All taken at Cove 1
Best place in Washington or nearby for first dive?
- Thread starter carl1864
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I have a standing offer on here somewhere, but I'll reiterate it here: I am willing to go diving with any new diver who wants an experienced buddy to help them get a look at what's available to dive locally. I have some education in Pacific Northwest marine life, which helps me point out things that are interesting. And I love fostering the enthusiasm of people who are new to the cornucopia of life that is Puget Sound.
Kaspian7004
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I'm pretty much looking for places with a real good first diving spot, since after my first dive it will probably be a long time before I go again, I want my first dive to be as memorable as possible, since I just don't like the idea of being in murky water with junk floating all over.
I recently completed my OW and Dry Suit training. All six dives were at Sea Crest Cove 1 (next to Saltys). Given this is most likely the worst place for marine life in all the NW, we had a great time. Visibility was 25ft (until we kicked up a cloud). We saw lots of life including a rat fish, bottom fish, crab, lots of star fish, jelly fish, pipe fish, anemone and a hermit crab. This is an easy spot and there are lots of other divers on the weekend. We plan to try cove 2 on our next dive.
Crow
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We came across him (or some other quite large GPO) out in the open last Thursday as we were freediving. Friendly fellow, not the least worried about us and happy to hang out for 15 minutes or so. It just blows my mind to be able to play with the world's largest octopus species less than 30 minutes after leaving my house.
Alki Cove 1 seems like a great suggestion for the original poster. Thursday the sun was out and at times, looking up to the surface from the base of the pillars, watching the sun gleam and the fish school, it almost felt as though we were in Hawaii instead of Seattle.
-C
I would say that if you live in the PNW and learn to dive here but don't plan on diving again for several years that maybe this isn't the time for you to learn to dive.
There is no point in learning to dive and then not going diving for several years. Learning to dive isn't something that's over once the class ends.
However, if you just aren't sure whether or not you would like it that's another matter...just try it.
I agree that Keystone is about the most scenic place that you would be likely to find a dive class offered. Keep in mind that most of the OW certification process isn't about sight seeing .
I can't actually remember much of anything that I saw until after I got certified. You will remember Keystone however.
The water is not murky. It is cold and the viability averages about 15 feet but within that 15 feet it's usually pretty clear. It doesn't look like those video's you are talking about. You aren't really aware of the green. It's not dirty either.
As others have mentioned look at still photo's of what's available here and you will see that it is interesting and fairly colorful.
There's a lot of diving available here for the price of an air fill and renting or buying scuba gear.
None of us (or very few) would be diving here if it was dirty and murky with nothing much to see.
There is no point in learning to dive and then not going diving for several years. Learning to dive isn't something that's over once the class ends.
However, if you just aren't sure whether or not you would like it that's another matter...just try it.
I agree that Keystone is about the most scenic place that you would be likely to find a dive class offered. Keep in mind that most of the OW certification process isn't about sight seeing .
I can't actually remember much of anything that I saw until after I got certified. You will remember Keystone however.
The water is not murky. It is cold and the viability averages about 15 feet but within that 15 feet it's usually pretty clear. It doesn't look like those video's you are talking about. You aren't really aware of the green. It's not dirty either.
As others have mentioned look at still photo's of what's available here and you will see that it is interesting and fairly colorful.
There's a lot of diving available here for the price of an air fill and renting or buying scuba gear.
None of us (or very few) would be diving here if it was dirty and murky with nothing much to see.
Thanks for all the posts. You guys have gotten me a little more excited about it. I've been looking through all the pages at theperfectdive.com .
I do have a couple other questions.
1. Are all the dive schools pretty equal as far as their classes, and price? Or are there some classes that are much cheaper, or much better quality? Any recommendations of a good dive school for me, based on what I've talked about in this post?
2. I saw an ad once, it actually came from girldiver.com (Even though I'm a manl), and they offered to take a picture slideshow of your dive, and as far as I know it was pretty much included in the normal price? Is this common? I'd really want to take my classes at a place that could give me some good pictures or video afterwards, without jacking up the price?
3. I always hear people talk about certain places being colder than others, but do you actually feel a difference? What I mean by that is, if it was colder, wouldn't the school just provide you with a thicker wetsuit that equals everything out?
4. After your certified, but assuming you don't own any of the gear (other than the snorkel and swim fins and stuff your required to buy), how much does it actually cost to rent everything you need to go on a dive? I hear so many people say its really affordable, however one person's "affordable", is another person's "too expensive". (I have a rich person in my family that talks like just dropping $50K on something out of the blue as being very affordable, as if anybody can do it)
I do have a couple other questions.
1. Are all the dive schools pretty equal as far as their classes, and price? Or are there some classes that are much cheaper, or much better quality? Any recommendations of a good dive school for me, based on what I've talked about in this post?
2. I saw an ad once, it actually came from girldiver.com (Even though I'm a manl), and they offered to take a picture slideshow of your dive, and as far as I know it was pretty much included in the normal price? Is this common? I'd really want to take my classes at a place that could give me some good pictures or video afterwards, without jacking up the price?
3. I always hear people talk about certain places being colder than others, but do you actually feel a difference? What I mean by that is, if it was colder, wouldn't the school just provide you with a thicker wetsuit that equals everything out?
4. After your certified, but assuming you don't own any of the gear (other than the snorkel and swim fins and stuff your required to buy), how much does it actually cost to rent everything you need to go on a dive? I hear so many people say its really affordable, however one person's "affordable", is another person's "too expensive". (I have a rich person in my family that talks like just dropping $50K on something out of the blue as being very affordable, as if anybody can do it)
Furnari
Contributor
Hi Carl- glad to hear you're getting more into it
I can help with one of your other questions:
3. Usually if you're in a wetsuit in the PNW, it'll be a Farmer John-style 7mm. That means a 7mm jacket over 7mm bib overalls, giving you 14mm over your core. I dove mine in water temps from 38 - 55 degrees before switching to a drysuit. It wasn't so much the coldness of the water that got to me as it was doing multiple dives and multiple surface intervals. I figured as often as I was going diving, I would get a lot more out of it going dry, and I was right. Price wise, you can get a used wetsuit from 50 bucks, and my used drysuit was 500 from my local shop. Big difference, but worth it. A lot of shops will let you do OW class in a drysuit (and rent it to you, too), so there's always that option. There's some additional skills required for diving dry, but overall it's not a big deal.
Good luck!
I can help with one of your other questions:
3. Usually if you're in a wetsuit in the PNW, it'll be a Farmer John-style 7mm. That means a 7mm jacket over 7mm bib overalls, giving you 14mm over your core. I dove mine in water temps from 38 - 55 degrees before switching to a drysuit. It wasn't so much the coldness of the water that got to me as it was doing multiple dives and multiple surface intervals. I figured as often as I was going diving, I would get a lot more out of it going dry, and I was right. Price wise, you can get a used wetsuit from 50 bucks, and my used drysuit was 500 from my local shop. Big difference, but worth it. A lot of shops will let you do OW class in a drysuit (and rent it to you, too), so there's always that option. There's some additional skills required for diving dry, but overall it's not a big deal.
Good luck!
carl1864, there is definitely a big difference between certification classes, and I would VERY highly recommend not using price as a determining factor for deciding where to get certified, particularly if you are a little ambivalent about local diving. Cheap classes give you very little pool time to become accustomed to your equipment and get comfortable in the water, and often run large groups of students through their OW dives, which results in very poor visibility and signfiicantly increased diver stress.
I would look for a shop that offers a lot of pool time (Bubbles Below in Woodinville, for example, has six pool sessions of 1 1/2 hours apiece). I'd also look for a shop that makes a point of low student to staff ratios. Open water dives in the training sites in the Sound WILL be low viz dives, because new divers really can't help disturbing the bottom sediments, and it's important to have a lot of supervisory folks in the water. Puget Sound is also cold, so sitting on the bottom awaiting your turn to do skills is not fun.
My personal recommendations are going to be a little skewed, but I'd highly recommend Brian Wiederspan of frogkickdiving.com as an open water instructor. Scott Lundy, who teaches through Northwest Sports Divers, would be another good choice. And my husband, Peter Guy here on SB, is an independent instructor who brings experience in cave and technical diving to his teaching, and also offers the ability to be very flexible on schedule (see, I told you it would be skewed!) Of course, some things depend on where you are near Seattle -- if you are in the south end, I can talk to some friends and get recommendations for down there.
I'm not sure what rental costs are, but I believe Bubbles rents a regulator and BC for about $30 a day (not sure if that includes wetsuit, but you would want to buy that, because proper fit is critical for a wetsuit to work to keep you warm. Luckily, wet suits aren't horribly expensive.)
If you are interested in talking about educational options here, or just about diving, please feel free to PM me, and I'll send you my phone number.
I would look for a shop that offers a lot of pool time (Bubbles Below in Woodinville, for example, has six pool sessions of 1 1/2 hours apiece). I'd also look for a shop that makes a point of low student to staff ratios. Open water dives in the training sites in the Sound WILL be low viz dives, because new divers really can't help disturbing the bottom sediments, and it's important to have a lot of supervisory folks in the water. Puget Sound is also cold, so sitting on the bottom awaiting your turn to do skills is not fun.
My personal recommendations are going to be a little skewed, but I'd highly recommend Brian Wiederspan of frogkickdiving.com as an open water instructor. Scott Lundy, who teaches through Northwest Sports Divers, would be another good choice. And my husband, Peter Guy here on SB, is an independent instructor who brings experience in cave and technical diving to his teaching, and also offers the ability to be very flexible on schedule (see, I told you it would be skewed!) Of course, some things depend on where you are near Seattle -- if you are in the south end, I can talk to some friends and get recommendations for down there.
I'm not sure what rental costs are, but I believe Bubbles rents a regulator and BC for about $30 a day (not sure if that includes wetsuit, but you would want to buy that, because proper fit is critical for a wetsuit to work to keep you warm. Luckily, wet suits aren't horribly expensive.)
If you are interested in talking about educational options here, or just about diving, please feel free to PM me, and I'll send you my phone number.
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Oh, there's nothing colorful to see around here ... just a few silt-covered critters like these ...
In order to see the beauty all around you, you must first learn how to look ... it's just another "skill" that new divers have to master. Yes, certainly it's easier in the tropics where the water is warm and clear. But Puget Sound is home to some of the most unique and beautiful creatures on the planet. Learning how to spot and identify them is well worth the effort ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
In order to see the beauty all around you, you must first learn how to look ... it's just another "skill" that new divers have to master. Yes, certainly it's easier in the tropics where the water is warm and clear. But Puget Sound is home to some of the most unique and beautiful creatures on the planet. Learning how to spot and identify them is well worth the effort ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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