Newbie in Miami - looking for dive buds, gear and advice :)

[sobe]

Greetings,

Dan here. Just moved from NJ to FL (coconut grove) and am the stereotypcial hooked newbie. Got OP cert'ed last weekend, now spend all my time in classifieds trying to buy some gear.

Im already using the buddy finder and PM'ing locals and Chat, but if you see this PLEASE dont be shy - Ill take any advice, gear info, recommendations, dive/club invites.. etc

Thanks in advance!

~Dan

 

[oceanic1]

I am new here as well

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Miami area Craigslist classifieds are full of bad deals. Read up here on things before you go buy them. I pay incredibly close attention to the classifieds here but rarely buy, because people tend to want way too much money for equipment in dangerous or unusable shape

There are a ton of divers down here, and several cliques. Find a clique you like and enjoy yourself.

 

[cardzard]

Welcome to :sblogo: the place for everything scuba. Enjoy

 

[mselenaous]

Hey Sobe,
SoFL has great diving and lots of Scubaboarders to dive with. You are just an hour from me, so let me know when you come on down to Key Largo sometime.

I recommend that you spend time reading Scubaboard to learn more about gear before you end up with something that might not be safe or is no longer servicable. Sometimes the cost of a used item that needs service plus the cost of service it close to that of a new item. Don't hesistate to ask questions. I have read of folks finding their own stolen gear listed on Craig's list, so be cautious. Sometimes you can find a decent deal on Scubaboard classifieds.
Do check with your local dive shops too. Many will price match (or come close) for identical items or have something reasonable that fits your needs & budget that is still new with warranty. There are many dive shops in SoFL, so shop around. Some (like mine right now) cycle out their rental stock while it is still in good condition.

Happy Diving!

 

[sobe]

Awesome. thanks for the heads up everyone! What section is the proper one to post gear for advice on? Im eye-ing one on craigslist but its 5 hours away and they arent getting back to me
: (

Or Ill do a gear package on ebay, joeamerica, scuba.com, diverdirect.. etc Whatever gets the best reviews. Im a contractor at NOAA, so hopefully I can bug the dive program with questions too.

 

[mselenaous]

Equipment forums are here:
The Equipment of Scuba Diving - ScubaBoard
Manufacturer's forums are here:
Manufacturers Forums - ScubaBoard

 

[orlandoscuba]

Some places to find other divers is on meetup.com, I run a South Florida Meetup Group at The South Florida Scuba Meetup Group (Delray Beach, FL) - Meetup We do dive north of miami in Broward Area, but I am always willing to have trips in miami area and the keys.

Suggestions and/or if you want to lead a event they are aways welcomed.

If you would like to have a divebuddy, even though I am in Orlando, I have been known to drive down to Miami just to go diving. If you want to go, feel free to send me an message anytime.

Dennis

 

[sobe]

Here is a quick (really dumb) question:

If I hop on a dive boat, lets say at Elena's place, do I need to bring a buddy or do I find one there. How does that work? BYOBuddy... lol

UPDATE:
...as I type Im comparing same price: Tusa Sigma BC vs Cressi-Sub Aquapro 5r -- leaning towards Cressi. any thoughts?

 

[ROXANNE]

I am new here as well

Welcome to :sblogo: and enjoy diving!