Reviews of OW checkout dives with Divers Supply at Rainbow River, Fla.?

[BORG]

Hi guys,
My adult son will be going to Rainbow River in Florida later next week to do his OW checkout dives with Divers Supply here in Atlanta. Just curious what experiences have some of you had diving there and with any OW checkout dives? I know it's pretty shallow from the videos I've seen.
Thanks for any reviews

 

[bradlw]

I was just on that dive a few weeks ago with them! My wife and kids all went through the OW class and I tagged along as a "fun diver".

I dove here a time or two way back a long time ago, too, when I lived in the Tampa area and was working on my Divecon cert.

I honestly think the dive was better this time than what I remember from back in those days. Just fuzzy memory I guess.

I think that it's an excellent OW checkout dive. It's a boat dive, and a shore dive, and a drift dive... all very tame and easy
except the water is cold!
One of my daughters was in a 5mm full, I think the rentals the rest of them were in were 3mm. I was in a 3mm farmer john and jacket so I had 6mm over my torso. I had to give up my fleece hood to my wife. I was cold, and most of my family was cold. It's not so bad that you need thick gloves etc... but that you're in for such a long time that your core gets chilled...so I suggest a hood, at least a thin one, and gloves.

Not a huge amount of life to see like you will in the ocean in S Florida, but still there's some to see.

I can't remember the greatest depth that I measured/logged, but there are some holes to get into where the springs vent up...and some places deep enough to do skills... but yes, it's shallow

Arrive at the park's gate early, before they open the gate, so that you can snag a parking spot.

I'll try to keep an eye on this thread if you have any specific questions.

 

[BORG]

I was just on that dive a few weeks ago with them! My wife and kids all went through the OW class and I tagged along as a "fun diver".

I dove here a time or two way back a long time ago, too, when I lived in the Tampa area and was working on my Divecon cert.

I honestly think the dive was better this time than what I remember from back in those days. Just fuzzy memory I guess.

I think that it's an excellent OW checkout dive. It's a boat dive, and a shore dive, and a drift dive... all very tame and easy
except the water is cold!
One of my daughters was in a 5mm full, I think the rentals the rest of them were in were 3mm. I was in a 3mm farmer john and jacket so I had 6mm over my torso. I had to give up my fleece hood to my wife. I was cold, and most of my family was cold. It's not so bad that you need thick gloves etc... but that you're in for such a long time that your core gets chilled...so I suggest a hood, at least a thin one, and gloves.

Not a huge amount of life to see like you will in the ocean in S Florida, but still there's some to see.

I can't remember the greatest depth that I measured/logged, but there are some holes to get into where the springs vent up...and some places deep enough to do skills... but yes, it's shallow

Arrive at the park's gate early, before they open the gate, so that you can snag a parking spot.

I'll try to keep an eye on this thread if you have any specific questions.

Thank you very much for the review! This was very helpful. I'll let my son know about your experience there. I'll tell him to rent a 5mm from Divers Supply before he leaves next week. I have a 7mm which may be "overkill" plus it may be too big for him.

 

[bradlw]

I should have said this...tghere was a lady on the trip in a skin. Said she hates wetsuits. She seemed to be getting by ok.... maybe just hot-natured, I don't know. I do know that some people tend to run warmer than I do, so there's that.

He shouldn't have to rent the suit. DS supplied all the equipment for my family in the class

Is he also diving Blue Gratto for his first day of dives with the class?

 

[BORG]

I should have said this...tghere was a lady on the trip in a skin. Said she hates wetsuits. She seemed to be getting by ok.... maybe just hot-natured, I don't know. I do know that some people tend to run warmer than I do, so there's that.

He shouldn't have to rent the suit. DS supplied all the equipment for my family in the class

Is he also diving Blue Gratto for his first day of dives with the class?

I don't know if he's diving in Blue Grotto the first day or not. He finishes his pool training tonight, I told him to ask about about wetsuit rentals for the trip. He said they were told they have to pay for any rental gear on the OW check dives.
Did you dive with DS location out of JAX? I met Bob Collins from JAX shop a few years ago when he came to ATL location for a demo day at the shop during the Spring. Nice guy, I enjoy his videos on Youtube.

 

[bradlw]

Did you dive with DS location out of JAX? I met Bob Collins from JAX shop a few years ago when he came to ATL location for a demo day at the shop during the Spring. Nice guy, I enjoy his videos on Youtube.

yes.
I did a refresher course along side thier OW class. Basically did the whole pool weekend with my family's OW class, and then joined them for the checkout dives at the springs. I was done with my course after the pool and not part of that class for dives. Just came along as a fun diver & just did my best to stay back and out of their way.
Bob Collins was around quite a bit in the store. I had previously seen some of his vids too. He does seem like a nice guy. He was teaching a couple of students in the pool with us, and then again at the springs... separate class and they stayed away from us and did their own thing. I guess they were instructor or divemaster students. I'm not sure, but I suspect that he trained our instructor, and she did a very good job in my opinion.

 

[BORG]

I should have said this...tghere was a lady on the trip in a skin. Said she hates wetsuits. She seemed to be getting by ok.... maybe just hot-natured, I don't know. I do know that some people tend to run warmer than I do, so there's that.

He shouldn't have to rent the suit. DS supplied all the equipment for my family in the class

Is he also diving Blue Gratto for his first day of dives with the class?

I don't know if he's diving in Blue Grotto the first day or not. He finishes his pool training tonight, I told him to ask about about wetsuit rentals for the trip. He said they were told they have to pay for any rental gear on the OW check dives.
Did you dive with DS location out of JAX? I met Bob Collins from JAX shop a few years ago when he came to ATL location for a demo day at the shop during the Spring. Nice guy, I enjoy his videos on Youtube.

yes.
I did a refresher course along side thier OW class. Basically did the whole pool weekend with my family's OW class, and then joined them for the checkout dives at the springs. I was done with my course after the pool and not part of that class for dives. Just came along as a fun diver & just did my best to stay back and out of their way.
Bob Collins was around quite a bit in the store. I had previously seen some of his vids too. He does seem like a nice guy. He was teaching a couple of students in the pool with us, and then again at the springs... separate class and they stayed away from us and did their own thing. I guess they were instructor or divemaster students. I'm not sure, but I suspect that he trained our instructor, and she did a very good job in my opinion.

My son is impressed by his instructor at the ATL shop. The instructor is ex military and takes dive training seriously and wants his students to know what they are doing and why not just get handed a C card for just getting wet and blowing bubbles for just showing up for pool training.