First wreck dive

[pir8]

My LDS is Langs Ski and Scuba, I live about 2 miles away from them and they are great with me. Everyone there has been very helpful, and the same with them in regards to pool use. I know getting a pony bottle is going to get used to as I've just started to get my trim working. Not the greatest at my bouyancy, but I can hover in a weak current so far. Still trying different weight distrubution and getting my gear hooked up right.

Still I've got a ALOT to learn just to be a compentant diver. Seeing how some of the people I dive with look like a toolbox in the water it amazes me everytime I look at how well they look in the water. I quess I look like a floundering seal and none to graceful I would bet!

And I still got some basic equipment to get, like a slate, reel, pony, another knife (ankle), spare part/toolsbox...etc. One thing I know this will be a lifetime of fun and learning!

Do yourself a favor and get scissors instead of another knife. Much easier to cut monofilament with. A definite Jersey hazard. Slate reel and lift bag are also good things to get.

 

[rscalzo]

While all of the suggestions for additional gear are fine, learning how to use them is also important. Using a reel and a liftbag is not as easy as it looks. A day at Dutch Springs learning the proper deployment is time and money very well spent.

 

[rhyz]

I've been warned on the reels, and watching the guys using them on my ocean dive I must say it didn't look to easy at all. It will take me alot of practice to use them.

 

[divekraz]

Rhyz I live in Jersey and drive down to hatteras in N.C. for the wreck diving. The gulf stream gets up that far so your temp is around 80 degrees in the summer and you get to see some tropicals. Viz is better on average of 50' or more. I dive with J.T. Barker who's in the book Deep Descent about the Andrea Doria. It's a 45' boat with only 6 divers max. e mail captjt@mindspring.com or www.capt-jt.com. Cost is $125 plus tanks and they grill hot dogs & chips for lunch or bring your own food and they'll cook it for you. The breakwater motel gives a 10% discount for divers. If you'd like more info let me know.

 

[Fordan]

I'm not going to my LDs till probably tomorrow, so a quick question. Is there a a different class to take for using the pony bottle, or is that wrapped up in the AOW? (planned on signing up for it tomorrow).

In the Scuba Diver class I took a few weeks ago, pony bottles were involved from the get-go, including pool work. I had assumed it was a regional difference, with all the classes in the area doing it that way. It seems I was mistaken?

 

[rhyz]

I quess so, we had no mention of pony bottles in class. But I got the information through my LDS upon inquiring about my AOW class, and doing the wreck dive. Looks like another couple hundred I'm dropping soon.

 

[scuba41girl]

You might want to look for a drysuit at Beneath the Sea in March. That's where I got mine and I saved about $400.
Also there is a new dive knife that is also scissors. You get 2 in 1 so it's worth it. I paid $70 at Beneath the Sea.

 

[rhyz]

Yeah the dry-suit has to wait for the time being....with the expense of a pony bottle setup, misc crap I need like tool box, compass (ordered) reel and such will put me over 5k in less than....what 3 weeks I quess. LOL Plus whatever I spend on the Sept vacation.....it's all justified to me but the wife might say different.

But I will note that for the future, and btw missed you at Dutch on Sunday, not that I would have recognized you anyway.

Edited: The wife has been an EMT for 17 yrs (Director now and almost retired) so I get them for free.