Open Water and the new rookie.

[midnite135]

Heyas all,

My name is Josh, I am 25 and im the new rookie. I finished the classroom and the "instructor puts me in the chokehold till I pass out and throws me in the pool to see if i float" dives.

Now I just need to figure out where I should do my Open Water dives to finish my cert.

I have always had some interest in scuba diving... I think it may be the rebel in me, always wanting to go where im not supposed to!

Anyways my interests are broad and I dont think id mind diving in any conditions be it cold, deep, river, lake, hi or low vis, reef etc.

So, as luck would have it im heading to Hawaii in June and decided I should not put it off any longer as its a primary reason for excitement going to hawaii in the first place.

So now that we all know each other and would feel comfortable borrowing cups of sugar etc, I have a few questions.

Where should I consider doing my open water dives to finish? Possible options are Bonne Terre, Tablerock etc. Im looking to keep down costs as much as I can on the OW (since im saving still for June) and would like some other good options to look at.

I live in Kansas City (Olathe, KS) Unfortunatly I do not have any leads on a dive buddy and this is something I would very much like to pursue even outside of my trip. So I thought post an intro and say hi. Obviously I have some learning to do yet, but im the type who will stick it out and im not even through open water and im picking specialties to do =p

Also, would love to find/meet divers in my area and any links you may have to other boards, resources, etc would be most appreciated. I really want to find some folks to dive with as it makes me much more at peace with my investments into the gear.

Thanks in advance and stay safe!

 

[MSilvia]

Personally, I recommend taking your checkout dives at home, so you can enjoy the diving you do on vacation without having a set of objectives you need to accomplish. Besides, you might find there's diving near home that you actually like.

 

[NSDiver]

Josh- I'm originally from Lenexa, KS, and have been going to school in Maryland for the last four years or so. Got certified in September and have done 25 dives since then, in Virginia (Rawlings, Millbrook), South Carolina (N. Myrtle Beach), Florida (Ginnie), and Beaver Lake, AR

Diving at Beaver Lake is actually really cool - near the dam there is a submerged forest with plenty of life, ledges, sunken sailboats, lawn ornaments, and depths that exceed recreational limits. I would recommend you do your checkouts near home somewhere (Table Rock, Beaver) because that is where you will do most of your diving if you are like me. Don't just save your diving for trips.

As for finding buddies, one thing I've done is just to call around at different dive shops - a lot of times they will either have a group or know of a group that is going somewhere. The Kansas City area is a little different though. Most KC divers seem to not be local divers. SB is a great resource though - don't be shy about asking others to dive with you on SB.

Also, I'll be back in KC around the end of June and I'm staying until the middle of September, so if you're into the whole local diving thing by then then give me a PM.

Welcome to the board and happy diving.

-Nick

 

[cummings66]

Table Rock has some good places for open water dives and if that's one of the sites your instructor uses then I'd go there.

I believe any of the lakes in Southern MO or Northern AR would be good for your OW dives.

As to buddies, look at your class you're in and you'll likely find a buddy to dive with there, or certainly at the LDS you'll find a list of people wanting buddies.

 

[midnite135]

I have no intention of finishing my open water in Hawaii, I will definitely find a place to complete it ahead of time. That is my concern on costs and trying to keep it down as much as I can to save more for this trip.

As far as finding buddies in my class there were only 3 of us, one was going on to florida and the other was prolly 14-15. I asked about finding buddies in the area and they basically want to sell me on there trips. Which is fine but id like to find someone to dive with other than only the diveshops organized trips. I suppose I have plenty of time to worry about it as im not done with the cert and then the cost of equipment. However I am fairly certain I am going to do this, would just be comforting to know I have some friends somewhat nearby who have similar interests prior to this investment =)

The diveshop does a monthly trip to Table Rock so I can probabaly jump in on one of those, but wanted to know what other area's maybe near enough to provide me the option of finishing my cert without breaking the bank before Hawaii. Ive been reading around the board all day and its been very educational, it also sparks plenty of questions. I just need to find someone I can just talk to about it all =)

Thanks for the replies, look forward to hearing from more of ya!

-Josh

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How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo? ~Jacques Plante

 

[bgray]

Try posting on www.scubakc.com. While this site is still getting started, I think it is a good place for locals. Most of the people on it are new divers also with similar interests/intentions.

 

[kfd210]

Midnite what dive shop are you dealing with? There are many in the kc area some better then others as we all know. There are many that do check out dives at beaver, table rock, and blue water. just call around and find out who goes where. I've had better luck in the northland.I know many shops are starting their check out dives at the end of april. good luck

 

[midnite135]

Midwest Aquatics is an SSI school. I did my classroom there and may do a Table Rock dive with them to finish certification. What other dive shops in our area are worth a look? The people at MWA have been friendly and were kind enough to answer my stupid questions, of which I have many. (I know I know, no such thing as a stupid question...only inquisitive idiots)

Do dive shops typically haggle?

Anyhoo thanks for pointing that other board to me, these resources are helpful. Would love to hear any experiences others have had with MWA and other shops in the area. I dont have any problems with them but feel that every shop deserves a shot and id like to find one that Id feel comfortable giving my loyalties too.

Thanks for the responses, ill check back soon!

 

[cummings66]

Do dive shops typically haggle?

Yes, many of them do and a few do not. I am not from the KC area and in fact I'm located in central MO so I can't give advice on your dive shops there. Try to haggle and see what happens. Many shops give discounts on gear if you do training with them, and vice versa. There is almost always a discount for doing the entire thing with them.

I can say there are many places to dive in MO and that anything is better than a quarry. Quarries are so static and a lake is alive and ever changing so given the choice I'd dive the lake any ole day.

However this Sunday I'll probably be diving at Eugene, unless the LDS doesn't go in which case I think I'll drive down to Branson and dive at Table Rock. I tend to dive more locally in the quarry because it's closer. I prefer lakes.

 

[midnite135]

Id like to find out what all I have 3-4 hours from me, to me thats nothing on the weekends.. I could even take off the occasional friday and leave thur night usually. I expect to do this alot when I get back after June and can throw cash into gear. Currently im trying to come up with a shopping list and have been reading reviews and looking at the options to determine what works for me and what I would like to do in the future. Nothing is out of the question at the moment, Im just excited to get started and meet some people I can gather with and enjoy.

My local dive shop has a rule that they wont let any gear they dont sell into the pool unless it comes from a retailer they authorize. I dont know how limiting that will be if I want to buy something they cant get. Im not sure but think they may refuse to train me as well, I dont know how that works if I train elsewhere at this point after doing SSI for the class. The differing certification agencies are a source of confusion for me.

Anyways any advice you can give is appreciated.