New Guy Here From Fort Lauderdale ....

[Diver_Ray]

Hey Everyone -

I'm a Floridian, 47 years of age, been around water all my life but never Dived. Well, I'm living in Fort Lauderdale and gonna take a Scuba Diving course at Brownies on Cordova. I'm open for any advice regarding equipment, Dive Sites, etc. I would love to Dive the SS Copenhagen in Pompano and Vandenburg in Key West. I don't know what to expect but I'm ready to experience this Sport.

Thanks.

Ray

 

[drrich2]

Have you heard of the Lauderdale by the Sea shore dive site? I've not been down to do it, but it's spoken of often on the forum, and you'll probably want to hit it. I don't know how close you are to Blue Heron Bridge, another popular, albeit unusual, shallow and tide-dependent dive site in Florida.

Richard.

 

[CajunDiva]

Welcome aboard Ray! You have found a great community of divers who will offer you tons of information whenever you ask. I hope you will retain your enthusiasm for the sport and share some of your adventures with us as you progress

 

[boulderjohn]

Welcome to diving, and welcome to ScubaBoard.

The difference between the Copenhagen and the Vandenberg is night and day. The Copenhagen has been thoroughly broken up by more than a century of storms and is more wreckage than wreck. It is a very basic dive at the beginner level. The Vandenberg is very much intact and a more advanced dive.

You live in an area with lots of good wrecks to visit, ranging from very beginner to very advanced in difficulty. Lots of local dive operators will have a list of them with descriptions on their web sites.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Congrats on trying a new addiction! Lots of locals here, and you live in the best place in the US for shore diving.

As far as advice on equipment. As your class progresses, you will have more questions. My only concern about taking a class with a shop is that they usually only sell a couple brands of gear, and because the shop usually relies on its classes for sales, sometimes pressure to buy can be pretty good. It's good to check out different shops to see what others have to offer. Also, know that your first set of gear will usually get changed out as you become more experienced. Fins that felt great on the first 20 dives and a PITA by dive 100. Masks are the same way.
Good luck and welcome!
Jenny

 

[beaverdivers]

Welcome to SCUBAboard!

There are many wrecks to explore on SCUBA.

Good Luck & Good Diving.

 

[sportxlh]

After you're certified, check out Gold Coast Scuba and their Meetup group. it is a very active club. They shore dive Lauderdale by the Sea but also sponsor dives to the shallow Pompano reefs and Copenhagen wreck: usually on South Florida Dive Headquarters dive boats.

Equipment is so personal that it is hard to make recommendations: you might want to take a couple of dive trips on various boats and rent different equipment and see what you like. I use a Zeagle BC which I really like. I use Mares regs and they breath very well but they are a PITA to get serviced and don't use standard sized hoses which only a few shops stock: for those reasons, I'd not buy them again. when you buy a tank, don't get an 80 cubic footer: wait and get a 100 ot 120 cubic foot tank: much more useful on deeper dives. Divers Direct has a house brand known as EVO and the wetsuits are cheap: the quality is OK, not as good as ScubaPro, but good enough for our warm water driving in my opinion.

As an FYI, many of the dive boats in the keys won't take you to the deep wrecks like the Vandenberg until you are Advanced Open water certified or have a sufficient number of logged deeper dives. You'll likely be waiting for a little while before you dive the Vandy.

Enjoy the new sport/hobby: it is addictive

 

[Diver_Ray]

Thanks everyone. Well, I hope to take to the class next week. I live in a Condo in Harbour Beach. I checked out Lauderdale Diver, Brownies, the store next to Bass Pro in Dania. I think I'll wait and buy after the course. Who is the Go To Dive Shop in this area? Is there a favorite shop here? Variety of equipment, reasonable prices, etc?

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Since you are not nailed down to a class, when looking for one, there are some things to look for. Price is usually the first thing. When looking at prices, make sure you know what you are getting. A $100 class may not include the fees for boats or materials. A private class costs more, but usually is a better class. The instructor is more important than the agency. The common certifying agencies are PADI, NAUI, and SSI. All have their pluses and minuses. A 5 star PADI center is not how well they teach, but how much they sell.
When looking at the instructor, how many classes has he/she taught? How many dives total do they have?
To answer your question as to the "go to dive shop", the answers you receive will be varied and subject to personal preferences. Some are brand specific. So, if you like ScubaPro gear, you need to go to a ScubaPro shop.
I hear Go Dive Florida in Pompano has a class starting up. I go there for my air fills mainly, and others items that I can't find elsewhere.

 

[boulderjohn]

A 5 star PADI center is not how well they teach, but how much they sell.

Well, let's put this one to rest at least.

PADI has nothing to do with sales. There is nothing in the 5 star rating that has anything to do with what you sell.

On the other hand, you are right in that it is the instructor more than the agency that makes the difference.