Hello, I need advice

[Bridget.b]

Hi,

I grew up on a lake in Minnesota and spent 95% of my time underwater. Learned to swim @ 4 years old, unassisted by 6. I was on the swim team and diving team. If I could live in the water I would!

When I was a kid I would go to the bottom rung of the ladder (10-12 ft) and let all my air out as I puttered around. Once my air was almost out, I would hold real still floating equal with the water (I think that's what you all call bouyancy) and allow the fish to swim around me. They would swim between my fingers and limbs and nip at me. I would see turtles and muskrats as well. When all my air was gone I would circulate the last bit around untill I absolutely had to surface. I would swim up and pull myself to air and gasp. I would play Marine Biologist and have a tea strainer full of suit and muck from the bottom

Years later I was in an accident and I punctured my left lung. They had never seen a lung repair and heal so quickly, they thought it was from all my swimming

Now I hang out in the rivers of Oregon. Everyone else thinks it cold but I'm right there enjoying the current and again mostly under water. My friends get worried a bit, most people have never seen as good a swimmer as me. I have First Aid/CPR and know rescue techniqies (for swimming).

I snorkled Cozumel 10 years ago and vowed to learn SCUBA. Now my friend and I are leaving in 10 months to backpack Central and South America, we have no return date set...

I want to get certified and at some point I would love to have a job where I can instruct in some way... This sounds lofty for a beginner who has never dove but, I promise, I know it's for me

I have a lot of questions!

Which organization would be good for someone science minded and a bit meticulous?
What progression should I take the classes?
How many dives should I log at each level?
I am willing to finish my certifications down there, so I'm in no rush. My goal is to be able to dive comfortably in Coz, Belize and Costa Rica by this time next year. Then I will continue instruction and internship.
I want to be sure I get the best instruction and be sure I am fully prepared to advance to the next level.
I figure I have an advantage learning in a cold water climate as well, then it will seem like a breeze in the tropics.

I have been reading everything I can find, including this forum, and am still wondering the best and most thourough way to go about my instruction.

We have PADI, NAUI, and SSI here in the Portland area.

Thanks, I have found this forum most helpful!

 

[DiveMaven]

Don't worry about which agency you're certifying with, worry about the instructor. Find the BEST instructor you can, and get certified with him/her. The instructor is everything....the certifying agency just provides the card saying you can get air fills.

Also, you might want to check with a doctor to make sure diving will be safe for you because of your previous lung injury. Best to be safe than sorry.

 

[El Orans]

Hello Bridget,

maybe it’s a good idea to start with this link: A beginner's guide to the ScubaBoard.Com forums. It’s bound to give you lots of info regarding ScubaBoard.

Don’t forget to fill out your Public Profile (and Dive Info) when you're not diving so we can get to know you a little bit better. If you’re not in a creative mood, you can have a look at my Public Profile for inspiration.

For (not so) local info and/or (future) buddies, just follow the path or have fun along the way by clicking on any of the given links: ScubaBoard.Com > Regional Travel & Dive Clubs >
North America > United States > Pacific Northwest Orca Bait.

The divers in your local forum should be able to answer more of your questions.

Laurens

BTW, welcome (Scub)aBoard! :happywave

 

[Bridget.b]

Thanks!

 

[DiveScoop]

Hi Bridget.
I agree that you shouldn't worry about one certification agency over another. What's important from my experience is to find an instructor that you are comfortable with. You already seem to be comfortable in the water (that's a great thing!) and now you just need to be comfortable with the scuba gear. That's what the instructor's job is!!!

I grew up in Salem and spent many summers at Little North Fork near Detroit. Love the clean, clear waters there.

Scott

 

[devolution365]

Welcome Bridget,
I grew up much like you did. It didn't matter if it was a lake, ocean, pool, or river -if there was water near I'd be swimming in it! Being this comfortable in the water makes getting through basic scuba certification a breeze. Good luck with the rest of it!

As far as the classes go, just be sure to evaluate everything you read and all the skills you go over. Anything you're not completely comfortable with, do it over and over until it's 2nd nature. The instructors are looking for "good enough" -I don't know about you, but that wasn't 'good enough' for me.

I recently did a refresher alongside my fiance's certification class and we used all of our freetime tweeking our bouyancy. By the end we felt completely in control while the other students were still bumping off the bottom. I think in the end a successful diver uses every opportunity to improve their skills -no matter how many dives they have.

Reading this forum has also alerted me to things our instructor didn't cover -like dump valves and alternate kicking techniques. I never gave dump valves a thought until I heard some stories about runaway ascents -now I know that part of the process of familiarizing myself with new (rental) gear should be knowing where the dumps are so that I can pull it just as fast (or faster) than I can drop my weights.

Being of scientific mind, you'll probably do this by nature. Once again, good luck on the scuba stuff, and have fun on your backpacking trip! -Another thing I'd love to do one day...

 

[H2Andy]

Bridget, some good answers already, here are some quick thoughts:

Which organization would be good for someone science minded and a bit meticulous?

The instructor is the important thing. All the big organizations (PADI, NAUI, etc.)
have rather similar programs. It's the instructor that will make or break your class.

What progression should I take the classes? and How many dives should I log at each level?

The names of the classes will vary with the organization, but they progress
along the lines of Open Water, Advance Oper Water, Rescue. These work
on your basic diving skills.

I would take Advance Open Water (a misnomer, really) somewhere from 20 to 25
dives after Open Water. I would then wait 20 to 25 dives and take Rescue.

That should have you with your "basics" covered by 50 dives.

Nitrox is a very good class to take, even if you don't intend to dive Nitrox.
it helps in understanding concepts that every diver should know (O2 toxicity
being the main one).

After that, you should consider diving for a while before proceeding to the
professional ranks, to cement your basic skills and get experience under your belt.

best of luck!

 

[Scottri]

Welcome. I live in Tigard and work part time for a shop there. I would recommend you go to a few shops around town and speak with some of the instructors and staff and find a shop and group you click with. Drop me an email and I can help you out. The number of dives at each level is somewhat subjective but I would say spend time at each level and gain experience before moving on. Diving here in the Pacific Northwest is great but it does take a little getting used to. It's not at all like warm water. The staff at the shop where I work all wear dry suits year round. The students use a 2 piece 7mm wetsuit with the appropriate amount of weight.

Welcome and good luck!

Scott

 

[Ber Rabbit]

The first thing you might want to do is find a doc familiar with diving and make sure there are no issues from your old lung injury that might cause serious injury or death when diving. You might search the board for any information on healed lung punctures or check out Scuba Doc's website for information. Everyone's situation will be different that's why you should see a doctor familiar with diving (not all docs know about the effects of scuba) and see what they say about your fitness to dive.

Good luck! If you have a university near you that offers scuba you might see if you can take it there. Some universities have marine biology programs tied with scuba courses and they may include some of the stuff you asked about in their regular scuba classes.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Bridget.b]

Thanks, everyone! Great advice!