Got my foot in the door!

[Deskjockey]

I've just completed my OW certification checkout dives today and I have my temporary card. Hooray!! I certified thru PADI and I'm grateful because they got me started. I only mention it because I've seen a little (friendly?) banter about agencies. Dove Dutch Springs and there were 4 students, 2 instructors, and 2 DMs, just lucked out I guess. Everybody was great. The instructors were patient to a fault, we had lots of laughs but they also made realize that this is just a license to go learn to dive. Viz was great but I didn't see some of the sights because my instructors thought being comfortable in the water and skills were more important. I've got to start a buddy list of patient people who want to work on skills now!
Honey! I'm Home!!

DJ

 

[Greg Di]

I also certified at Dutch today with Blue Water Divers. What a great weekend!

All of my apprehensions were totally unfounded. My ears cleared without a hitch, my wetsuit kept me relatively comfortable in the 50 degree water, and my altobarometric vertigo kicked in everytime I figured it would (AA ascent and CESA).

I met some great people, had excellent instructors and learned my "triggers and remedies" for my vertigo.

When is the AOW class?

 

[Deskjockey]

Was glad it didn't rain today like it was supposed to. I've got drysuit and nitrox training first, then a real vacation before AOW. But I'm hyped too.

 

[H2Andy]

way to go guys... those first steps are in some ways the hardest... and then the
fun begins!

of course, the learning never stops.... so... go figure

 

[crpntr133]

way to go guys... those first steps are in some ways the hardest... and then the
fun begins!

of course, the learning never stops.... so... go figure

Now the fun begins, buying your own equipment. Or should I say trying to figure out what you want to buy.
:06:

 

[Greg Di]

Now the fun begins, buying your own equipment. Or should I say trying to figure out what you want to buy.
:06:

Haha...I bought all of my gear before I even hit the pool. I am involved in several other gear-intensive sports and knew that using your my own equipment during training would be better than using the rental junk the rest of my class had. No sense on not getting as much hands-on time on your own gear, right?

Perhaps my best gear investment (thanks to knowledge gained from this board) was my Henderson Gold Core suit. I was cracking up watching other people in my class struggling to get their suits on. A few even came up to me and asked how I got mine on so quickly.

 

[CBulla]

Congrats on the certifications! Its not really the agency that you certify with thats tooo important, ultimately, its what you do with the knowlege and who you become as a diver that makes the difference. Look forward to maybe diving with ya'll down here in the tropics if you make it this far, cause ya wont catch me in water where I have to wear to much neoprene!

 

[Deskjockey]

I'm not looking forward to sorting through hundreds of variations of gear setups in quest of an extension of my body. I was ready to hastily buy some gear but was counseled to try out a few things first and now I'm more confused than ever. But nothing ever came to me too so why should the proper gear choices be any different? Guess i'll log a few hours on the gear boards.

 

[Mako Mark]

congrats you guys

welcome to the circus

 

[scottyroz]

How did you guys like Dutch? That is where i got certified for both OW and AOW.