whodunit68
Contributor
I had a great second half of '08, mainly because I found diving. I want to continue my education, training, and experience. It's too cold in New Jersey/Philadelphia so it'll be 4 months until I can get wet up here (not yet diving dry). I don't want to wait. I travel extensively for work (mostly US, Mexico, & central America) so I can go any of these places pretty easily. I have some specific interests that I'd like to pursue. However, there are many discussions (and I agree in many cases) that suggest that specialties are only about card collecting and paying more $. I do firmly believe that a good instructor for *any* of the specialties can provide knowledge more quickly and tips that I may not have otherwise discovered. I think this is good. I want to figure out some things on my own but for some, I want someone there who is good at what he or she does. For example, FishID is something I'm interested in. I can read the book, look online, etc. In fact, I will. However, I was watching a guy on a recent dive trip who *really* seemed to understand what he was looking at, behaviour, and where to find types of fish. This takes years to amass this type of information. I want to spend a few dives with someone like that to get a start. Lots of shops/operators teach this course. I want someone solid (he wasn't an instructor, just very involved with REEF). How do I find one? Can you recommend a good instructor that you did the FishID specialty with?
Same is true for photography. I want to do this. Sure, I know what exposure means (wetsuit, right? j/k). I get aperature. I can even explain f-Stops to a novice. However, I want to use these things in an underwater environment to get the most of my time learning underwater photography. Any suggestions? I guess the long explanations are due to the many folks who say skip the specialties because they're a waste of money. I AGREE - sometimes. I did a wreck specialty and found a lot of value. That instructor said he's not the best for photo / fishID and didn't really know anyone but I learned a lot about what I didn't know about wrecks and that I better be really careful if I want to enjoy them - and live. I really got value from that time with him.
So, how do I find a FishID and an underwater photo instructor that will be worth my hard earned $?
next on the list is bouyancy. I did 58 dives since late August. I learned a lot about my bouyancy. However, I would have learned a lot more if I had spent time in learning mode with someone who really gets trim, bouyancy, weighting, etc. I want to do that too. There's more but figure I'd start there.
Sorry so long, thanks for the help in advance.
Same is true for photography. I want to do this. Sure, I know what exposure means (wetsuit, right? j/k). I get aperature. I can even explain f-Stops to a novice. However, I want to use these things in an underwater environment to get the most of my time learning underwater photography. Any suggestions? I guess the long explanations are due to the many folks who say skip the specialties because they're a waste of money. I AGREE - sometimes. I did a wreck specialty and found a lot of value. That instructor said he's not the best for photo / fishID and didn't really know anyone but I learned a lot about what I didn't know about wrecks and that I better be really careful if I want to enjoy them - and live. I really got value from that time with him.
So, how do I find a FishID and an underwater photo instructor that will be worth my hard earned $?
next on the list is bouyancy. I did 58 dives since late August. I learned a lot about my bouyancy. However, I would have learned a lot more if I had spent time in learning mode with someone who really gets trim, bouyancy, weighting, etc. I want to do that too. There's more but figure I'd start there.
Sorry so long, thanks for the help in advance.
