Hello All,

[jhunt]

I am new to the site, seems many Google searches send me here, thought I would join.

I live in the North West, but am really a vacation diver. I have recently ventured out on a solo travel adventure diving, am hoping to find ideas on future trips, equipment etc, and perhaps dive buddies. Looking forward to exploring the site.

Jan Hunt

 

[Scubachris743]

Welcome. Where have you dove so far?

 

[jhunt]

I was actually certified in the Whidbey Island Washington area, but wow, too cold for me, so off I went with my oldest son to many warmer climes!
Caribean, Belize, Bonnaire.......last year a fabulous trip to Fiji and just got off the Cayman Agressor a couple weeks ago.

As much fun as vacations are, I wish I could dive more consistently to hone my skills, especially navigation! Totally lost underwater.

Any suggestions on where I could go to practice navigation skills?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Welcome to SB! You can really hone your navigation skills anywhere...even on land. Try to navigate in a full square ending up at your starting point using a dive compass and not cheating by looking up(put a towel over your head if you're tempted to peek).

 

[drrich2]

Welcome. I'm hoping to try this Cayman Aggressor this year; hope it was a great trip for you.

Richard.

 

[jhunt]

Welcome. I'm hoping to try this Cayman Aggressor this year; hope it was a great trip for you.

Richard.

 

[jhunt]

I don't have any other live aboard to compare it to, but I had a fabulous trip. I went as a solo traveler (first time for me) and I was a little worried about finding a buddy. The other guests were very friendly, the crew was great, I think fun was had by all. I would go again . I just found the emojis! Thanks for the welcome. Jan

 

[NYCNaiad]

Welcome, Jan! I was certified in cold water as well (quarry in PA), but am a warm water diver who takes a lot of dive vacations. (Once in a blue moon, I'll dive cold.) I do a lot of solo dive vacations myself because my local buddies either can't afford it, want to go to the same places or can't take time off.

Solo dive travel has worked well for me.

 

[jhunt]

Thanks for the encouragement. A live aboard seemed like a doable first attempt at solo travel and the Caribbean is very easy to get to. I hope to work up to farther places in time. Any suggestions? I admit to being a little timid! Jan

 

[NYCNaiad]

Thanks for the encouragement. A live aboard seemed like a doable first attempt at solo travel and the Caribbean is very easy to get to. I hope to work up to farther places in time. Any suggestions? I admit to being a little timid! Jan

If you're feeling a little timid, why not go on a trip with your local dive shop (LDS) or your local dive club? Going with your LDS or dive club can be the best of both worlds: you don't need a friend to go with you, but you still have an instant group of people to pal around with there. I've done it 2x with my LDS & 2x with my local dive club. I had a blast! There are multiple dive shops in my area, but just this year my LDS is going to:

• Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys (Liveboard)
• 1000 Islands, Canada
• Mexico
• Solomon Islands (Liveaboard)
• Bahamas (Liveaboard)
• Bunaken and the Lembeh straits, Indonesia
• Grand Cayman

Speaking of Grand Cayman...if you are a sociable person, there are tons of hotels/resorts/lodges whose main guests are divers. A dive lodge I've been to & liked that wasn't too far away was Sunset House in Grand Cayman. One that I liked that was far was Sangat Island in the Philippines. I am also volunteering my time to help a couple open up Blue Pearl Island in French Polynesia.

What's nice about many of us is we love to chat with other divers even strangers. It's not difficult to strike up a conversation when you first arrive at a dive lodge. Just go to the bar, get a drink & ask the people around you what their favorite dive sites are there. It's likely you won't be able to get them to shut up. lol

Happy diving!