New Diver in Portland, OR

[bendra]

Hello! I've had SCUBA on my bucket list for a long time, finally did it late summer of 2022. Most of my training was through Aquatic Sports in Portland, certification dives from See Creatures in Cabo San Lucas. Awesome experiences, I would recommend them both. I'd like to get into cold water diving in the Oregon/Washington areas.

I'm here to learn and maybe find dive buddies for stuff in the Pacific Northwest

Other than that I'm a software engineer by profession and an armature musician. I'm looking forward to learning from the community!

 

[drrich2]

Welcome to ScubaBoard. Glad you made it for some warm (presumably) water diving in Cabo San Lucas; I haven't been there. We see some trip reports from the region on the forum, something that I didn't notice till some years back. Perhaps it's gaining momentum as a dive destination.

Richard.

 

[scubadada]

...Glad you made it for some warm (presumably) water diving in Cabo San Lucas...

Ha Richard, I was there May 2019, water was low 70s. Warmer than the PNW, but hardly warm Trip Report - Cabo San Lucas: See Creatures, Tesoro Hotel, May 21-24, 2019

Hi @bendra, what were your water temps, what sites did you dive? I lived in Portland 1980-1988, part of my 17 year hiatus from diving before starting up again in 1997.

 

[bendra]

Ha Richard, I was there May 2019, water was low 70s. Warmer than the PNW, but hardly warm Trip Report - Cabo San Lucas: See Creatures, Tesoro Hotel, May 21-24, 2019

Hi @bendra, what were your water temps, what sites did you dive? I lived in Portland 1980-1988, part of my 17 year hiatus from diving before starting up again in 1997.

Yes its all relative isn't it! My first dive was at 26C/79F, don't remember the others but around the same (last one a little bit cooler I think). I was very comfortable in a 3mm wetsuit with boots. The divemaster on day 1 also wore a 3mm suit, boots, and a hood as well; on the 2nd day the divemaster wore a shorty suit with no boots.
Basically we did 3 dives at Pelican Rock (this is the normal spot for newbies I gather), then the last one at Land's end where we saw some sea lions (in the water as well as on the rocks), sea turtles, and brifly cruised by a shipwreck (the Lundenberg I believe).
I'll write up a proper trip report in the Mexico section and link to it here, thanks for asking!

 

[bendra]

Here's my longer write up, with some video: Trip Report - Referral Certification Dives - Cabo San Lucas: Pelican Rock, Land's End. Also Casa Bella Hotel September 14-17 2022

 

[Para Goon]

I would recommend them both. I'd like to get into cold water diving in the Oregon/Washington areas.

I'm here to learn and maybe find dive buddies for stuff in the Pacific Northwest

Welcome to SB and PNW diving! There are a few of us from the hood (i.e., PDX metro area) here on SB. A good local resource for connecting with local divers is the Oregon Scuba Club on Fb or at www.oregonscuba.com. They have resumed monthly meetings on the first Thursdays (@7 PM) at the Round Table just up the street from AQS. Of course, there are the local dive shops too.

 

[bendra]

Welcome to SB and PNW diving! There are a few of us from the hood (i.e., PDX metro area) here on SB. A good local resource for connecting with local divers is the Oregon Scuba Club on Fb or at www.oregonscuba.com. They have resumed monthly meetings on the first Thursdays (@7 PM) at the Round Table just up the street from AQS. Of course, there are the local dive shops too.

Thanks for the information and the links! The first Thursday of the month will be next week - will you be there by any chance?

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I am in Beaverton, and have been diving locally for a very long time. My go-to dive is at High Rocks on the Clackamas River, very close by and and interesting dive.

Here is a short video of one of my dives at High Rocks.

SeaRat (John)

 

[Tracerbullet]

Welcome aboard

 

[Para Goon]

Thanks for the information and the links! The first Thursday of the month will be next week - will you be there by any chance?

I'm a hybrid worker now and work from home in Gresham most days. So, it's harder for me to swing by there on my way home. However, I'm planning to make next Thursday an on-site office day so that I can.