Moving to northern NJ and looking to get back into diving

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Moogyboy

Contributor
Messages
403
Reaction score
3
Location
Columbus, Ohio
# of dives
25 - 49
hey all

Don't remember if I posted this or not as it's been quite a while since I've been on SB...anywho, I will be moving to Roselle Park, NJ in a little over a month and I'm hoping to get involved with a club or at least other divers in the area, and to try to jump start my kinda moribund scuba hobby (used to be quite active, but haven't put in more than a couple of dives in the last few years). I've been in a club here in central Ohio as long as I've been certified and I like the social aspect of it, and I think it'd help me make the transition a little easier. Also looking for info on decent LDS's in Union County and vicinity, as well as any general advice on the finer points of Jersey diving for a guy used to inland quarries--I hear you guys' diving is a bit different from ours.

cheers

Billy S.
 
Pleased to meet you both. I'm looking forward to getting involved. Be warned that coming from Ohio I will probably need a bit of coaching on real, hardcore cold-water diving (never worn a drysuit or double tanks, for instance), and I'm guessing that Tobermory doesn't count. :) I expect that I'll probably need to get some extra training and new gear eventually, but also an experienced and patient buddy or two so that I don't get myself drowned and/or frozen. I went to the NJScuba website and the guy on there writing about the area's diving conditions, boat diving, etc. makes New Jersey diving sound reeeeally forbidding...the whole "no one's gonna hold your hand, every man for himself, forget it if you're not already a tech diver" sort of thing. I know he means well and he's no doubt telling the plain truth, but it does make it a bit scary. Otoh, I'm sure there are a few nice little quarries out your way... lol

cheers,

Billy S.
 
All of us have started in the same place you are. Quarry diving for us is more a training and social event. You can learn a great deal just diving with experienced divers. If you haven't done your AOW that is a good start. It'll get you in the ocean with an instructor and some experienced divers. My first boat trip, I was calm and collected on the outside but was still wondering if I was going to get swept off to Africa by the current.

It took all of about ten minutes and all the jitters were gone. The biggest difficulty with Atlantic diving is how quickly conditions change. Believe me....by the time summer comes at Dutch Springs, you will be experiencing zero viz or pretty close to it. :D

Come on over to the website. A lot of dive stories and a lot of b******t!
 
Incidentally, since I don't own a drysuit, do shops around you guys rent them? I suspect my next gear purchase will probably some kind of bp/w setup, since I don't have any kind of drysuit training or experience yet but I figure I could possibly dive in my 6.5mm wetsuit. And drysuits are plain expensive. I dunno, this is kinda terra incognita for me, you understand.

cheers

Billy S.
 
Welcome to NJ. There are several boards and shops worth your time, including Wreckvalley. To answer your question, yes, most will rent you a drysuit. Don't listen to everyone about how rough diving here is. I know divers who dive wet most of the year. Shops will also rent you doubles, but they are not required to dive here. As long as you have a redundant air supply (besides "spare air"), like a pony bottle or bailout bottle (sling), you will be fine. I dove singles for several years without any real issue. Most boats have a pretty good selection of dive types, from single 80's, to doubles, to rebreathers.

If you want a NJ diving website that lists the dive schedules of several boats, shops, or clubs, in one place, see NJDive.com and look at the link "2008 dive schedules". There is also a forum. Its not as big as Wreckvalley, but its growing.
 

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