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Thanks for this thread. I'm in a similar spot (new diver, PADI OW/AOW but looking for... something different). My reasoning is the same. Beware -- especially with existing relationships you may encounter a little friction when you talk about the path you're choosing. At least I have. Kinda...

Witness the wonders of ScubaBoard... you started solving the problem simply by posting. I betcha got some PM's from potential future buddies, too, didn'tcha!? I'd dive with you! :D Fly me to Florida!? :rofl3: You sound as if you have a good head on your shoulders. By being frank about where...

I'm a new cold water diver (lt one year) who is PADI OW and AOW. With around 30 dives under my belt since the start of the year, I find myself... wanting. I stumbled upon UTD at a dive/travel show recently, and spent some time talking with the people there. I'm looking at the Essentials class...

I had read about these in a mag once, and got to see one at the Tacoma Dive and Travel show. I have to say after seeing them, I was more interested. But, alas, the price set me off. Basically, that little item suction cups to the upper corner of your mask. Your buddy has one, too. If you lay...

I don't see this thread as critical of the divers themselves, but looking deeper and implicating that their training was sub-par. Some would say those entrusted to train them failed them, for they gave them a C-card without properly preparing them with skills that give them a solid foundation to...

Even though I am comfortable in the water and have snorkeled (with limited free diving to get a close up look), this type of course would have totally freaked me out. It sounds like it wasn't right for you, and that's okay -- I don't think this is a serious issue for you in terms of learning to...

What kind of suit are you diving? If I do this with the White's Fusion, I have to keep adding air to the suit to maintain buoyancy because it comes right out. I use the suit for buoyancy only, I only use the BC to establish at the surface before and after the dive.

Where did you find the statements of what compatible strobes there are? I'm looking at the ZS6 and housing for a first underwater camera. Can't find this information anywhere for the model on the Panasonic web site.

I dive a White's Fusion and I crank the valve closed, then back a turn. That, I found out by trial/error, gives me a good balance when I have to manually dump (raising the left arm) and exhausts air during ascent at about the right rate, too. All open didn't work for me... it seriously would...

Just make sure your PCP knows what s/he is talking about when it comes to diving. They either need to be a diver, and/or specialist in diving medicine. An ENT w/ that focus is best, if you can find one in your area. I have heard of PCPs who, for lack of knowledge, will tell a patient who has...

I am not a doctor, I am not dispensing any sort of advice, aside from telling you to find an ENT who is familiar with diving medicine. Work with them to find a medically workable solution to your specific personal issue. My experience, as someone who has seasonal allergies of some sort in...

DevilKitty speaks a big truth here; one of the biggest "bumps" my diving skills have gotten recently was going on some dives where activities underwater took me away from my obesssion with self and all the minutia of what was going on and out into the world around me more. Amazing to realize...

I run down the PADI checklist for packing (http://www.padi.com/padi/common/pdfs/sd/DiversEquipList.pdf), and I dump it all in my Akona mesh bag w/ drawstring top if I'm boat diving, or if we're car diving I use a large Rubbermaid bin. Obviously I don't use/need all of the stuff, but it helps me...

Thanks for the talk about buddy lines. For new rec divers, I've thought in some conditions it would actually make a borderline dive doable -- but seems there isn't much talk about it as a viable, respectible option. One of my most productive dives was in almost zero vis at Redondo in WA when...

You're smart to consider the issue and bring it up with people -- frankly, I think it'll be a good exercise that will flush out some potentially crappy buddies that are more interested in just getting themselves wet than actually having a good team experience with another diver. I mean...

Sounds like a good call to me. That's one of the good things about having a well known, reliable buddy: the ultimate in redundancy! =-)

Thanks to all; I'm all clued in now. Most of the sites we dive are indeed areas where you wouldn't need to tow. I'll add those items to my next LDS shopping trip list. =-)

Here's your easy question for the day -- it seems so simple I can't bring myself to ask at the LDS (I've already made my stupid mistake for the month and don't want to go over quota). So far I've dove in areas where there are no boats, OR with a group where someone else had some sort of...

Welcome and congratulations! If there is water, you'll find people to dive with. Use this board and any other local/regional resource you can find! Be a good dive buddy, bring good snacks, and you'll be popular in no time. ;-)

In this case, I look at what you might gain versus what you are risking: In this case, the risk is DCS, a possibly life threatening condition, while stuck on an airplane without any way to do anything about it. And what might you gain? A few hours of convenience? This doesn't make sense to...