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I've never refused a dive buddy, but then as a working DM I never had that option. :-) I always tried to pair up divers with similar skill levels. New OWs with other new OWs, photographers with photographers, etc. The dive shops I've worked for didn't put a customer's gear together for them...

Glad I could help. :-)

I agree with what everyone else has said. It's probably just that you're a new diver and not used to all the exertion. Definitely stayed hydrated. I'd also suggest you make sure your mask isn't too tight, and try not to bite so hard on the regulator mouthpiece. And relax! You're on vacation...

Ain't that the truth!

When you're doing the DM course, where ever you end up doing it, I strongly recommend you choose a dive shop that offers unlimited diving to their DMTs. Also, take about 3 months to do the course. And while you are doing the course try to do everything in the dive shop and on the dive boat you...

Very cool! I did my DM at New Way Diving on Koh Tao in late 2014. I took about 4 months to complete the course then stayed on to work through April of 2016. Simple Life Divers is a good dive shop.

That's not ridiculously high. As others have already said if you don't feel comfortable then call the dive. There is nothing for you to feel embarrassed about. I believe as you gain more experience you'll get more comfortable. But I would suggest not trying such challenging dives for right now...

Glad to hear you had a good experience. When I'm leading divers I do my best to chat with them, gauge their experience level and team up divers at similar levels. Not all dive operations do that, however.

On an extended dive trip to Belize, on the last day, morning dive, right before having to surface we came across what looked to be about 2/3 of a meter of an almost 2 meter moray eel just poking out of a hole in a reef. My battery had died 10 minutes before...

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've still got some time to get all my questions lined up, but now at least I have a better idea of what questions to ask.

I'll be sure and ask the organization I'm going to be diving with specifically what their AOW course includes. Thanks, again.

Thanks for that clarification, Bryan. It seems that I can mix-n-match the certs once I get the basic OW cert (which I have from SSI). Am I understanding that correctly? I don't necessarily have to have the AOW cert from SSI/PADI as, as I mentioned above, I really just want to be able to safely...

I really just want to be "certified" for a deeper depth.

Hello, everyone. I am currently serving in the Peace Corps in Eastern Europe (with no opportunities to dive, alas), but after my tour is up I'm going to go spend 2 or 3 weeks diving in Belize. That's the plan, at least. The organization I'm going with offers a full range of PADI courses...

Ha! My father used to have one very similar to that back in the 70's.

As a new diver myself I can say that the advice to give it time and practice is very good advice. I got certified in Oct. '10 then went on a two week dive vacation to Belize in Dec./Jan. My first few dives in Belize I was the one ending the dives because of low air at about 30 minutes. As I...

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. @Keyshunter Yes, I did tell the folks at the LDS I was considering the AL Kronos because of its side exhaust. The AL Mikron was suggested because, according to the owner, it has baffles that can break up the bubbles a little more. Although I admit I may have...

I forgot to add that my planned diving will be in tropical waters, with some in the Monterey Bay area. Regards, Michael

Hello, everyone. I'm ready to buy my first regulator set and have been doing some research. I'd like to buy a regulator with a wider bubble dispersal than, say, the Oceanic Alpha 8 (I recently dove with a rental Alpha 7 in Belize), so I've been reading about the Aqualung Kronos. While...

Thanks for the clarification. That's what I thought you meant but didn't want to just assume. I'm not ready to buy yet but I'm trying to educate myself on what is available. So I do need to use more gear before making the final decision. Regards, Michael