems are in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, 800 - 1500 miles from the Egypt/Sudan border. I haven't heard of any southern Red Sea dive boats experiencing piracy problems.

For the money, the Red Sea is the best diving in the world. It's much cheaper for me than it is for you though It's certainly better than Bonaire (the only western hemisphere dive destination I've been to)

Druid,

Thank you for the correction. I have been diving many times in Israel's Red Sea and have found it beautiful. One of the results of Israel giving back the Sinai to Egypt was over fishing and not protecting some of it's coral beds. However, not all Egyptian beds were destroyed, and Egypt learned quickly - the results being many beautiful places to dive in the Egyptian Red Sea!

I don't think it's off topic to encourage a new diver to follow through with his planned Red Sea dive. I'm sorry about someone's bad experience, but it's important not to generalize. It's like saying, "I tried diving once and had a bad experience, so no one will like it."

DiverLS makes a great point for keeping a log = some countries and dive boats require it. Also, a log is a great way to reference past dives for technical information (temperature, equipment, etc) as well as just for memories.

Also Josh, dive wherever you go. Carry-on your reg set, mask (& snorkel), and dive-computer. Throw your fins into your check-in bag and your will be ready to go wherever you are.

drdaddy