Search results

One of my ways I keep cool when diving in the Florida heat boils down to 3 words: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I try to drink at least 20oz of plain old water 30-60min before entering the water & usually down a 64oz bottle of Gatorade when I'm out of the water & unzipped for a longer surface...

I too was just certfied recently and am an official scuba addict so welcome to the club. I also was just out in Colorado on vacation 2 weeks ago & while driving thru Durango happened to see a dive shop so I pulled in to chat for a few minutes with the owner (Kim). She was really cool & as we...

I'd make sure you're wearing some kind of exposure protection (a rashguard or diveskin) in case you run across any jellyfish or other critters. Also, if you think you'll be diving down at all & poking around for shells or other stuff (don't touch any coral) I'd have some type of gloves on for...

Pros: 1) You can't hear your kids fighting with each other when you're underwater. 2) Very relaxing, peaceful & makes you feel closer spiritually. Cons: 1) Re-acquainting yourself with gravity when getting out of the water with 50 pounds on your back. 2) Drain on the wallet whenever you step...

I just got my OW certification this weekend & my instructor's pet peeve was leaving a cylinder standing upright while unattended. His penalty was a six-pack of his favorite beer for each time he caught you. I delivered him a six-pack last night at his shop, which he graciously shared with me...

Thanks for the number. I talked with the park manager yesterday & she's good with a temp card as long as you have a photo ID to prove you're the card holder. It's also VERY cheap to dive there. Only $ 6.47 per diver which includes your admission to the park. Can't beat that for a fun, easy...

I have a few questions about diving at Alexander Springs. I just earned my PADI OW certification this weekend (woo-hoo!! I had a blast doing it!!) & would like to go down to Alexander sometime in the next month or so to dive (with another buddy). I was there snorkeling with the family in late...

Thanks for all of the great input guys. It's interesting to see the variety of opinions on this topic. After talking to my friend who did the drift dive, he said that he's never felt that he didn't receive adequate training (he's since done dives in 2 other springs & once in the Keys without...

I have a question for the instructors out there. I was talking with 2 friends who are certified (1 a few years ago & 1 within the last year) about their OW checkout experiences. My friend who was certified a while ago said that he did a total of 4 checkout dives (2 in one spring on one day, 2...

I just completed my knowledge reviews this weekend & my instructor spent a good amount of time teaching us how to use the RDP. In addition to the problems that were on the knowledge reviews in the PADI book, he also had problems on the quizes and 5 or 6 problems on the final exam as well. Some...

What a fantastic idea ClayJar! This would be really cool for brand new divers to have available to them so they could practice & fine tune their skills in a fun environment in between actually going on open water dives or taking a formal class. Do you charge a fee for participating in this & if...

Thanks for the input. I got another definitive "OK" from the GP the other day on a followup phone call with the same advice about letting the instructor know ahead of time. It feels much better when taking the 800mg IB but I'll still have to be very gentle doing the seated entry skill from the...

Just came home from a fun, albeit somewhat short afternoon of snorkeling at Salt Springs, Florida. It was great to visit this spring again as I hadn't snorkeled there in nearly 20 years & most importantly it served to scratch the itch to "get wet" one last time before my long-awaited OW class...

Has anyone ever had a tailbone (coccyx) injury & still been able to dive? I injured my tailbone last weekend from a fall (slight fracture at the top of the bone) & am scheduled to begin my OW class on Memorial Day weekend. My general practitioner seems to think it may be OK to do class since...

Hi Dan - Another Jacksonville resident here & soon to be diver during the first week of June. Welcome to ScubaBoard.

I recently bought a Pinnacle Elastiprene 3mm wetsuit & have only used it a handful of times, all in fresh water. My outside seam tape on top of the lower neck seam has come completely unglued but is still attached at both ends. I'm pretty disappointed in this, as I really love this suit & a suit...

Desi- The best time to see them is mid-winter (Jan/Feb) when the Gulf water is too cold and they congregate in the springs & near the power plants. We spent the first day just kayaking the bay & at 3 Sisters Spring. The next morning we went on a group boat to do the snorkel trip. As for...

That would make sense since the eustachian tubes are sloped slightly downward from the ears to the sinuses. Thus if you were inverted (head down) you're actually trying to force air against this "incline". I think I recall my kids' pediatrician telling us once that young children whose...

Well here's a few manatee shots from my recent trip to hold you over until you can get down here to see them. Note the one with his head & tail up behind the kayak! Enjoy!

I agree wholeheartedly as well. I think most LDS owners will be happy to do the little extras for you down the line if you bring some big ticket business their way, especially in this economy.