Merrie
Guest
I'm looking for someone to dive with this Spring or summer. Not sure where to go yet. I live in Shreveport, La and am planning on getting my advanced open water prior to going. I'm a 37 year old female and own my own gear.
Looking for a vacation buddy
- Thread starter Merrie
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Hi Merrie ...
& Welcome to ...
:sblogo: ... :colours::colours:...
Finding buddies to dive with in your area should be easy now your on the Board. Ever think about a local dive club in your area? As for diving solo ... like if you take a trip lets say to the Keys ... it's easy to walk on a dive boats and say, Im alone I need a buddy! Meeting new friends that have the same interset is awesome. I never met a diver I didn't like!
:sblogo: ... :colours::colours:...
Finding buddies to dive with in your area should be easy now your on the Board. Ever think about a local dive club in your area? As for diving solo ... like if you take a trip lets say to the Keys ... it's easy to walk on a dive boats and say, Im alone I need a buddy! Meeting new friends that have the same interset is awesome. I never met a diver I didn't like!
catra8104
Contributor
Welcome aboard!!
DonandJareeHall
Registered
Hi, Merrie,
We're in your neck of the woods--just north of Hope, Arkansas. My wife and I are both newbies, but we'll be diving the lakes in this area next spring with a buddy of mine. How far are you interested in driving?
We're in your neck of the woods--just north of Hope, Arkansas. My wife and I are both newbies, but we'll be diving the lakes in this area next spring with a buddy of mine. How far are you interested in driving?
OP
Merrie
Guest
I love arkansas. Dove lake degrey once. 3 or 4 hours away is as far as I would drive.
Merrie,
Shreveport LA. Been there many times. My family is from the Dodridridge Arkansas, Bloomburg Texas (near Atlanta) area, just 60 miles up the road.
Los Angeles California offers the convenience of being close, lots of diving and beautiful kelp Forrest. Now a word about our diving. I beach dive because I can afford to do it a few times a week. Air is $5.00 and then just the gas to get there. Beach dives will offer 10-15 foot of visibility most days, some days more (30 feet) some days less. But our water is cold, 54-62 F degrees in the summer and you may see 52 some days. Lots of dive buddies available here, and I can go diving a time or two weekend or weekday. Beach diving is fun, but it is exercise.
Boat dives off commercial dive boats run $120-140 for a day (3 dives) and only run on the weekend. In Ventura, just 80 miles or so to the north there is a dive boat that goes out on Wednesday and Thursday for $88. Catalina and Anacapa Islands offer some very nice diving.
Then when you are not diving you can do the Disneyland thing for a small fortune, Knoxberry farm, for a slightly smaller fortune, Universal Studios, be in the audience of a TV show or maybe meet an actor (I went sailing last night with an actor, 4 Emmy nominations). Driving up the coast to Monterey (more great diving) through the redwood Forrest and 17 mile drive, Big Sur with the rugged coastline and the elephant seals or sea lions on the beach. Beautiful.
Now a word about coming to California with dive gear. If you drive be certain to clean your gear very well before you come. Go over your gear with a fine tooth comb looking for mussels that have attached to the gear. At the CA boarder they will have an agricultural inspection station. If they check your car (they will) and find the dive gear, they will check it. If they find a mussel (very small) they will quarantine your gear, soak it is strong bleach solution (not good for it) and keep it a week. Then you have to go back and get it at the boarder. Bummer. A diver I dive with had that happen to him after going to dive a river in Arizona.
Now for warm water, Bonaire is I am told the place to go. I have not been there, but I read the reports of people I know who did. Wow. Dive resort, water 54 steps from the door, drive to any beach and go diving in 80F water. Ahhhhh, the joy. I dove the Caribbean last February, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel all had great diving. Cozumel and Roatan perhaps were my favorites, but it was all good.
Now for the truely exotic, Ken Kurtis Reef Seekers Dive Co. Home Page runs some pretty good trips to some geat destinations. Jim Gatacre of Handicap Scuba Association does too, but his are targeted to disabled divers although I am certain all are welcome.
Have fun and good luck.
Shreveport LA. Been there many times. My family is from the Dodridridge Arkansas, Bloomburg Texas (near Atlanta) area, just 60 miles up the road.
Los Angeles California offers the convenience of being close, lots of diving and beautiful kelp Forrest. Now a word about our diving. I beach dive because I can afford to do it a few times a week. Air is $5.00 and then just the gas to get there. Beach dives will offer 10-15 foot of visibility most days, some days more (30 feet) some days less. But our water is cold, 54-62 F degrees in the summer and you may see 52 some days. Lots of dive buddies available here, and I can go diving a time or two weekend or weekday. Beach diving is fun, but it is exercise.
Boat dives off commercial dive boats run $120-140 for a day (3 dives) and only run on the weekend. In Ventura, just 80 miles or so to the north there is a dive boat that goes out on Wednesday and Thursday for $88. Catalina and Anacapa Islands offer some very nice diving.
Then when you are not diving you can do the Disneyland thing for a small fortune, Knoxberry farm, for a slightly smaller fortune, Universal Studios, be in the audience of a TV show or maybe meet an actor (I went sailing last night with an actor, 4 Emmy nominations). Driving up the coast to Monterey (more great diving) through the redwood Forrest and 17 mile drive, Big Sur with the rugged coastline and the elephant seals or sea lions on the beach. Beautiful.
Now a word about coming to California with dive gear. If you drive be certain to clean your gear very well before you come. Go over your gear with a fine tooth comb looking for mussels that have attached to the gear. At the CA boarder they will have an agricultural inspection station. If they check your car (they will) and find the dive gear, they will check it. If they find a mussel (very small) they will quarantine your gear, soak it is strong bleach solution (not good for it) and keep it a week. Then you have to go back and get it at the boarder. Bummer. A diver I dive with had that happen to him after going to dive a river in Arizona.
Now for warm water, Bonaire is I am told the place to go. I have not been there, but I read the reports of people I know who did. Wow. Dive resort, water 54 steps from the door, drive to any beach and go diving in 80F water. Ahhhhh, the joy. I dove the Caribbean last February, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel all had great diving. Cozumel and Roatan perhaps were my favorites, but it was all good.
Now for the truely exotic, Ken Kurtis Reef Seekers Dive Co. Home Page runs some pretty good trips to some geat destinations. Jim Gatacre of Handicap Scuba Association does too, but his are targeted to disabled divers although I am certain all are welcome.
Have fun and good luck.
OP
Merrie
Guest
Good to know about ag. inspection and gear! I never thought about that. I wonder what happens when you fly. Ca. too far away to drive for me! The local dive group here has a trip to Fiji planned for this summer. Its on an Aggressor. I don't know if I have the endurance for all that diving yet. Never been on a live aboard or even that far away from home for that matter. One of the best parts about diving is having the opprotunity to visit exotic places like that. What I am really interested in is the trip to Rowatan. I know that I'm welcome to go with the dive group, but it would be nice to have a friend to go to dinner with and hang out with at night while not diving. I understand there is some down time to sight see and stuff. Hopefully this sight will give me the opprotunity to get to know someone ahead of time that might like to go there at the same time.
floridanewbe
Contributor
welcome aboard
