Hello from India

[Old Man Dancing]

I'm currently in India, but I will be back in the USA next March ready to dive.

Although I got my open water basic several years ago, I'm pretty inexperienced. In fact, when I get back home, I plan to start from the beginning.

If you live in the Tulsa area and are interested in a somewhat inexperienced but enthusiastic dive buddy, I'd love to hear from you.

 

[eternaljonah]

How about some diving in India where are you based. we have a small dive operation here in the south.

 

[Old Man Dancing]

Well, apparently, I don't understand how this forum works, @eternaljonah. I tried to quote you in this thread and it appears to have sent our conversation as a private message. For any other readers in this thread, here is my reply.

I would LOVE to do that, but I'm afraid that it isn't likely. I'm at Hyderabad at a monastery and travel isn't practical. I plan to use this time to take a couple of online PADI courses and do some study on dive physiology. When I get back, I'll retake an open water diving course. I haven't been diving in years and my initial cert was through SDI, which didn't really impress me.

 

[flyboy08]

I use to teach in Hyderabad and dove Goa on weekends....it’s worth the effort!

Welcome.

 

[eternaljonah]

I'm at Hyderabad at a monastery and travel isn't practical. .

Sure no worries I understand , however if you change your mind there are direct flights to Pondicherry and we can always find a way ;-) Happy diving and enjoy the online course's

 

[TribalWolf]

Welcome to the boards. I'm from the Tulsa area, if you need any help picking who you want to do your refresher through let me know. I know 2 of them, I've met the 3rd.

 

[Old Man Dancing]

Thank you all for the welcome and @eternaljohah for his offer to help with diving in India!

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to ScubaBoard. A great place to be during surface intervals.

 

[drrich2]

Welcome. If it's not practical, it's not practical, but one thing to think about when you're somewhere far, far away that you may never make it back to...you may never make it back. At least on this forum, I don't see India pop us as a dive destination often. If you're already there, even 4 or so dives to see what's there and be able to say you've been might be worth something to you later.

If you've got your OW cert., a refresher course and some supervised dives in benign conditions might just fill the bill.

Regardless, have a safe trip back, and there are many destinations to choose from when you're ready.

Richard.

 

[eternaljonah]

At least on this forum, I don't see India pop us as a dive destination often..

Your right India is not yet an international dive destination, However, we have over a 100 Dive centers here and the market is growing every day with new centers and locations for diving opening. We have shallow reef diving as well as some deep wall dives and there are a variety of wrecks being explored that will become known in the next few years.

The Andamans Islands had alot of organized tours coming from clubs in Germany, Russia and england before the Government started to experiment with Boat permissions, However, I believe once thats sorted they will start coming back.

I wonder what the distribution of where Scubaboard members live is? I believe that the Asian presence is not huge yet. those of us from this side of the world are mostly dive pro's. Would love to see a chart. I wonder what the years ahead has in store for India but I'm sure that at some point it will become a destination. I mean Lakshadweep is probably the world most beautiful dive destination at this time.

Cheers