What do I do now?

[Marie13]

Read "books", watch videos, wait for the warm weather.

Maybe find a nearby club and go along there for a weekly meeting (Is this a thing in the US?).

Mainly wait!

When the season starts, go for it. Get loads of diving in. It's great!

Yes, there are dive clubs in the US, but not the sort you’re used to with BSAC. Meetings seem to be more monthly here n

 

[myself]

OP said either ice or 34 degrees. Maybe something is still open.

There are a few shallow ponds that have creeks that run into them that aren't frozen, but they're only about 10 feet deep and quite silty.

 

[Gone for diving]

There are a few shallow ponds that have creeks that run into them that aren't frozen, but they're only about 10 feet deep and quite silty.

Stay away from ice over head or close by,
Good way to kill yourself without trying...
Ice can move with wind, or other less obvious reasons. Reg can freeze etc,
When you have experience you can take a course to ice dive, but don't recommend it now...
Dive with someone else that knows the area. Silt can be very disorienting even
With experience...

Also I recommend reading about dive accidents.
Not to scare you, but to learn from others mistakes.... especially the ones that seem so simple of a dive,

Fore warned is fore armed.

 

[inquis]

If you can still stay down, repeat until you can't then add weight until you can, you'll be close to properly weighted.

After you find the weight at which you barely stay down at the end of a normal exhale (not forced), then look at your pressure gauge. Assuming you're using an AL80 tank, add a pound to that weight for every 500 psi above 500 psi. (0 lbs for 500 psi, 1 lb for 1000 psi, ..., 5 lbs for 3000 psi). Round up if in between, since being slightly under-weighted is irritating.

Then WRITE THIS DOWN somewhere where you can find it later. That is your optimal weighting for that equipment/exposure suit/water-type combination.

 

[inquis]

That is your optimal weighting for that equipment/exposure suit/water-type combination.

Forgot to mention, after finding that total weight, you'll just need to distribute those weights (don't add more) so that you stay horizontal (chest & knees leave about the same time) as you rise off the bottom when inhaling. Knees should be bent around 80-90 degrees. Trim weight pockets on the upper tank band are commonly needed, and some BCs have them built-in.

If you had an excellent OW instructor, they may have worked through all this with you. Odds are that you didn't, though.

 

[ScubaBadger32]

By "just barely" I meant within the last four days or so, not the margin by which I passed.

oh okay thanks for clarifying! I recommend going to your pool, and practicing all of your basic skills, dsmb deployment, reg switching, mask removal, mask clearing, and by far the best, perfecting your buoyancy!

 

[EFX]

Hey guys, so I just barely passed my PADI open water written test and I'm fully certified now. I was wondering if you guys had any tips for someone at this stage in scuba diving.

Others have mentioned getting your weight and trim right. Most new divers are over-weighted. Here is a link to a post on SB that offers advice on how to this:

link

 

[boat sju]

Talk your dad into taking you and the brothers to Bonaire.

 

[Doc Harry]

I was wondering if you guys had any tips for someone at this stage in scuba diving.

Book a trip to the Caribbean and go diving!

Stay away from the Florida Keys for diving (or anywhere else in the USA for that matter). It's cheaper to leave the country, and the diving is infinitely better.

Ramone's resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize is a cool place, the diving is okay, and they cater to newbie divers (40 minute dives, or shorter).

Bohio resort on Grand Turk has spectacular diving, very short boat rides, small groups, and no current.

Cozumel is a place you HAVE to go. Though there is current, it's worth it. Look at Scuba Club Cozumel. It's cheaper to spend a week at Scuba Club than to go to the Florida Keys for a week.

 

[scubadada]

Book a trip to the Caribbean and go diving!

Stay away from the Florida Keys for diving (or anywhere else in the USA for that matter). It's cheaper to leave the country, and the diving is infinitely better.

Ramone's resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize is a cool place, the diving is okay, and they cater to newbie divers (40 minute dives, or shorter).

Bohio resort on Grand Turk has spectacular diving, very short boat rides, small groups, and no current.

Cozumel is a place you HAVE to go. Though there is current, it's worth it. Look at Scuba Club Cozumel. It's cheaper to spend a week at Scuba Club than to go to the Florida Keys for a week.

I've been diving in the Caribbean since 1997 and have dived some good locations, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Turks & Caicos, Bonaire, Curacao, Cozumel, Roatan. I will be adding the Bahamas in March and Belize in April.

I have had a home in SE FL for 11 years and have done quite a bit of diving in Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and West Palm. SE FL compares favorably with much of the diving in the Caribbean and is superior in some ways. I haven't been down to the Keys since 2015, but really enjoy the Spiegel Grove and the Duane.

Variety is the spice...