New diver: First dive

[dieseldan123]

I posted this to the NJ forum, but it is a more general topic. I'm pretty stoked about diving now!

I dove in real water for the first time on Sunday. My friend had shown me how to dive in his pool, but we went out on his boat with him and some of his diving buddies and it was my first dive in the ocean. We went to the Ida K and it was awesome. The water was really clear for NJ water at least. I borrowed his extra gear, but want to get my own. It was little chilly cause I was wearing my winter surfing wetsuit (6/5mil), but not too bad.

I'm thinking of getting certified even though he says its a waste of time (he's been diving since the 70's). But, I suppose better safe than sorry. Any one know good shops around Waretown, NJ?

Hopefully we can go out next weekend.

Also caught a bunch of blues afterwards. There were bunker all over the place. Hoping for some fluke soon. Maybe I'll get a spear gun

 

[emttim]

Dieseldan, first I'd like to welcome you to the wonderful world of scuba diving! I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing with my time except maybe medicine.

I have to respectfully disagree with your friend. Getting certified is typically not a waste of time, however, if you get cert'd through a poor instructor then it could be. On the other hand, how are you expecting to get air fills from a dive shop? Any reputable shop will not give you a fill without seeing your C card. How about dive equipment? If you're not certified, and just going off what your friend told you to do, how do you know that the dive equipment you purchase will really be the best choice for you?

There are many advantages of getting certified. For one, as I mentioned above, you will be able to get air fills at dive shops. Two, you will be able to boat dive in most places with just an Open Water card; I can't think of /any/ boat operator who would let you dive without being certified due to liability reasons. Three, as you go up the ladder with C cards depending on your agency, generally you will gradually learn more about decompression theory so you understand why you ascend slowly, why you don't stay down longer than that dictated by your tables or computers, what can happen when you don't, etc.

Plus, if you use google, I would advise you to look up the statistics of deaths caused by diving each year. If I recall correctly, the percentage of divers who died due to diving outside of their limits or training is in excess of fifty percent. An excellent example would be cave diving or wreck diving without the proper training; diving is fun but it can also be dangerous if you're not trained to do the dive.

That being said, I won't recommend a specific agency because I don't want this thread to deteriorate into agency bashing, but I would certainly recommend getting your Open Water certification before diving again. You also will want to look into the fishing laws for your state since you mentioned hunting if I'm not mistaken...if you take game without a license, that's a sure fire way to end up being fined, having your property (including your car) that you used to take the game being taken by the government, and possibly ending up in jail. Eventually, I would recommend getting your Rescue Diver certification. Hope it helps...or if you're a troll, I just wasted 10 minutes of my time.

 

[don Francisco]

I suggest you get certified, though your friend isn't 100% wrong. For years, before certification was even an option, divers learned how to dive from experienced divers who passed along their knowledge in a sort of apprentice system. If you learned alongside a good diver you probably did OK. If you learned from a not so good diver, well.....

The certification process, basically standardizes this apprentice system and ensures that all new divers know all the most fundemental basics. By mutual recognition of the various agencies, divers and the dive industry benefit by being able to accept any C-card as evidence that owner knows at least these basics.

 

[Deefstes]

I have no doubt that your friend could have been a wonderful instructor and that there is no need to get certified. HOWEVER, I think it is fair to say that accidents do happen, even to experienced divers and no dive insurance (such as DAN) will cover you if you are not certified.

 

[Sas]

Yea I think you should get a certification for sure. Even if your friend was an awesome instructor and you already know everything from an OW course if you want insurance, air fills, equipment hire, and to go on chartered boats you need OW these days. I mean I am sure there are shops that will hire you equipment, fill your tank as well as put you on a dive boat without a C-card... but I am almost certain no insurance company would pay for your costs if you have an accident as an uncertified diver.

I know some people who have dived for years without certification, but in recent times they are being forced to get OW, and AOW certifications because of the insurance requirements of stores and boats...

 

[Blazinator]

Your friend certainly did get you excited about diving, and thats the first step. I'm sure you will pursue getting certified, as it sounds like you are willing to do the right thing, and all the above responses are spot on.

But I want to encourage you to continue learning and posting here on Scubaboard, as I have learned so much myself here it amazes me.

I consider myself pretty sharp, but I cannot imagine learning SCUBA without taking a class from a good instructor. My OW instructor, John Norris from AquaSpecialists (Lakewood OH), went way, way beyond what I expected from the $300.00 I paid for the class. Not only did he give us all the great pool and class instruction, but he gave us a thick binder full of articles he copied on every aspect of diving, and I felt that he pretty much donated much of his time and expertise beyond what I paid for.

Let us know when you start your first class!

 

[PvtStash]

but I Am prone to cynicism...

 

[TSandM]

I would highly recommend you take a class. Your friend is right about the basic things -- It's not at all hard to breathe from a regulator underwater, and swim around and look at stuff. As long as everything goes smoothly, diving is pretty simple.

However, like anything else that requires equipment, it doesn't always go smoothly. What a class will do is take you through procedures to respond to problems -- How to replace and clear your mask, if it gets flooded or knocked off. How to replace a weight belt that's come loose. How to share gas with another diver. How to orally inflate your BC, if your power inflator has a malfunction. In addition, they'll cover safety checks before diving, and underwater communications.

If your friend is a scuba instructor, he may be able to teach you all of these things. But if he is not, he may forget one or two, or not have as many ways of explaining or demonstrating them. And you should be relaxed and facile with emergency procedures, if you are going to spend time underwater.

 

[goldenbear01]

to borrow something i picked up from my diving agency during my dive training: when you take classes, you get a chance to meet other people who like to dive--this a good way to meet dive buddies. besides meeting dive buddies though, it's a great way to meet cool people (since only cool people dive!)
pd:

 

[1_T_Submariner]

By now I suppose you are getting the Idea that getting certified is a good Idea. Like driving you can do it without a license but, if you try to buy a car they will ask for it, if you have an accident or would like insurance they too will want to see it.