altaskier
Contributor
You're in the Chicago area (as am I), so you should learn about the Chicago Scuba Meetup (CSM) club. Monthly meetings downtown with fun talks (next one is June 17), Lake Michigan wreck charters (which you should not attempt until you've done several quarry days), and someone down at Haigh Quarry many weekends (this weekend several are at Pearl Quarry for the DUI drysuit demonstration event).
I got certified with my son, and it was quite a step from doing our certification dives to going out on our own so you have the right idea of wanting to gain experience. It should be pretty easy to find someone who can show you the ropes at Haigh; visit the CSM message board zone and go to "Find a buddy - local trips" (or contact your local scuba shop). I'd be happy to go to Haigh with you but I'm doing a wreck charter on June 8 and then I have some work travel in the second half of June, so no quarry trips for me til the first weekend in July.
I got certified with my son, and it was quite a step from doing our certification dives to going out on our own so you have the right idea of wanting to gain experience. It should be pretty easy to find someone who can show you the ropes at Haigh; visit the CSM message board zone and go to "Find a buddy - local trips" (or contact your local scuba shop). I'd be happy to go to Haigh with you but I'm doing a wreck charter on June 8 and then I have some work travel in the second half of June, so no quarry trips for me til the first weekend in July.