New Diver - question boat diving

[Dsix36]

Well, I am not quite sure how to approach this reply. Being the "Dive God" that I am and having a whole herd of groupies that love and admire me might make this a little embarrassing to myself.

After I got OW certified and ready to go jump in the ocean to enjoy my new skills, I found myself very nervous and uncertain. I did not feel that I was ready to dive unsupervised and without the presence of a professional instructor yet. I spoke to my instructor and immediately took my AOW in order to get more time underwater with him and increase my comfort level. After this, I was ready to tackle the unknown and began to enjoy my dive journey.

I know that I am not really a dive god,
most of the time.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

Hi - I am new to diving. So new, in fact, that I just got my OW certification Jan. 2013. I live in Ft Lauderdale so there are plenty of sites to see. I will be diving South Florida and the Keys.
Question: If I am scheduling a dive boat dive and ask for a dive master to dive with me and my buddy (who is also new to diving) are they going to think I don't have enough confidence to be diving at all?
South Florida is mostly drift diving and is how I got my certification but my instructor really took good care of me in making sure I stayed on course and got to the meet up point with the boat.
Question 2: How should I approach skilled divers with questions and possibly ask if I could dive with them? I want to learn all I can and enjoy my new sport. I don't want people to not want to dive with me because I am new.

I have run/raced speedbikes all my life and have found that many in the sport are very snobbish and don't want to associate with new riders. Me? I loved to help the new people especially the girls who didn't even know the clutch from the brake. Thanks...

Answer 1: Try Rainbow Reef in Key Largo, and Force E in West Palm Beach, they both have Dive Guides in the water at no extra cost, so you can use the extra money for more dives. Also you can opt out once you and your buddy get comfortable.

Answer 2: just ask!

Also I've heard Blue Heron Bridge is a great place to dive.

Dive Key Largo, Florida Keys with Rainbow Reef Dive Center;scuba diving:diving, Florida keys, florida diving

http://www.force-e.com/content/Areas+Served.West+Pal

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_East/Florida/Blue_Heron/index.htm

 

[rmh84]

I've been on a ton of boat dives with Jupiter Dive Center, and they ALWAYS send a guide. If you're comfy with your buddy and just want to be sure it's a guided dive that's a good option.

 

[buddhasummer]

As has already been said, most divers are very happy to talk about anything dive related, I'm one of those who's hard to stop once started. Like DevonDiver I'm more than happy to mentor newer divers who are genuinely interested in learning something in fact have done so on several occasions, it's something I enjoy doing very much. Personally I'm more than happy to act as private DM FOC for anyone who asks.

Also agree with others you have a very good mind set I only wish more were like you, I get a little frustrated with some new divers who got their OW yesterday and don't know/recognize their limits, think they are now diver of the century and get all indignant when you try to offer well meaning advice/tips/pointers. A little bit of humble goes a long way. Good luck, I have a good feeling you are well on your way to becoming a great diver.

 

[Force-E Divers]

Dive ops will LOVE you for knowing that you need a private DM. They fear the opposite

We agree! Good divers know their limitations, and dive boats LOVE good divers. Doesn't matter if they have been certified for a week or a decade.

As for asking questions…I say ask! We all started at the beginning. If a more experienced diver gives you a hard time about asking questions, then it probably means they don’t really know what they are doing either…go ask someone else.

Good divers became “good divers” because they set aside their ego and learned everything they could from more experienced ones. Because of this, truly good divers welcome the chance to share what they've learned.

Answer 1: Try Rainbow Reef in Key Largo, and Force E in West Palm Beach, they both have Dive Guides in the water at no extra cost, so you can use the extra money for more dives. Also you can opt out once you and your buddy get comfortable.

Thanks for mentioning Force-E! Just to clarify one thing...We don't always have someone in the water. If we are on your boat and you are looking for someone to guide, by all means join us. However, sometimes we are teaching a class and need to focus on our student...I'm sure you can understand that. We have three stores full of staff that love to get out and dive, so if you are looking for a dedicated Dive Guide, give us a call and we can set something up!

Congratulations on your new certification!

Best Fishes,

 

[RJP]

PADI OW really doesn't prepare one to do it all with any degree of confidence. As I recall, on my first 10-20 dives I was so preoccupied with my gear, buoyancy, etc., that I could never have managed to also navigate back to the boat.

Absolute statements should probably be avoided. A good PADI instructor ("it's the instructor, not the agency") can easily prepare an attentive, engaged OW student to plan and execute dives independently (of a professional) with a reasonable degree of confidence. I know a dozen or so PADI OWSI's who do it week in, week out.

 

[diverrex]

Absolute statements should probably be avoided. A good PADI instructor ("it's the instructor, not the agency") can easily prepare an attentive, engaged OW student to plan and execute dives independently (of a professional) with a reasonable degree of confidence. I know a dozen or so PADI OWSI's who do it week in, week out.

Besides it being an issue of the instructor do you believe it is also a matter of the course format? For instance do you know any good instructors you are able to turn out good independent OW divers in a two weekend course format conducted with a group of students?

 

[RJP]

For instance do you know any good instructors you are able to turn out good independent OW divers in a two weekend course format conducted with a group of students?

I know several who can, with the right students. Typically, good instructors try not to go that route because it's not ideal. However, as crazy as we get about all this stuff... it really ain't that hard!

 

[MAISY]

I was certified by Force-E. I really felt comfortable with my instructor. I am confident in my "new" skills because of the instructor.

---------- Post added March 22nd, 2013 at 06:55 PM ----------

I am very confident with my dive buddy. He dived in the military, among other things, but has quickly come to realize that recreational diving is not about underwater detination sites and making sure your gun is clear when you surface. LOL! Or wearing camo to dive!!! I am going to dive to my comfort level and get better with each dive with a DM. My buddy is in compete agreement with whatever makes me comfortable and better. After all even he had to learn new things when he started recreational diving.