PADI, NAUI, SSI, SDI... Too many to choose from!

[nereas]

Wow, you guys are incredible. I thought I'd maybe get an answer or two, but this is by far the most responsive board I've ever registered to, for any subject.

Anyway, I'm in Provo but I don't mind traveling as far as Salt Lake to get certified. The more I've read in the boards and from peoples experiences, the more convinced I am to certify here in cold water, rather than wait for the warm waters of the Caribbean.

In regards to the one post about bringing my equipment with me to Costa Rica, how heavy is this stuff? I can't imagine tanks (even empty ones) being very light. Will it essentially nix one of my suitcases? Is it safe to ship equipment like regulators through a service like the USPS or FedEx etc?

I hope you guys don't mind PM's cause I might be doing a lot of that in the near future. lol

Thanks again, you guys have been great.

You would never bring your own tanks or lead weights. Those items are always provided by the boats or else rented at the destination.

But you can bring anything else that you own.

The thing is however that as a newly certified diver, you should NOT buy much, only the minimum requirements, such as fins, booties that fit with your fins, mask, snorkel, and anything else that you bought already (but keeping this to a minimum).

Ultimately you will need to buy either a 1/2 mm or a 3 mm wetsuit, either at your destination or else before you leave. These are not normally rented.