Hello from a newbie in Ohio

[Mystical Dragon]

Hello everyone,

I'm just getting into diving. I work with a non profit that clears hazards from area waterways. We were removing some rebar from a whitewater feature in Dayton ohio. the base of it was out of snorkel range. After we got done the COO mentioned that they had considered getting a couple people scuba certified even though we are usually only in 5-20 feet of water. I started doing some research and it snowballed from there.

I did my try/discover scuba class Sunday and had a blast. We spent about 30-45 minutes in the deep end of the pool. It was wild swimming under others, but so natural being in the water. I signed up for my open water certification the next day through Padi because they are doing classes ten minutes away vs 40 and the days work better. I'm still debating between Padi and SDI for training overall. I know there is alot of personal opinion on the matter. I might try a little from each.

If everything goes well with my open water class, I plan on taking more classes, especially AOW right away, nitrox, rescue (since so many say its so good) search and navigation (since this likely will correlate and help with work)and anything else that people highly recommend or that sparks my interest.

I have Gilboa Quarry 2.5 hours away, another one 45 minutes and another in town. I don't expect to take any trips outside the country so will be focused in the surrounding areas for now. Maybe some trips to North Carolina or Florida down the road.

I spent 2.5 hours in one of two local shops yesterday. They really explained and taught me so much about equipment. How various regulators work, why some are better than others especially in the colder ohio waters. Its helped me narrow down choices.

One shop has the Dive rite XT2 package and another has the Apex Xtx50. I'm leaning towards the Apeks even though its about $200-250 more. I'm just trying to decide if the extra money will be worth it overall.

I'm still not decided on a wing BCD yet and looking at options. The zeagle covert was a suggestion. Since I don't plan on traveling do I really need to save the weight with it?

I'm certainly getting a shearwater computer, just trying to decide on which one. I may go big with the perdix and buy it once.

Here I was thinking that kayaking was a rabbit hole with gear lol.

 

[Pedroo]

Maybe before you start buying equipment, get more experience and try different brands and configurations.

 

[Chiefvest]

i have to agree with Pedroo 100%. I made the mistake buying gear immediately,
just to found out after some more diving that i wish i had bought a BPW right off the bat instead. Rent different types of regs and bcds each time you dive and see what you like

 

[Jhgt2d]

Hey, I live 35 minutes from white star and 1.5 hours from gilboa. If you ever wanted to try and set some diving up let me know. I have some gear you could try if you wanted to test dive some stuff before you buy your first set of gear.

 

[mrtechbench]

I saw this on one of the fb groups I'm in. Ryan at AAO is a friend and great. I don't remembrance which other shops you were looking at, but glad to hear you're getting into diving no matter where you go.

 

[Mystical Dragon]

I saw this on one of the fb groups I'm in. Ryan at AAO is a friend and great. I don't remembrance which other shops you were looking at, but glad to hear you're getting into diving no matter where you go.

I joined the ohio and columbus FB groups that i could find. I went to the AAO club meeting thursday which was ok, just harder to interact with people with nature of the venue. Not to mention the 90+ degree heat (yes im a wimp with the heat as I love the cold lol)

I'm debating going to Gilboa next weekend since they are going diving over 2 days. It would be just to hang out though and try to learn and see what various people have and why. Maybe I would snorkel while they dove. However its a 2.5 hour drive so I haven't decided if it will be worth it or not.

Ryan really impressed me. Especially when he took over 2.5 hours to really explain and go through how various things worked, especially the regulators, to help me understand why something is recommended and the advantages. That is what i hope to see and experience because I want to learn all aspects.

I was also looking at CSI because so many say its a go to shop. I'm doing my OW course that starts thursday through them because they are doing classes in newark. It saves me 30+ minutes driving each way.

I've really not settled on a preferred shop yet. I'm really just evaluating them each time I visit. especially when I ask more detailed questions as my learning and experience expands. Ryan taking the time was hands down the best experience so far. I may utilize both.

 

[8mb]

Hello everyone,

I'm just getting into diving. I work with a non profit that clears hazards from area waterways. We were removing some rebar from a whitewater feature in Dayton ohio. the base of it was out of snorkel range. After we got done the COO mentioned that they had considered getting a couple people scuba certified even though we are usually only in 5-20 feet of water. I started doing some research and it snowballed from there.

I did my try/discover scuba class Sunday and had a blast. We spent about 30-45 minutes in the deep end of the pool. It was wild swimming under others, but so natural being in the water. I signed up for my open water certification the next day through Padi because they are doing classes ten minutes away vs 40 and the days work better. I'm still debating between Padi and SDI for training overall. I know there is alot of personal opinion on the matter. I might try a little from each.

If everything goes well with my open water class, I plan on taking more classes, especially AOW right away, nitrox, rescue (since so many say its so good) search and navigation (since this likely will correlate and help with work)and anything else that people highly recommend or that sparks my interest.

I have Gilboa Quarry 2.5 hours away, another one 45 minutes and another in town. I don't expect to take any trips outside the country so will be focused in the surrounding areas for now. Maybe some trips to North Carolina or Florida down the road.

I spent 2.5 hours in one of two local shops yesterday. They really explained and taught me so much about equipment. How various regulators work, why some are better than others especially in the colder ohio waters. Its helped me narrow down choices.

One shop has the Dive rite XT2 package and another has the Apex Xtx50. I'm leaning towards the Apeks even though its about $200-250 more. I'm just trying to decide if the extra money will be worth it overall.

I'm still not decided on a wing BCD yet and looking at options. The zeagle covert was a suggestion. Since I don't plan on traveling do I really need to save the weight with it?

I'm certainly getting a shearwater computer, just trying to decide on which one. I may go big with the perdix and buy it once.

Here I was thinking that kayaking was a rabbit hole with gear lol.

Hiya!

I just got home from Ohio, we finished the open water certification today, I’m officially Open water certified but I want to do advanced water asap and I’ll be diving a lot in between while it’s still warm out!

We were at White Star Quarry, visibility was really low both days from rain two days prior but it was still amazing. I’ll attach some photos.

I heard great things about Gilboa, both the instructors would want to dive there also and I’d make a trip to dive out there if you’re looking for other people to dive with!

Equipment wise, I chose very similarly to you - the Apeks XTX200 - and the Shearwater Peregrine TX for my computer. I really like both. With the regulator, the mouthpiece it came with was tiny and my jaw hurt the end of the day yesterday but I sized up, and it’s great! The computer display on the Shearwater is very visible and it’s easy to cycle through info on it, it’s comfortable to wear, the transmitter goes right on the regulator and the air measure is precise, I like that.

Happy diving, it’s so much fun and I can’t say it enough but, its so peaceful!

 

[Mystical Dragon]

Hiya!

I just got home from Ohio, we finished the open water certification today, I’m officially Open water certified but I want to do advanced water asap and I’ll be diving a lot in between while it’s still warm out!

We were at White Star Quarry, visibility was really low both days from rain two days prior but it was still amazing. I’ll attach some photos.

I heard great things about Gilboa, both the instructors would want to dive there also and I’d make a trip to dive out there if you’re looking for other people to dive with!

Equipment wise, I chose very similarly to you - the Apeks XTX200 - and the Shearwater Peregrine TX for my computer. I really like both. With the regulator, the mouthpiece it came with was tiny and my jaw hurt the end of the day yesterday but I sized up, and it’s great! The computer display on the Shearwater is very visible and it’s easy to cycle through info on it, it’s comfortable to wear, the transmitter goes right on the regulator and the air measure is precise, I like that.

Happy diving, it’s so much fun and I can’t say it enough but, its so peaceful!

Very cool and congrats on getting certified.

For the transmitter I suggest installing it on a 6" line or so. Otherwise it could too easily be used as a handle accidently and broken. This was suggested t me at my LDS and elsewhere while Ive done the research. The short line gives it some flexibility.

 

[mrtechbench]

Glad to hear someone is doing lessons in Newark, I heard that discover diving and paintball closed.

 

[8mb]

Very cool and congrats on getting certified.

For the transmitter I suggest installing it on a 6" line or so. Otherwise it could too easily be used as a handle accidently and broken. This was suggested t me at my LDS and elsewhere while Ive done the research. The short line gives it some flexibility.

Thank you! I miss the quarry already - I still had 1800 and another 1500 in the other tank


And that’s actually really smart, thank you for that suggestion because that is the one thing that makes me uncomfortable about it.

I’m going to inquire about that and when I go back to the shop to pick up my wetsuit