ekewaka
Contributor
You should definitely take nitrox and rescue.
I have heard DIRF is good...
I have heard DIRF is good...
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spectrum:Do yourself, your camera and the dive site a favor and leave the UW camera at home until you feel your have buoyancy control and the fundamentals down pat. A camera represents significant task loading and an intense distraction factor that does not mix well with novice diving.
Pete
ekewaka:You should definitely take nitrox and rescue.
I have heard DIRF is good...
paradicio:So as my wife and I are approaching our OW certifications, we are starting to look forward to other classes that we might benefit from. Primarily I feel we should focus on our skills as divers first, and then switch to the more fun courses. That said, this is the selection of courses (in the order we would take them after completing OW) that I had planned:
1)[FONT="] [/FONT]Peak performance buoyancy
2)[FONT="] [/FONT]Underwater navigation
3)[FONT="] [/FONT]Emergency first response
4)[FONT="] [/FONT]Advanced open water
I figure by the time we complete those courses we should feel fairly comfortable with our skills and could then move on to wreck or cave diving or underwater photography, or any of the other fun stuff.
I’ve discussed this with the wife, and she agrees that (on paper at least) it makes sense. Does anyone with the practical experience think differently? If you had it all to learn again, which classes would you take first and why?
TSandM:Nobody's said this yet, so I will . . . The utility of the classes you list depends incredibly heavily on the instructor who teaches them. A peak performance buoyancy class that taught you how to achieve a horizontal and stable position in the water, correctly weighted and balanced, would be wonderful. Mine didn't.
EFR/Rescue, though, I think is an excellent combination for anybody who dives. If I remember correctly, PADI requires 50 dives to take it, though, which is reasonable; I think they want to make sure you have some skills of your own before you consider trying to intervene with others.
I'll echo Adobo, though . . . If you have aspirations to cave, DIR-F is an EXCELLENT class to take, whether you intend to follow the DIR pathway or not. DIR-F is the only predictable class for recreational divers that will teach you horizontal trim, non-silting propulsion, and a team approach to diving. It will also introduce you to the basic equipment configuration used by most people for cave diving.
Above all, get out and dive. The more you dive, the better you get at it, and the better you get at it, the more fun it is!