new to diving

[southernsweetness]

Ive been reading for a few days and finally decided to post. Im still in the process of getting my OW cert. Finished my classroom and pool, but got sick that weekend so didnt get to do my OW dives yet. Hopefully in a couple weeks I will have a free weekend to do them.
Im getting cert in Florida but i will be moving to Hampton Roads VA in Dec. Im curious about the diving in the area. Does the water get cold enough in the winter to need a drysuit or not dive? Seems like it would. Should I take some sort of refresher or something since I wont be cert for the water conditions in the area? I prob wont have any dives past my OW cert dives before we move and if the waters too cold to dive it will be months before I get to dive again anyway. Maybe I just answered my own question.
Another thing, I am getting NAUI cert now. When I go for my advanced, will I need to find a NAUI instructer or will I be able to use another? I havnt seen much mention of NAUI on here.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I don't know about the VA coast, but Lake Rawlings is a great place for freshwater diving. It's on I-85, just south of Petersburg.

We've got a pretty nice group of NC and VA divers that do lots of local diving together, and you're welcome to join us. When you get a moment, check out the NC Wreck Divers forum or to to the club website at www.ncdivers.com. We're always glad to have new divers join us...

Good luck with your cert and the upcoming move,
Grier

 

[Doc Intrepid]

In the winter Lake Rawlings is about the only place open to diving, except for Mt. Storm in West Virginia, and yes...you'll be much more comfortable during winter in a drysuit. (Pre- and post-dive as well!)

IMHO, you'll be much more comfortable in a drysuit no matter where you dive there, but lots of divers dive wet (summer only). Morehead City and Beaumont, NC offer charters out to wrecks in the Gulf Stream, where water temps can be quite warm. But off VA Beach and points north, temps are more like mid-60s and mid-50s year round...if you want to dive coastal Virginia or Maryland I recommend you get a drysuit.

It depends a great deal on where, how, and when you want to dive, and in particular, what sort of diving you plan on. If its mostly warm water diving only, then you'll find a wetsuit is fine. Otherwise...have a look at DUI

(And by the way, welcome to ScubaBoard. Hope you like the place...)

Best,

Doc

 

[adurso]

.

Im curious about the diving in the area. Does the water get cold enough in the winter to need a drysuit or not dive? Seems like it would. Should I take some sort of refresher or something since I wont be cert for the water conditions in the area? Another thing, I am getting NAUI cert now. When I go for my advanced, will I need to find a NAUI instructer or will I be able to use another? I havnt seen much mention of NAUI on here.

Yes you need a drysuit in the winter. Lake Rawlings has been mentioned. There are tons of wrecks off the Va coast from all eras that are neat to dive. The ocean is the ocean, so if you have dived the ocean conditions will not be unusual for you, excepting viz and temp coming from Florida. There are NAUI instructors in the Hampton Roads area, but you can use another organization, they recognize one another. If you will be living near Portsmouth check out this linkclick here

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board.
Grier and Doc got most of your questions. At least for me, late April to mid Oct is fine for wetsuit diving in the area, outside of that, a drysuit would be a very good idea. I just stop diving or head south to warmer water in the winter. As for a refresher, you can do one or just get together with any of us in the NC divers group. We (or maybe I should say I but I think I am safe including the rest) are always happy to take new divers along with us unless the trip is just not suited for new divers. On many weekends some of us are diving at one of the quarries. They are great places to improve your skills and you are encouraged to come along. Do come join is on the NCdivers website.

Your advanced cert can be done with any agency, not just NAUI so getting your advanced is no problem.

 

[southernsweetness]

Thanks everyone!
Guess i will be sticking with summer diving for the time being. Dont think Im ready to deal with a dry suit yet and dont think I can afford one anytime in the near future, especially since I dont have any of my other equipment yet(except basics like snorkel, mask, fins and booties)
I havnt done an ocean dive yet. And depending on the storms that keep making their way into the gulf I may not get to.(hopefully they stay away from now on, but hurricane season isnt over yet) If I had done my OW dives the weekend I was supposed to they would have all wouldve been in springs near here.

This is something I havnt wanted to do as long as I can remember, but never thought I would have the opportunity being a mom of 4 or at least not til they were pretty much grown. As a matter of fact if I hadnt won the course I probably wouldnt have started now. Im excited about finally getting the opportunity to do this, I just hope I get more opportunities to make dives in the future.

 

[Bolney]

I have been diving hampton roads for about a year now. I live in Norfolk and dive lake rawlings which is awesome. I haven't done any wreck diving in the area yet, but as was said before lots of wrecks abound just off the shore. Let me know if I can help with anything when you get in the area. I know the local dive shops, etc.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

...This is something I have wanted to do as long as I can remember, but never thought I would have the opportunity being a mom of 4 or at least not til they were pretty much grown. As a matter of fact if I hadnt won the course I probably wouldnt have started now. Im excited about finally getting the opportunity to do this, I just hope I get more opportunities to make dives in the future.

Heh...thats what we do here, we help make dreams come true.

Tell you what. Take you and your wetsuit and all the rest of your gear, and give one (or all) of these folks a call. I've used them all, Bobby Cox, Leroy Crater, and Bobby Edwards, and they're good folks. Any of them can put you on a wreck in 70+ degree water with 60'-100' of vis, sand tiger sharks, turtles, rays, large pelagics, and so many swarms of baitfish that they obscure the wreck. Not every dive off NC is like that, but a Gulf Stream dive on a good day has to be seen to be believed.

I'll bet you'll find a good day with one of these guys. (If its your first trip, however, be smart. Take Triptone the night before and when you wake up, take a hat and sunblock, its 3 hours or so out and 3 hours back, bring water, snacks, a camera, and a good attitude.) The wrecks aren't going anywhere. Reading about the wrecks will make diving on them that much more interesting, however. There is a lot of information on these sites, so go through them carefully. Enjoy...

Call Bobby Cox at

www.diverdownscubadiving.com

diverdown@clis.com

or “Capt Leroy” Crater who books out of

http://www.discoverydiving.com

dive@discoverydiving.com

or Bobby Edwards and Renate at

www.atlantischarters.net

Dive safe,

Doc

 

[Adobo]

Like you, I am also new to the sport of diving. I had intentions of taking advanced open water classes in an attempt to become more proficient at the skills required to become an effective diver. I was fortunate that I realized quickly many (though not all) of the areas where I have deficiencies. I tried to map my areas of need to classes being offered by my dive shop and found that none offered the type of training/instruction that I feel that I need.

My only contribution to this thread, if you could call it that, is that before you take additional classes, please be sure to understand what type of skills you would like to add or improve on. Not all diving instruction, is created equal.

Ive been reading for a few days and finally decided to post. Im still in the process of getting my OW cert. Finished my classroom and pool, but got sick that weekend so didnt get to do my OW dives yet. Hopefully in a couple weeks I will have a free weekend to do them.
Im getting cert in Florida but i will be moving to Hampton Roads VA in Dec. Im curious about the diving in the area. Does the water get cold enough in the winter to need a drysuit or not dive? Seems like it would. Should I take some sort of refresher or something since I wont be cert for the water conditions in the area? I prob wont have any dives past my OW cert dives before we move and if the waters too cold to dive it will be months before I get to dive again anyway. Maybe I just answered my own question.
Another thing, I am getting NAUI cert now. When I go for my advanced, will I need to find a NAUI instructer or will I be able to use another? I havnt seen much mention of NAUI on here.