Hello From Illinois

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

KitHuff

Registered
Messages
18
Reaction score
7
Location
Central Illinois
# of dives
0 - 24
Hi there. A quick bit of info about me. I will be passing my last 2 dives for my OW in June so I have no experience as a diver. I live in East Central Illinois; specifically near Champaign. I am happily married and 51 years old. I always wanted to dive but did not have time/money in my earlier life. My wife and I usually take a trip each year to a warm island, so I am really looking forward to our next trip.

As soon as I pass the OW test, I will be looking for dive buddies. I need an experienced dive buddy to help me learn to actually dive. I know the OW teaches just enough to keep me and a buddy alive under water. This person would need to be patient and help me to better my skill set, while knowing when it is time to move forward to the next step in diving. I love asking questions and getting unasked for help and advice. Both help me learn more and faster.

I would also like a dive buddy with little experience who wants to practice the techniques learned in OW and begin building on those. Someone who understands that repetition and practicing for an emergency means having safer and more enjoyable dives. I would like practicing a skill included in the dive planning.

I do not mind driving a few hours each way for a day trip and can sometimes drive farther for an overnight with my wife. I plan to dive Lake Michigan and other places as well.

If you are reading this now, in 6 months, or in 6 years and would like a dive partner, please feel free to contact me. I cannot have enough friends and dive buddies.

Colors are pretty.
 
Have you checked to see if there is a dive club in your area that does some local diving?
 
I need an experienced dive buddy to help me learn to actually dive. I know the OW teaches just enough to keep me and a buddy alive under water.
Welcome. It's good to be humble and mindful of your level of training and skill, but the OW course ought to get you a bit farther along than that!

My wife and I usually take a trip each year to a warm island, so I am really looking forward to our next trip.

I plan to dive Lake Michigan and other places as well.
Diving warm vs. cold water will be quite different.

Any idea what 'warm island' you figure to dive at? Getting in a bunch of dives at a tropical area with very benign (e.g.: warm so you don't need much exposure protection, high visibility, minimal current) conditions may help build your ability and confidence.
 
So far, the only people I have worked with locally is the dive shop I am working with. I did a quick search in my area and plan to dig deeper to see where I can find a local group. Good news is that Haigh Quarry is only about an hour from my house.

I prefer to stay on the safe side until I have more time in the water. At this point I believe it is better to underestimate my skill level than to over-estimate it.

The warm island next March will be New Providence in the Bahamas. We will be staying near Nassau. I need to get some dives under my belt before then. I figured someone would bring up Lake Michigan so I thought I would mention it first. I also do not want to limit myself to only warm water diving once or twice a year.
 
Water temp at Haigh last Saturday was 50 at 20ft. Lake Michigan will be cold even in the middle of summer, while Haigh in the shallows will be 70 or over at the end of the summer.

Chicago Scuba Meetup has a FB page. Lots of folks use that for arranging dive buddies at HQ. Suggest you look for it. If you’re anti-FB, I can tell you that will probably restrict your pool of possible buddies a LOT.
 
Ask your local dive shop if it has weekend outings, do a few, then take the Advanced Open Water course. Practice is important to build competence and confidence. Kickapoo State Rec Area in Danville allows diving, maybe connect with one of your classmates and work together. Have fun!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom