Greetings from Oakland, CA

[Marcus Leeper]

Just wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone. I'm new to diving, got certified last November in the Dominican Republic and went on 13 dives since.

Also I don't have a dive partner yet, so if anyone is interested private message me.

Marcus

 

[fisheater]

Welcome.

I'm always excited when new divers who were certified on vacation want to dive locally.

However, you need to be cautious and aware. Diving here is not like diving in the tropics. The amount of exposure protection needed to stay warm(ish) limits your mobility, requires lots of lead and creates buoyancy challenges. The lower visibility and the kelp require increased navigation and buddy skills.

That said, the diver here is great to excellent and once you've met the challenges of diving here, you'll be we'll prepared for challenging diving elsewhere.

I strongly suggest that your introduction to local diving be with a pro. You can either hire a DM or take a class. At a minimum, dive with an experienced and patient mentor. (NOTE: Unlike the tropics, here the DM on the boat stays dry unless there's an emergency. Local divers are expected to be able to plan and execute their own dives.)

Here are some good resources for you:

http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/ba_diving/newmontereydiver.html

http://www.montereyscubaboard.com/about-monterey-diving.php

Have fun and, again, welcome to our sport/addiction.


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[Peter_C]

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