What to expect on my first "real" dive after OW/AOW certification?

[purbeast]

I'm going to the Keys on Thursday and we're staying in Marathon. Even though the reason for this trip was for Mother's Day, I've gotten the OK from the wife go to diving. I'm planning on trying to do a 2 tank dive trip Saturday morning.

Quick back story is that I got certified in March with OW and AOW. It was a total of 9 dives, and prior to that, I had 6 under my belt, 3 being DSD, and 3 being the first 3 of OW (on my first attempt - got sick and couldn't finish).

Now that I am going to be able to just dive, I'm a little intimidated by it. I really enjoyed the whole group feel to doing the OW and AOW dives, as we had a group of 8 for OW and 12 for AOW. We were all newbs and learning as we went, and I definitely could feel my skills progress in the 9 dives.

But now that I won't be with that group, I am a bit anxious/nervous about it. I'd like to do a shallower dive (30-40 ft maybe) so that I could just enjoy it and also work on my buoyancy a bit, as well as focusing on slowing my breathing down to last longer in the water. At the same time, I don't want to book a trip that has a bunch of experienced divers on it and then feel like a 5th wheel.

So I guess what I'm asking is, when booking and calling dive shops, what do I really say? Do I let them know my experience up front and what I'm looking for in a dive, and they will either say they can take me or not? Will I typically be buddied up with someone random when we get there, or will be go down in a more 'group' setting like we did when I did my training dives? When we did our training dives, there was also a group of 2 who were already certified that went down with one of the dive masters of the company and they just did their own thing. Is it going to be something like that?

I guess I'm just looking at what I should expect in this case, as I've never been in this situation and a bit intimidated by it.

 

[CuzzA]

I would suggest driving up to Key Largo for your dives. Many of the operations will have a DM for a guide. Explain your noobness and ask to buddy with a guide. You'll likely be in a big group too.

The Key Largo reefs are shallow. 10-40 feet. Clear water. May as well be a swimming pool.

Have fun. Don't sweat it.

 

[2airishuman]

My first post-certification dive was in the Keys.

CuzzA speaks my mind. Give Rainbow Reef up in Key Largo a call and they'll take care of you. They go to all kinds of easy, fun sites every day that are no more than 30' deep. They'll provide an in-water guide for no extra charge, usually one per 4-5 divers. Best way to get started.

If you don't want to drive that far, call Conch Republic in Tavernier, and ask them to provide an in-water guide and tell them you're new. They'll charge for a guide. They'll take you to a suitable location and you'll have a great time and get more personal service and probably a longer dive than with Rainbow Reef. Good way to go if you have the cash, especially if you're staying in Marathon.

There can only be one first time. Treasure it.

 

[Fishyhead]

I suggest that you be up front with the operator and tell them your concerns. You're paying for the experience so you should enjoy it.

 

[PatW]

Key Largo has shallow reefs bout 35’ if you stick your computer on the sand. There is usually no current and decent vis.

I dive Quiessence which does 6 packs. They don’t put a divemaster into the water.

New divers are not necessarily poor buddies. I have seen people with over 1,000 dives who seem to have not learned anything since OW and they forgot that. Conscientious divers try to learn and improve. The fact that you see the need to improve your buoyancy skills indicates that you are pretty conscientious.

You could dive Quiessence and join up with other divers. It would be better to go with a group that has a dive master in the water.

It is best to dive with someone who will keep an eye on you and vice versa.

 

[Clayton122]

I would also suggest you dont overload on tasks. If you have an underwater camera for example, I wouldnt try and bring it along until you have a few dives under your belt. Dont bring too many other gadgets. Try and keep it simple for now.

As everyone else said. Be up front with the operator, and they should be accommodating. Stay with your Boat Buddy, or near the Dive Master. If you are paired up with a crap Boat Buddy who refuses to stay near you, its your job to be the good buddy unfortunately. It can be frustrating though. Or hang out with the Dive Master.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Check out Rainbow Reef out of Key Largo. They are very newbie friendly (they put a DM/guide in the water with each group).

If your buddy is a space cadet, stay near the DM.

I did a OW (shallow) two tank trip with them and a AOW (deep) one. The DMs were great to deal with on both outings.

It can be a bit intimidating at first (going out on a boat without knowing anyone), but I will say that most of the people that I’ve run into like that are pretty cool. It makes for a good time. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Kimela]

Since this is your first 'real OW dive' I'd pay to get a guide in the water with you (you'll see more - you'll be less stressed - they can help you with skills if you let them know you'd like them to watch for things like hand finning, how you kick, etc.). Rainbow Reef has guides in the water (they're out of Key Largo) but you dive in a large group. You will pay $75+ for a guide (Keys folks, please help out with better pricing if you have it) and it will be worth it. If you're hiring a guide I'm not sure how much it matters which dive op you go with. Most 6-packs don't have a marine head - so if that's important to you, ask up front (it is to me).

Have a blast and Happy Mother's Day to your kind wife!!

 

[caruso]

I'm going to the Keys on Thursday and we're staying in Marathon. Even though the reason for this trip was for Mother's Day, I've gotten the OK from the wife go to diving.

I guess I'm just looking at what I should expect in this case, as I've never been in this situation and a bit intimidated by it.

This is rather troubling. First of all, don't be intimidated, make it clear that diving is something you want to do, in fact it's something you HAVE to do in order to relieve the daily stress that we all have to deal with, whether it's the kids, paying the mortgage, a difficult boss or client at work, or even a health issue.

If you can effectively communicate this to your wife, there should be no issues going forward getting approval when you want to squeeze in a few dives during a multi-day vacation. Just be sure to give her plenty of attention during the surface intervals.

 

[wnissen]

I was in your situation just about a year ago. I had just finished up "advanced" open water and then headed off to Hawaii for my first dives without an instructor. Some things really stuck with me. One, you really are on your own as a diver. If you don't go through a plan with your "insta-buddy" and do the safety checks, they won't get done. If you don't know where you're going underwater, you will end up surfacing far from the boat. If you don't know how to use your SMB, the boat may not be able to spot you right away. It's a humbling level of responsibility. Two, certification cards mean nothing if the person isn't a good diver. I've had buddies with severe buoyancy problems who have done Rescue (one step below Divemaster) and made dozens more dives than me. Three, the more experienced a diver, the more likely they are to call a dive. They aren't necessarily doing so for a safety issue, but this is recreational diving. If there are 5-ft swells out there, even if it's safe to be in the water, would you really be having fun being heaved around?