New Diver Advice

[hoc]

Well I did my open water diver cert last month while on my honeymoon. I hadn't planned on doing it as I was just going to try the resort course to see if I liked diving (I love snorkeling at home for scallops so this was the next logical step), but when I got there and met the friendly dive staff I decided to do it right then and there. Now that I'm back home in the extremely cold water of the North Atlantic, with not a single soul locally that I know who dives, I'm in a bit of a predicament.

Those of you who trained while on holiday, did you have issues finding dive buddies when returning? I know this is totally regional and I have hit up the local dive group and will likely attend some of their dives in the spring, but I have a bit of hesitation joining an established group as a newbie who only has 4 dives under his belt. Is this a common problem for new open water divers? Also how dangerous is diving solo in <25' water? I usually snorkel from my kayak in the summer and dive down to collect scallops and if I could do my collecting on the bottom instead that would be so much better, but none of my buddies want to drop the cash to get certified. If only doing shallow water short dives would a pony bottle be better to take than a full sized tank?

And finally one question I can't seem to find an answer to online. If you were at say 20' for 5-10 minutes and had an uncontrolled ascent to the surface for whatever reason, but kept breathing, would you be in any danger?

 

[Kronek]

PMd you. From one NS guy to another.

In regards to your other question, no, there wouldn't be any problem with an uncontrolled ascent from 20ft under almost any circumstances if you kept breathing.

 

[freewillie]

Unless you have a built set of automatic dive buddies when you trained you are likely in the same predicament lots of other divers are when friends and family don't dive. That's what dive clubs are for in the first place. To get a bunch of divers together who otherwise wouldn't be able to dive due to lack of dive partner.

A word of caution, especially as a new diver. You need to talk to and ask around the dive club who you will be diving with and under what circumstances. I personally found out that a local dive club operates more on a herd dive mentality where every diver enters the water as a solo diver diving in a group. There were no real buddy pairings, and on one dive I found myself essentially alone on the reef by myself. Not a great feeling as a newbie.

That being said, it is always better to dive with others and as a new diver of only 4 dives you don't have the requisite experience to solo dive even in 25 feet of water. Hang out with the dive club, make friends before your first dive, and make sure your buddy will stay with you for the whole dive.

As for the second question, at 10 minutes at 20 feet a decompression stop at 15 feet is optional and not obligatory. If you are in an uncontrolled ascent you would be better advised to CESA out on the way up to ensure not to experience any expansion injuries even at normal breathing rates. If you are experiencing an uncontrolled ascent at 20 feet then you may have a little too much air in the BC. The rate of expansion air is greater at shallower depths so you may find your buoyancy being affected if you are not dumping air as you ascend. One trick is to ascend in an upright position and hold your inflator open in front your chest. As the air expands as you ascend it will naturally force its way out of your BC and help prevent the sudden uncontrolled ascent.

 

[fisheater]

Check out the local dive clubs. Typically, they welcome newbies.

I joined the North Coast Divers in California after only having had my 4 OW "check out" dives. The vast majority of my dive buddies have been because of the club.

Also, walk into the dive shops in your area and ask about organized local dives and, especially, AOW and specialty courses, as well as opportunities to meet up with potential dive buddies.

There's a world of difference between warm water and cold water diving. A class or two taken locally would be very beneficial to you.




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[Kronek]

I'm trying to plan something with him, turns out hes down the road from where our lds dives often.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Your location says Nova Scotia. Where in NS? Find a local dive shop and talk to them about dive buddies. If you are in HRM, there is one called Shearwater Scuba club. Excellent group.

 

[kathydee]

I also learned to dive while on vacation, then returned back home to cold low vis water in San Francisco. The local cold water diving was quite a bit different than the warm tropics, so had to learn to dive a drysuit, and without following a dive guide.

Joining a local dive club is a great idea. You'll meet new partners who can tech you about your local environment. You might also try to spend a day or two with a local instructor.

Have fun!

 

[hoc]

Thanks for all the input. I have another question regarding gear I need to buy. I take it that a 7mm wetsuit won't cut it here even in the spring? Winter water temps appear to be 1-5C and I know in the spring the water is usually 8-15C, summer only getting up to about 16-20C on the warmest of times. Do I pretty much have to accept that fact that I will be buying a dry suit? The cost is a little off-putting since I already have so many expensive hobbies and it would require another course to get certified but the idea of diving all year is pretty appealing as well.

 

[icechip]

A wetsuit is doable, especially with the costs of drysuits. I dive in Maine and went with a 7mm Henderson 2-piece. That, and sometimes a lycra undersuit seem to work fine. If needed, I sometimes put on a pair of wool socks under my boots. Have yet to be truly uncomfortably cold.

 

[Lemna]

These temperatures are manageable with a 7mm and an overvest in winter and spring. To me, the biggest difference is that a drysuit enables you to do a second dive in winter comfortably. Like most of my buddies I started out in a wetsuit and upgraded to a drysuit after one winter, when I was sure I was truly enthusiastic about winter diving. Almost nobody I know took a formal drysuit course.

Some things that I found useful with a wetsuit:
- make sure it fits really well
- use 3-finger mitts instead of gloves and 2 hoods (or 1 very thick one) in winter
- wear neoprene socks in your boots
- keep out of the wind while dressing/undressing: select your parking spot carefully
- keep a large towel and a hat ready to get dry and warm as soon as possible
- don't spend too much money on a wetsuit, since you will upgrade to a drysuit eventually ;-)