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cnote

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Location
MS Coast
Just want to say hello. I'm not certified yet but I'll be taking my class in a couple weeks and planning on certifying. I'm planning a trip for my bday to the Honduras this summer but wanted to get a couple dives under my belt b4 going off, so hope to get to know yall...going back to lurking around the site taking in all the info.
 
Welcome Aboard!

If you're in the Mobile area, I highly recommend Gulf Coast Divers as a training agency. They have a heated indoor 15' pool on site and you can use their gear and air fills for unlimited practice while you are taking your classes. You can't put a price on that. Ask for Lawren or Bob.

Gulf Coast Divers - Dive The Alabama, Florida and Mississippi Gulf Coast - Gulf Coast Scuba Diving At Its' Best - Mobile, Alabama (251) 342-2970



Re-post your message on the main forum here: Deep Dixie Divers - ScubaBoard so that everyone in the area can meet you, and feel free to ask any questions you may have about the area. We have regular ScubaBoard events that are great for meeting new dive buddies too.
 
++ 1 for Gulf Coast Divers. Some of the best OW training I've ever seen. I wish that my OW class had been that good! After you're certified ( or even when you're doing your OW checkout dives ), let us know when you're schedule allows you to dive. There's almost always someone ready to go!


Carl
 
Welcome to the world of scuba diving. We have trips, international excursions, equipment sales, service, rentals, instruction to instructor level. Please don't hesitate to call us with any questions at (251) 342-2970. Please stop by our facility in Mobile. We are located at 1284 Hutson Drive in Mobile, AL. We look forward to meeting you.

Capt. Lawren McCaghren
Gulf Coast Divers
 
Thanks for the warm welcome.

DocCarl...after I certify, I can be free on weekends with a 48 hr notice...my biggest fear is not having anybody to dive with before my vacation, I want to have at least 10 dives done b4 I go so that I know I'm really comfortable...I also plan on doing Advance OW before I go also.
 
Hey cnote, welcome to scuba diving. Where will you be doing your training?
 
Thanks for the warm welcome.

DocCarl...after I certify, I can be free on weekends with a 48 hr notice...my biggest fear is not having anybody to dive with before my vacation, I want to have at least 10 dives done b4 I go so that I know I'm really comfortable...I also plan on doing Advance OW before I go also.

If you do your AOW you can get two boat dives in, which will cover boat and deep (if you set it up that way). I'd also recommend navigation for your AOW. It counts a 3-4 dives, and even though it's all in shallow water, it will do wonders for your confidence underwater. I recently took a cavern course, and the skills I gained in navigation class really put me ahead of the curve.

There are some great shore dives between Gulf Shores and Panama City, and there are some pretty good charters that run from Dauphin Island to Panama City. Talk with Lawren at GCD and he can steer you to some good beginner spots for charters, and keep an eye on the board for group shore dives.
 
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DocCarl...after I certify, I can be free on weekends with a 48 hr notice...my biggest fear is not having anybody to dive with before my vacation, I want to have at least 10 dives done b4 I go so that I know I'm really comfortable...I also plan on doing Advance OW before I go also.


Regarding AOW: I think that this is a wise decision. The skills and knowledge that you'll gain during your advanced classes will really allow you to make the most of your trip to Honduras. It's one of those thing that, if you don't do it, you probably won't know what you're missing. If you do complete the AOW stuff before going, I'm willing to bet that you'll be happy that you did once you get down south.

Most certification agencies require that you have a minimum number of logged dives ( 25 is a common number, I think? ) in addition to completing the other requirements for AOW. I'm confident that you can get that much time in the water before going to Honduras, as long as you get started early enough.

Hetland is spot on regarding the navigation class. Nav, deep, boat, and nitrox are often done as a package deal at Gulf Coast Divers. My roommate (you'll see her on here as 'Tessunderwater' tells me that she's planning to this package as early as she can this spring.

Of course the MOST important thing is learning to dive in the first place, and that means choosing where you will be doing your initial training. If you have specific questions about things to look for when choosing an instruction program, please don't hesitate to ask!

So when are you planning to get started?



Carl
 
My class starts Friday. My dive shop is in d'iberville, ms...I know they said they will run a special for us to do AOW and nitrox, I think we'll be doing that in april they said, when the charters start up again. I'm excited yet nervous lol.
 
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