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.

 

[ZanTien]

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 summer!

Howdy man, im from windsor ontario. I'm in a similar boat in that I usually dive with my brother but I'm way more into it than he. I've got all my own gear and I usually dive dry so any time and any temp I'll join you for some bottom time!

 

[ZanTien]

I have dive buddies in that area, several. They routinely dive the J.C. Morrison wreck (25 ft depth) just off Centennial Park. they also dive Shanty Bay where they have lots of stuff placed in the water (depths to 100 ft or more.) I'll see who they dive with.


In the past, Diver's Den would rent gear and suggest you go dive The Tugs before booking a boat dive, perhaps they still do. The Tugs has one of my favourite wrecks, the Alice G. It sits in 15 ft of water but you may find yourself as deep as 50 ft on the way.

Go over your lost buddy procedure with your buddy frequently. What I learned was to spend 2 minutes looking for the buddy, then surface and wait for them to surface as well. When looking around look much shallower than your buddy should be. Their exhale will have expanded and being closer to the surface light will bounce off the bubbles. If you are using a light, act like a lighthouse slowing panning your light in the direction you think your buddy is at and look for him doing the same.
To prevent being lost maintain a consistent formation. Keep your buddy on the same side and if you need to change do so as little as possible. Divers have huge blind spots so never be above your buddy, they'll never see you. And if you lad a lot behind then move away laterally as well. If you're using a light make sure you pass your beam in their field of few often so they know you're there.
If you're leading and change direction do just a couple kicks and then make sure your buddy saw your direction change.

I haven't rented in over a decade, so no. Prices for things do tend to be more expensive than the Caribbean where they operate most days. Here with the short normal dive season and lower volume they have to price a little more. So it's more for air fills, more for rentals, a little more for boat dives.

So rent as little as possible and when you've decided you're going to be a regular local diver buy your dive gear. You may even need the basics. Open heel fins aren't as common in the tropics, but they are needed here where you want to wear neoprene boots to keep warm. Regulators for cold water (<15C) are different than tropical regs. You can dive above 15C here in the summer, but you'll be limited to shallow divers or specific areas. Even in the summer we can find 4C water at depth in the Great Lakes.

If you're on Facebook, there are lots of used sales, usually closer to the season, so groups like Ontario Scuba Swap. You can find stuff there that's really old (likeBCDs without weight pockets, or regs that aren't supported any more) but there is also newer stuff too. And there's nothing that new with fins or wetsuits so they can be good used. If you'd prefer having new gear and the better guarantee of quality, visit some local dive shops and ask about clubs or shop dives while you compare. If you're going to be an avid diver it helps to have a home shop where you do most of your purchases. Having a good relationship is helpful.

If they're interested in additions to their group I'd love to join them for some more dive time!

 

[34109411]

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 summer!

you could head down to brockville where you have a dive park and also 4-5 wrecks. Check dive brockville adventures center.