New Diver in Ontario

[Lee Strickland]

I rec

Hi There,

I am new here so hello everyone!

Thought I would poll you guys on your thoughts for how a newer diver could/should get into the diving scene in Ontario.

Background:
Padi OW Certified in Grenada in Jan 2022.
Padi Nitrox June 2022 and dove twice on nitrox up near Penetanguishene Ontario on the Maple dawn and Marquette as part of that cert package.
Padi AOW in Roatan Sept 2022 plus quite a few fun dives.
6 Basic fun dives in Puerto Plata, Dominican Jan 2023
25 Total Dives including training dives.

I am definitely hooked on diving at this point. I prefer diving in the warmer waters of the Caribbean but I do want to experiment diving locally more as well, especially Tobermory. I have up to this point been diving with my wife but my interest is a bit more obsessive then hers I think lol.

I don't own most gear, have warm water fins, computer, and mask. So diving locally is expensive having to rent gear every time, and I don't have a local dive buddy. The cost of renting gear locally really has been the main barrier to diving more here, so I might have to just bite the bullet and spend what I need to dive in here and in cold water (wetsuit(or if i really want to invest, drysuit + cert), BP/W, reg, etc), but I need a buddy that wants to dive with me since the wife likely wont.

So what's the best way to find a like minded/experience level dive buddy for the odd weekend dive in Ontario? (within a few hours of the GTA). If anyone has recommendations that would be appreciated, or anyone here in a similar situation and skill level and would be looking for a buddy now come summe

 

[PiratePrentice]

Hey @Luke99, I realize I am a bit late to the party on this thread, but anyways. I'm also a new diver in the area (Elora) looking for a buddy. Hit me up if you are interested in going for some dives this year.

There's a local shop (Groundhog divers in Kitchener) that runs quarry dives weekly - it could be a good way to figure out if cold water is for you. It's a private quarry and it isn't huge, so it does warm up in the summer, but it should be plenty chilly for the first few months. If you are interested, I can send you the info.