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JordanFJC

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Wow a lot of new divers from Bay Area! Hello! I'm 29 from the Bay Area and just got certified 2 weeks ago with 4 other friends! Last weekend 2 of us did our first buddy dive in Monterey Breakwater again to get some practice in!

Needless to say I am hooked! The reason we all got certified together is we have a Hawaii trip planned and we just added diving to the itinerary. I always wanted to get certified ever since I had a reef aquarium but no one to do it with. We're starting slow with a shallow reef dive in Hawaii and might look for another dive to do there as well. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Also planning Casino Point Dive Park here before Hawaii. Could use more dive buddies as I am not sure how committed my friends are since their primary love is surfing.

Any good suggestions of a regulator set as well? Definitely want one to grow with me with hopefully not breaking the bank too bad. Reason im looking for one is I got a good deal on a MK2i Descent and would like to start using the transmitter for air.

TIA!
 
Welcome to ScubaBoard! You're going to love Hawaii. It's really like diving in a reef aquarium. Welcome to the group!
 
Wow a lot of new divers from Bay Area! Hello! I'm 29 from the Bay Area and just got certified 2 weeks ago with 4 other friends! Last weekend 2 of us did our first buddy dive in Monterey Breakwater again to get some practice in!

Needless to say I am hooked! The reason we all got certified together is we have a Hawaii trip planned and we just added diving to the itinerary. I always wanted to get certified ever since I had a reef aquarium but no one to do it with. We're starting slow with a shallow reef dive in Hawaii and might look for another dive to do there as well. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Also planning Casino Point Dive Park here before Hawaii. Could use more dive buddies as I am not sure how committed my friends are since their primary love is surfing.

Any good suggestions of a regulator set as well? Definitely want one to grow with me with hopefully not breaking the bank too bad. Reason im looking for one is I got a good deal on a MK2i Descent and would like to start using the transmitter for air.

TIA!

Welcome to Scubaboard! So pleased to have you join us. There's lots to learn I here to help you with your progression. And we look forward to reading about your adventures and any other questions that you may have.
 
Where in Hawaii are you going? A cheaper option is to do shore dives. If Oahu, there's Shark's Cove on the North Shore, or Electric Beach on the west side of the island. Both very shallow, easy sites. You dont even need a guide, you could just explore on your own -- although you could try hooking up with a local.

For Electric Beach, just stay away from the front of the output pipe, although its not really super dangerous, it'll just shoot you out a bit.
 
Where in Hawaii are you going? A cheaper option is to do shore dives. If Oahu, there's Shark's Cove on the North Shore, or Electric Beach on the west side of the island. Both very shallow, easy sites. You dont even need a guide, you could just explore on your own -- although you could try hooking up with a local.

For Electric Beach, just stay away from the front of the output pipe, although its not really super dangerous, it'll just shoot you out a bit.

Oh those are good to know. We signed up for this to allow friends that aren't certified to ride along. Booking powered by FareHarbor

We were planning to snorkel on shore since we have some friends that can do that but I may want to shore dive now too! We are going late Oct/Early Nov, since its close to winter won't the surf be too big on North Shore? Still researching.
 
Welcome to ScubaBoard. It will get very addictive and you will want to jump into your own gear ASAP. Just look around first and work out what you need. Theres a real urge to just get everything at once. You don't need it all straight away. Work on the basics, BCD, Regs, Knife, Mask & Fins.. Looks like you have the computer sown up. Once you get more comfortable and diving more, then start to look at the extras and a reliable dive buddy. I used to dive with my wife and as I am twice the size of her I would end a dive in 30mins with 20bar left and she would still have 120bar to go. We swapped buddies and now she can go for 45-50min dives easily and my buddy and I work well together and usually finish with about the same air left. Hawaii sounds amazing. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Again welcome.
Cheers
Tony
 
Thanks All! Yea for our certification we were required to bring our own fins, mask, snorkel, boots, and gloves. The dive shop offered 10% off for students so I splurged on Oceanic Manta Ray fins and mid range on rest of the gear. Kind of wish I got split fins but that'll be later. Also need a dive light, was pretty dark weaving in the kelp forest. Did see my first bait ball, that was crazy!

For regulators I was actually torn between the DeepSix and Atomic Z2. Still reading on service intervals. First time I am hearing about DGX, going to do more research.

My coworker used to dive and has an old reg that he wants to sell me but I dont know how good it is or if it can even be serviced. It is a Mares Abyss dfc on the first stage and Abyss second but the second looks different than current pictures online.
He also has a seaquest balance bcd with surlock weight system. I definitely did want back inflate so this might do it for me. He only has 10 dives on this gear.
 

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bamboo reef is a mares dealer if you want to go with servicing the mares abyss, but be prepared it may cost close to 200 bucks to get it serviced. seaquest balance bcd is fine, but check the weight pockets and the fitting to the inflator hose. the plastic in those areas has a tendency to crack and fail over time.
 
bamboo reef is a mares dealer if you want to go with servicing the mares abyss, but be prepared it may cost close to 200 bucks to get it serviced. seaquest balance bcd is fine, but check the weight pockets and the fitting to the inflator hose. the plastic in those areas has a tendency to crack and fail over time.

Thank You! Yea if he hits me with a good enough deal I may pick up the Mares for now and Bambooreef is like 15 mins away. I'll definitely check that out on the Balance. If I get an Atomic SS1 would it replace that fitting anyways? He just sent me a pic of it with all of the manuals for his reg and bcd. He also has a dry suit but he's like 6'3 and im 5'11 so that wont work.
 

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https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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