Hello from a newbie in Ohio

[Mystical Dragon]

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

It did sadly. About a week before I went in to talk with them. CSI out of columbus is doing some of their pool sessions there with the OW time at gilboa.

 

[MacDuyver]

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.

Hello welcome to scuba board!

How did you get involved with the non-profit? It sounds really interesting

I also have to + on being careful about buying gear immediately, or at least know that by the time you hit 25 or 30 dives, you’ll likely be using none of it still. The only piece of gear I still have from my original run is my dive log

 

[DizzyWizard]

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.

Hey! I'm new too and just got my gear. I will be doing Night diving this friday, Nitrox in Sept, AOW in the end of Sept, and Stress and Rescue at the end of Oct. I live in the New Castle PA area, but if you ever need a buddy let me know. I'm running a Shearwater Peregrine TX and I love the customization on it. The compass is spot on too. I'm usually off a few ft at my destination.

 

[Mystical Dragon]

Hello welcome to scuba board!

How did you get involved with the non-profit? It sounds really interesting

I also have to + on being careful about buying gear immediately, or at least know that by the time you hit 25 or 30 dives, you’ll likely be using none of it still. The only piece of gear I still have from my original run is my dive log

How I got started with the non profit. They were formed in about 2015. In 2018 I was helping people learn to do wet reentry into kayaks and met a member of the group. I had already been planning to clear some dangerous strainers on the Kokosing. It turned out they were too. I too had a passion for helping with waterways and had some of my own gear. I'm now the safety coordinator, primary saw operator and team leader. Sadly the biggest obstacle we have is the government red tape we have to deal with. Sometimes it can take 6-18 months for approvals which by then things have often changed.

Over time our procedures and equipment has evolved and improved. Its one reason we are looking to add scuba certifications, training and experience for the few times we may need it. However our commitment to safety, and giving back to the community and nature hasn't wavered.

One reason I'm looking at my own gear and doing research overall is the cost vs renting. Plus being very familiar with the gear vs different gear each time. I'm especially trying to meet with those diving locally on a regular basis and what they use and why. Once certified, and likely next spring/summer since the season in ohio will be winding down once I'm certified, I'm aiming for diving 1-2 days a month minimum and ideally 3-5 days a month. Renting that often will certainly add up quickly and isnt cost effective.

So I'm trying to do my research, understand the type of diving I'll likely be doing, and working to narrow down options to 2-4 for each item from there. Then I'll be evaluating it and hopefully try them out. Its why Im trying to get involved with local clubs/groups. Asking tons of questions and learning. Seeing what people are using and why. See the pros and cons. To try to ensure the gear will meet the needs of what im using it for now, while still giving me the flexibility to grow into other aspects. Its one reason I'm looking at the Apeks XTX50.

I will likely be getting a Shearwater Peregrine TX as my first computer unless there's enough features that I will use with the perdix2 to justify the extra $400. are the piezo switches that much better over the peregrins buttons?

 

[MacDuyver]

That’s awesome! How widespread are cleanup NP’s like that?

Cost vs renting is kinda

Not counting services, by my math I didn’t really break even on any of my gear for 30 or so rental iterations. What I gained that is very much worth the money though is having gear I can dive well that gives me consistency in the water. I know what my buoyancy is on any given setup, I have my weights distributed in a way that I am nimble but can still easily maintain trim, my mask doesn’t leak, my regulator mouthpiece fits, my fins do what I want every time.

I never appreciated that until I got enough dives to really get to that point, but in my book that’s 100% worth the cost.

 

[Mystical Dragon]

That’s awesome! How widespread are cleanup NP’s like that?

Cost vs renting is kinda

Not counting services, by my math I didn’t really break even on any of my gear for 30 or so rental iterations. What I gained that is very much worth the money though is having gear I can dive well that gives me consistency in the water. I know what my buoyancy is on any given setup, I have my weights distributed in a way that I am nimble but can still easily maintain trim, my mask doesn’t leak, my regulator mouthpiece fits, my fins do what I want every time.

I never appreciated that until I got enough dives to really get to that point, but in my book that’s 100% worth the cost.

we go all over ohio and beyond. The hard part is getting the approval then the funding especially in a timely manner and its even harder on scenic rivers. Our winches are $2500 each and then spools of rope are $400. that wears down and has to be replaced. Some times if we arent careful its one pull. Its hard physical work but its rewarding. Like one river that kept flooding peoples houses. we got it cleared to flow as needed. a sweet old lady came up to hug us and baked for us because her house wasnt getting flooded anymore. Or when we see kayakers go through. some stop to help because they are appreciative.


GREAT feedback and advice about the benefits of having your own gear. I have heard the same from many others. Especially being familiar with it and knowing how its serviced and maintained. then the consistency that comes from it which allows you to work on and improve skills.

Now granted, it makes sense that you dont buy the wrong gear. This is where extensive researching, learning and understanding the pros and cons of each and understanding what you need for the type of diving you want to do comes into play. Also having a good LDS helps so much. One that isn't trying to sell you stuff but really cares about customer service and helping you find the right gear overall.

 

[mrtechbench]

I have my own gear but I like having stuff. I've bought a lot of equipment that I stopped using because it wasn't right for me anymore. Some of it I sold, some I gave away. It would be cheaper for me to rent gear than own it, but it's nice being able to pack up the car and go diving without extra trips to dive shop renting gear and again to drop it off after cleaning it. This doesn't matter as much if a dive shop is close to you, or they rent gear onsite wherever you're diving. After figuring out what is right for me, the time savings and familiarity makes owning gear worth it, to me. The trick is figuring out what is right for you, and that could include renting/trying for a while before buying. A good dive shop, wherever you go, can help minimize bad purchasing decisions.

 

[TidalCharacter]

Hi Folks. I'm new to the forum, and new to scuba, but glad to see some other Ohio folks around here! I'm scheduled for my certification and first dives at White Star Quarry next month. Looking forward to meeting some other divers in person as time goes on.

 

[Mystical Dragon]

Hi Folks. I'm new to the forum, and new to scuba, but glad to see some other Ohio folks around here! I'm scheduled for my certification and first dives at White Star Quarry next month. Looking forward to meeting some other divers in person as time goes on.

congrats. I want to check out white star sometime.

I have my final pool session thursday then looking to do my OW cert either the 7-8 or 14-15 at gilboa. Im torn back and forth as we have a river cleanup to help with on the 7th but gilboa is doing their appreciation day on the 7th so it might be more crowded but it sounds fun too.

 

[Ez E]

Hello and welcome from another Daytonian!!