vladodessit
Contributor
Hello,
with my 10 yo son (I am 39 yo) we just got our c-cards in Cabo. He did great and is bigger and more mature then many 10 yo (at least those I know), great swimmer (actually getting competitive), pretty strong (carries more then his weight quite easily). Now we are at the point where we want to ask "What's next". Our original plans included mostly tropical dives but we figured that we need to practice much more often then just once-twice per year. Now we want to do some local dives to keep doing what we love. Where should we go now? We don't have most of the gear (except for mask-fins-boots-snorkel) and I am not inclined to buy much so far for 2 reasons:
1. My son is growing fast. At this rate we'll have to buy new gear very often.
2. I am not positive yet what exactly I want to get. BCD or W/BP? AI or non-AI?
So far I thought about finding some easy local diving, well within our comfort zone (specifically, within my son's comfort zone). This means no more then 40ft in decent viz and light to no current. We never tried beach entry but I can imagine that reasonable surf shouldn't be a big issue. We are planning to rent the gear for now (anyone knows the place that will have gear for 10 yo? Will Sport Chalet have it?) before we figure out what to put on our wish list. Any clubs or ops do something like this? Or will be too boring for most divers? Should I just plan more of shorter tropical getaways in our schedule o support the habit or you think I could fins what we are looking for around Los Angeles area? I am thinking about just plunging into it and take ferry to Catalina and go to Casino point. I am comfortable with basic diving skills but am not positive about underwater navigation. Going with a group would make me more comfortable but at the same time I don't want to inconvenience anyone (I was working on it but my air consumption is still well beyond of what I would like it to be, partially due to me trying to be VERY close to my buddy and help him with his buoyancy issues he's still having, which sometimes forces me to make sharper movements then I'd like, call me overprotective). Any suggestions?
with my 10 yo son (I am 39 yo) we just got our c-cards in Cabo. He did great and is bigger and more mature then many 10 yo (at least those I know), great swimmer (actually getting competitive), pretty strong (carries more then his weight quite easily). Now we are at the point where we want to ask "What's next". Our original plans included mostly tropical dives but we figured that we need to practice much more often then just once-twice per year. Now we want to do some local dives to keep doing what we love. Where should we go now? We don't have most of the gear (except for mask-fins-boots-snorkel) and I am not inclined to buy much so far for 2 reasons:
1. My son is growing fast. At this rate we'll have to buy new gear very often.
2. I am not positive yet what exactly I want to get. BCD or W/BP? AI or non-AI?
So far I thought about finding some easy local diving, well within our comfort zone (specifically, within my son's comfort zone). This means no more then 40ft in decent viz and light to no current. We never tried beach entry but I can imagine that reasonable surf shouldn't be a big issue. We are planning to rent the gear for now (anyone knows the place that will have gear for 10 yo? Will Sport Chalet have it?) before we figure out what to put on our wish list. Any clubs or ops do something like this? Or will be too boring for most divers? Should I just plan more of shorter tropical getaways in our schedule o support the habit or you think I could fins what we are looking for around Los Angeles area? I am thinking about just plunging into it and take ferry to Catalina and go to Casino point. I am comfortable with basic diving skills but am not positive about underwater navigation. Going with a group would make me more comfortable but at the same time I don't want to inconvenience anyone (I was working on it but my air consumption is still well beyond of what I would like it to be, partially due to me trying to be VERY close to my buddy and help him with his buoyancy issues he's still having, which sometimes forces me to make sharper movements then I'd like, call me overprotective). Any suggestions?