What are things you wish you could tell your past self?

[mcohen1021]

it took me 23 years to realize that competitive waterskiing, scuba diving and a good paying job were prerequisites for a wife/gf.

 

[lowwall]

(changed my mind)

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Sticking to diving ... thanks to Scubaboard I went with a BP/W, DIN regs and long-hose from day one. Best diving decisions I ever made thanks to researching my purchases primarily on Scubaboard. I haven't regretted those decisions in 630+ dives.

The key thing I would add is to dive more, train less and meticulously research my instructors. I learned a great deal and enjoyed many of the courses that I took but there were also some completely worthless POS courses from some lousy instructors. Those were a complete waste of time and money.

 

[MichaelMc]

- Yes, the difficult trade-offs between the rec, tec-lite, and tech jackets on display with different pocket sizes and D-ring counts is a hard one to pick best at. Just get the BP/W over in the corner, it's really an adjustable BC erector set in disguise.
- Find someone that teaches neutral buoyant and in trim.
- An LP27 might look like a trial LP50 for sidemount and is short for travel as a pony, but just go right to the LP50s sidemount and get an AL19 if needed for travel.

(non-scuba: Ask that bright girl out, even if she's only interested in skin-diving and you're overworked. Dumb ass!)

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Anyone who give you 38 pounds of weight is likely trying to kill you. Fire them.

How about 36 lbs? That's how much I had in my open water class. I didn't discover later how many things we skipped. The only time we left the line was to do the CESA (where I breathed in a few times) and do the out and back.

 

[TMHeimer]

Anyone who give you 38 pounds of weight is likely trying to kill you. Fire them.

Unless you need that much. I use 42 pounds (7 mil farmer john, AL80 tank). My PPB instructor (a MSDT) was amazed back in 2007 that I needed that much. Two instructors on the staff here use about 38 pounds when diving wet (don't know what they use dry).

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I would give my younger self coordinates to all the wrecks and reefs I searched for. Would have saved hundreds of wasted dives and a lot of gas money.

 

[Pressurehead]

Don't punch the Boatswain's Mate [when you are the Quartermaster on watch] during the middle watch on the bridge wing of a DDG,
it slows down your promotion to Petty Officer [your E6], my "Boss" said "the tall streak of pelican $h!* needed that, and he is 8" taller then you, well done"...But....And it was a Big but of years.
The funny thing is ' the streak' trained to be a diver not long after, and we became mates.

 

[kelemvor]

I wish I'd bought a powerball ticket with the numbers 2-28-31-44-52-18 last week.

Also, don't believe the prick at the babbages store when he tells you that they don't make books on assembly language.

 

[VikingDives]

How about 36 lbs? That's how much I had in my open water class. I didn't discover later how many things we skipped. The only time we left the line was to do the CESA (where I breathed in a few times) and do the out and back.

I think that counts -

Unless you need that much. I use 42 pounds (7 mil farmer john, AL80 tank).

The exception proves the rule? I've never used a farmer john, but that still seems heavy to me. FWIW, I dive ~16 lbs in the same setup today.