Got certified, now what?

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Did anyone mention getting dive Insurnace?


Now we just need to figure Dan vs Diveassure.

here, someone start a new thread on that...

I was just talking about this tonight w/ my better half. :p I have a Garmin Inreach connected to the iridium satellites that covers a medivac; however, not lost valuables or stolen equipment. I bought it years ago, because I used to do a lot of remote climbing and hiking etc... it's pretty awesome even posts to Facebook. lol

I'm curious about the "vs" though!
 
The Hydros Pro is a good BC, but a little pricey. It is also limited on the accessories that will work with it. Zeagle and Dive Rite make great BCD's that are very modular for usually a little less than the Hydros Pro. I personally am looking at a Dive Rite TransPac XT bundle which run approximately $750 - $900 depending on what configuration that you get and is completely modular and can be set up as everything from a lightweight travel BC to a full tech rig with a backplate and two bladders for full technical diving. My current BCD is an original Dive Rite TransPac from 1995, it still works great but is getting a little old and does not have some of the options that the new and improved version has. Before that I put over 1000 dives on my original Zeagle BCD and then gave it to my nephew in California.

Definitely consider the Dive Rite transpac and XT regs. They are outstanding. I just got back from a 7 day dive trip where all but one in the group were using XT regs and there was not one issue all week.

If a higher end computer is in your budget, really consider a Perdix. The Teric seems nice, but I really prefer the larger screen. And I know at least one diver who has already traded in a teric in favor of a Perdix. Seems like the idea of a watch style dive computer is not as practical as it sounds.
 
Wow, you've gotten a whole lot of people to respond.

Thinking outside of the box, join a dive club if one is available. You'll get a whole lot of good tips from your fellow club members and have a lot of social fun on the way.
 
Not much has been said on what certifications to go after.



There is a YouTube video out there that discusses them.



The video classifies certifications into 3 categories. One is BS. These Are the ones that no one ever anywhere will ask you for before going on a dive. They include things like underwater video and camera, boat and shore dives. Every dive I have ever done has been either shore or boat, once boat entry shore exit. You don’t need a special card for this. Same with underwater video or photo. While these might have been of value in the old days of film when you would pay dearly for the equipment and processing, coupled with not getting the results for a couple weeks, now with digital, just go take pictures and look at them.



He had a special distain for peak performance buoyancy, if you really need this extra training than your basic open water course was not properly done. It should have given you the techniques to use then only experience will get you good at buoyancy control.



If you need or want help in any of the skill areas, there are cheaper ways to get them, you can ask someone more experienced to advise you, you can self-study ( why get a aquatic life certification, just get a good reference book and look for the critters when you dive. )



In many of the BS category specialties you can always find another diver who has some experience and can advise you, after diving buy him a beer and pick his brain about underwater photography for example.



Never take a BS category specialty, there are easier and cheaper ways to acquire the same skills and



The next category was add-ons. These are skills not taught in the basic progression, that some divers might find interesting and informative. They included equipment specialist, dry suit and ice diving. If they interest, you then go ahead.



The last category was advancements. These are the natural progression after open water, advanced and rescue. This category included Nitrox, deep, wreck and cave. These are things you will need to show a c card in before a new operator will allow you to go on these types of dives. (OK one a responsible operator will ask to see before letting you dive.)



When I finished my advanced open water, I recalled the advice I got when I passed my private pilot flight test, I was told I now had a license to learn how to fly. Same with your basic and advanced certifications, you now have the basic skills to dive and need to dive and learn.



Observe others, question and learn, you will never be a perfect diver, but you can, and should, always be a better one tomorrow than you were yesterday.
:snorkel:
 
snip.

Accidentally double posted
 
He had a special distain for peak performance buoyancy, if you really need this extra training than your basic open water course was not properly done. It should have given you the techniques to use then only experience will get you good at buoyancy control.

I have never taken a “peak performance bouancy” class, but there are a ton of divers that make it through OW/AOW that still need help in this area. I am all for getting help from mentors, and dive clubs, but for some, just hiring an instructor is the most effective route.
 
I have never taken a “peak performance bouancy” class, but there are a ton of divers that make it through OW/AOW that still need help in this area. I am all for getting help from mentors, and dive clubs, but for some, just hiring an instructor is the most effective route.

Yes hire an instructor if that suits you, just don't spend the extra on a piece of plastic with your picture on it.
 
He had a special distain for peak performance buoyancy, if you really need this extra training than your basic open water course was not properly done. It should have given you the techniques to use then only experience will get you good at buoyancy control.

I hold a special disdain for instructors who make this course necessary and even moreso, instructors who sell a package of OW+PPB. That being said, it is an incredibly valuable specialty for those who need it. Downplaying the value of the course shows a lack of experience and understanding. I will agree the card is worthless but the skills are not.

If you teach OW and PPB because your students need PPB, you are stealing from your students. If you have the ability to actually teach a valuable PPB course, your OW students should not need it if you are giving a quality OW course.
 
Hi. I'll skip most of the equipment recommendations; were I buying fresh now, I'd either get a Shearwater Teric (I like rechargeable) or Perdix A.I. (some like swappable batteries you don't have to recharge), and I like air-integration so my computer logs start & end pressures and uploads to my computer, giving me SAC rate, average in addition to max. depth, and minimum temp. - and shows if I had a smooth vs. sawtooth profile. Oh, and for us big-footed folks, Deep 6 Eddy fins are sweet, and bring slightly positively buoyant, a nice choice for us 'foot heavy' folks (which a lot of wetsuit divers tend to be, I think).

I agree you'll want the nitrox cert.

If you want a whole lot of diving, Bonaire with a lot of shore diving, or a live-aboard, or a destination with an op that offers more than 2 mornings dives/day is the way to go. Tres Pelicanos in Cozumel and Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo both let me get in 4 per day. At Little Cayman Beach Resort or Cayman Brac Beach Resort I think you can get 3 dives/day, and maybe a couple night dives offered for the week. CocoView Resort in Roatan will do 'drop off' dives on the way back from boat trips, so you can fin back to the house reef and exit on shore, plus you can do shore dives. There are others.

Shore diving in Bonaire would let you go at your own pace without having to keep up with a guide, group and boat's time limit dictate. You can dive over sand bottom in places to reduce risk of causing reef damage while you practive skills. The island is big enough to be interesting, small enough not to be overwhelming, and at some point you'll want to try shore diving.

My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire Honorable mention for a larger alternative with more sandy beaches and topside stuff - Curacao Trip Research Notes
Curacao Trip Report with SB Surge Jan. 2019

There are many options for 1st live-board trips; I started out with the Sun Dancer 2 (now called Belize Aggressor IV), and later did the Cayman Aggressor IV (there's now a V out instead, larger). Here's a thread on picking a 1st Caribbean Live-aboard.

Any weight and trim dialing in you do in a cold lake will be off when you hit the tropics with a lot less exposure protection, but the experience will be useful should you later try diving California (cold, lower average viz. than some places, but really nice Channel Islands diving and has things you won't see in the Caribbean).

If you want the short version, here's what I suggest. Go to Bonaire. Focus on shore diving, get whatever skills practice and tropical conditions weighting/trim dialed in to suit yourselves and sense of how you dive in such. Yeah, visit the Donkey Sanctuary, spend a half-day driving through the park up north and take photos, but for the most part, 'dive the crap out of it.'

If that goes well, follow up with a high dive count trip. Key Largo, a live-aboard, LCBR, CBBR, CocoView Resort, and of those would do. I might save Cozumel till your next trip, as drift diving is a bit different, but let's be clear, Coz. rocks!

After that, you can consider whether you want to see big animals, lots of wrecks, visit kelp forests or otherwise get away from the 'underwater flower gardens' of coral reefs, go see something different.
 
Not much has been said on what certifications to go after.



There is a YouTube video out there that discusses them.



The video classifies certifications into 3 categories. One is BS. These Are the ones that no one ever anywhere will ask you for before going on a dive. They include things like underwater video and camera, boat and shore dives. Every dive I have ever done has been either shore or boat, once boat entry shore exit. You don’t need a special card for this. Same with underwater video or photo. While these might have been of value in the old days of film when you would pay dearly for the equipment and processing, coupled with not getting the results for a couple weeks, now with digital, just go take pictures and look at them.



He had a special distain for peak performance buoyancy, if you really need this extra training than your basic open water course was not properly done. It should have given you the techniques to use then only experience will get you good at buoyancy control.



If you need or want help in any of the skill areas, there are cheaper ways to get them, you can ask someone more experienced to advise you, you can self-study ( why get a aquatic life certification, just get a good reference book and look for the critters when you dive. )



In many of the BS category specialties you can always find another diver who has some experience and can advise you, after diving buy him a beer and pick his brain about underwater photography for example.



Never take a BS category specialty, there are easier and cheaper ways to acquire the same skills and



The next category was add-ons. These are skills not taught in the basic progression, that some divers might find interesting and informative. They included equipment specialist, dry suit and ice diving. If they interest, you then go ahead.



The last category was advancements. These are the natural progression after open water, advanced and rescue. This category included Nitrox, deep, wreck and cave. These are things you will need to show a c card in before a new operator will allow you to go on these types of dives. (OK one a responsible operator will ask to see before letting you dive.)



When I finished my advanced open water, I recalled the advice I got when I passed my private pilot flight test, I was told I now had a license to learn how to fly. Same with your basic and advanced certifications, you now have the basic skills to dive and need to dive and learn.



Observe others, question and learn, you will never be a perfect diver, but you can, and should, always be a better one tomorrow than you were yesterday.
:snorkel:
Hi. I'll skip most of the equipment recommendations; were I buying fresh now, I'd either get a Shearwater Teric (I like rechargeable) or Perdix A.I. (some like swappable batteries you don't have to recharge), and I like air-integration so my computer logs start & end pressures and uploads to my computer, giving me SAC rate, average in addition to max. depth, and minimum temp. - and shows if I had a smooth vs. sawtooth profile. Oh, and for us big-footed folks, Deep 6 Eddy fins are sweet, and bring slightly positively buoyant, a nice choice for us 'foot heavy' folks (which a lot of wetsuit divers tend to be, I think).

I agree you'll want the nitrox cert.

If you want a whole lot of diving, Bonaire with a lot of shore diving, or a live-aboard, or a destination with an op that offers more than 2 mornings dives/day is the way to go. Tres Pelicanos in Cozumel and Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo both let me get in 4 per day. At Little Cayman Beach Resort or Cayman Brac Beach Resort I think you can get 3 dives/day, and maybe a couple night dives offered for the week. CocoView Resort in Roatan will do 'drop off' dives on the way back from boat trips, so you can fin back to the house reef and exit on shore, plus you can do shore dives. There are others.

Shore diving in Bonaire would let you go at your own pace without having to keep up with a guide, group and boat's time limit dictate. You can dive over sand bottom in places to reduce risk of causing reef damage while you practive skills. The island is big enough to be interesting, small enough not to be overwhelming, and at some point you'll want to try shore diving.

My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire Honorable mention for a larger alternative with more sandy beaches and topside stuff - Curacao Trip Research Notes
Curacao Trip Report with SB Surge Jan. 2019

There are many options for 1st live-board trips; I started out with the Sun Dancer 2 (now called Belize Aggressor IV), and later did the Cayman Aggressor IV (there's now a V out instead, larger). Here's a thread on picking a 1st Caribbean Live-aboard.

Any weight and trim dialing in you do in a cold lake will be off when you hit the tropics with a lot less exposure protection, but the experience will be useful should you later try diving California (cold, lower average viz. than some places, but really nice Channel Islands diving and has things you won't see in the Caribbean).

If you want the short version, here's what I suggest. Go to Bonaire. Focus on shore diving, get whatever skills practice and tropical conditions weighting/trim dialed in to suit yourselves and sense of how you dive in such. Yeah, visit the Donkey Sanctuary, spend a half-day driving through the park up north and take photos, but for the most part, 'dive the crap out of it.'

If that goes well, follow up with a high dive count trip. Key Largo, a live-aboard, LCBR, CBBR, CocoView Resort, and of those would do. I might save Cozumel till your next trip, as drift diving is a bit different, but let's be clear, Coz. rocks!

After that, you can consider whether you want to see big animals, lots of wrecks, visit kelp forests or otherwise get away from the 'underwater flower gardens' of coral reefs, go see something different.
This is all awesome information. Thank you much! We're staying in Cayman coming up soon in a condo that is on the beach so we will be doing a lot of shore diving there.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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