Greetings from the Netherlands...

[El Orans]

Hi there,

Greetings from Dordrecht, the Netherlands.

My wife and I took up diving some months ago. A few friends introduced us to it and the tales they told were interesting enough to try it ourselves.

In april we got certified (IDD OW). At first, we rented our gear. But renting is pretty expensive and picking it up and returning proved very time consuming.
So, last month we bought 2 full sets and have been diving weekly ever since.

Most dives have been in the Netherlands but after we have concluded our AOW (somewhere in september) we'll probably have a look elsewhere.

We would like to be certified as Rescue Divers somewhere next year. One of the prerequisites is a recent first aid certification.
We can do that with IDD but I read that DAN also has first aid courses. Does anyone have any info about those?

Furthermore, I'd like to do the (DAN) Oxygen Provider course as well. Is it better to do that later in your experience?

Kind regards,

Laurens

 

[PaulB]

Welcome to the boards

How is the diving in the Netherlands?

For information on DAN courses, you can go to their site or call them up. I'd tell you myself but I have no idea, but I can point you in the right direction

 

[scuba_junkie]

Welcome to the scubaboard!

 

[crazed_dolphin]

Hello El Orans and welcome to the board.

 

[Kayla]

... to the boards! Have fun and dive safe!


Kayla

 

[El Orans]

PaulB once bubbled...
How is the diving in the Netherlands?

Diving is pretty good, visibility not as good (usually a few meters, although it is better in salt water). There are plenty of fish to be seen even though they're not as colourful as in the tropics.

That's why I'm looking forward to january 2004 when I hope to be diving at the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve in New Zealand.

 

[watersprite]

Hi Laurens!

Welcome to the board from another 'Dutchie' too!
Lol... diving is pretty good here? where did you go diving?

Well, I shouldn't laugh too hard... I can't say much about the diving here yet. I only went diving in the lake (my 1st fresh water dive!) at Vinkeveen. Did you dive there yet?

On a 45 minute dive we saw - yea, really, this is shocking... - F I V E tiny fishes (and only because we really searched for them, they only showed up after we pointed our lights in a wreck!). Visability was 1 metres up to 10 metres. At a depth of 10 metres it felt like doing a night dive... you couldn't see a thing without a light.

I'm going to do my first dive in Zeeland tomorrow. I'm very excited to dive there!! I hope it's MUCH MUCH better than the other dive spot I tried!

Watersprite aka 'Dutch Holiday Diver'

 

[watersprite]

PS.

Laurens, if you're going to New Zealand, then make sure you dive the Rainbow Warrior Wreck of Greenpeace at the Bay of Islands (North Islands). It's an awesome wreck!

 

[El Orans]

So far it has been Vinkeveen, Oostvoorne en Dreischor. But then I've only logged 12 dives after certification.

I usually have approx. 4 meters visibility at Vinkeveen. However, last wednesday there were quite a lot of students there. And they were quite good at "klunen". You know, walking in stead of swimming. Nothing better to mess up visibility.

 

[El Orans]

watersprite once bubbled...
PS.

Laurens, if you're going to New Zealand, then make sure you dive the Rainbow Warrior Wreck of Greenpeace at the Bay of Islands (North Islands). It's an awesome wreck!

I've got 2 days available and I will be staying at the Bay of Islands. So, it could happen. Another possibility is the 2 naval ships that they have sunk there.