What to do while waiting for my first post-OW dives

[scubadada]

Hi @happyharris

Start doing research on dive destinations you might want to visit after your trip to Barbados. Florida and the Caribbean would be a good start. The nitrox cert is a great idea.

If you click on the trip report icon, only all the trip reports will be displayed for that forum

 

[happyharris]

f' work, nothing good comes out of it. Diving is good, very good.


Start with a dive computer and then on to regulator/BC/Thermal protection (assuming that you already have the MFSB).

No diving without work, unfortunately.

This may get me thrown off the board (!) but I do not plan to buy fins, snorkel, or boots. Nor regulator/BC/Thermal protection. I will be buying a mask, a computer, and some things I consider safety items, or just really cheap items (knife, DSMB, flashlight, wet-book, ...).

For the foreseeable future I will be renting gear at warm destinations two or three times a year. Annoyingly this means that I shouldn't get air integration, but I'll learn to cope without it.

 

[happyharris]

Hi @happyharris

Start doing research on dive destinations you might want to visit after your trip to Barbados. Florida and the Caribbean would be a good start. The nitrox cert is a great idea.

If you click on the trip report icon, only all the trip reports will be displayed for that forum
View attachment 876884

Florida: I really did want to go to Florida instead of Barbados, actually. My wife is going to the Orlando area for work, so it would make the whole trip much cheaper, and I've heard the diving at West Palm Beach is great. However, I didn't want my first dives to be drift dives with a dive shop I have never used before.

Barbados: Can we have a flame war about whether Barbados is Caribbean then?

I would want to get more experience and confidence just being able to dive without hand-holding before starting Nitrox. I think AOW will be my next course. On the other hand, Nitrox might be a good way to just get familiar with my LDS. (I did my OW at a warm water resort, which partly explains why I don't feel ready for "the big time").

So here's a thing to consider: what "exercises" should I add to my list of things I want to practice while diving? I don't want to just go down, follow the DM, see all the pretty fishes, and come up when I am low on air. Obviously there is buoyancy control and breathing control, but that is just something I do as part of the dive. I want to tell the DM (who will likely be my dive buddy) that I would like to do the following during the safety stop:

* send up my DSMB
* cut some string
* do a weight check (e.g. hand them some weight to see if I am over-weighted)

Any other ideas?

 

[Wants2divemore]

This may get me thrown off the board (!) but I do not plan to buy fins, snorkel, or boots. Nor regulator/BC/Thermal protection. I will be buying a mask, a computer, and some things I consider safety items, or just really cheap items (knife, DSMB, flashlight, wet-book, ...).

For the foreseeable future I will be renting gear at warm destinations two or three times a year. Annoyingly this means that I shouldn't get air integration, but I'll learn to cope without it.

I would reconsider not buying regs and BC. Even if you're just going to be diving when you travel, I personally think it's much nicer to have gear you're comfortable with and that you know works well.

A BP/W (or travel BCD) and a set of regs can pack relatively easily for travel (I can easily fit all my dive gear including BP/W, dive computers, mask, DSMB, lights, and regs into a wheeled carry on that I fly with).

Plus, you get to have fun doing the research and deciding what to buy

 

[happyharris]

I would reconsider not buying regs and BC. Even if you're just going to be diving when you travel, I personally think it's much nicer to have gear you're comfortable with and that you know works well.

A BP/W (or travel BCD) and a set of regs can pack relatively easily for travel (I can easily fit all my dive gear including BP/W, dive computers, mask, DSMB, lights, and regs into a wheeled carry on that I fly with).

Plus, you get to have fun doing the research and deciding what to buy

I know many people espouse the in the “buy once cry once” philosophy. I do what I like to call “buy twice smile twice”. I spend a small amount at the start, (which in this case means renting) and then when I really know what I am missing, I might spend later.

I considered getting regs, so that I could use air integration (sorry I refuse to call it AI!). However, I have absolutely no idea what I want in a regulator or BCD. I’m not sure that a low end set $500-ish) would be any better than rentals. They wouldn’t save money in the long term, and then there’s the headache of maintenance. If at some point I start to feel that something is lacking in the rentals then I can look to buy.

Feel free to persuade me I’m wrong!

 

[BoltSnap]

I know many people espouse the in the “buy once cry once” philosophy. I do what I like to call “buy twice smile twice”. I spend a small amount at the start, (which in this case means renting) and then when I really know what I am missing, I might spend later.

I considered getting regs, so that I could use air integration (sorry I refuse to call it AI!). However, I have absolutely no idea what I want in a regulator or BCD. I’m not sure that a low end set $500-ish) would be any better than rentals. They wouldn’t save money in the long term, and then there’s the headache of maintenance. If at some point I start to feel that something is lacking in the rentals then I can look to buy.

Feel free to persuade me I’m wrong!

Your living in the Boston area, you have so much opportunity to go diving locally. I lived in NE USA for 30 years, about 15 of which was in MA. Even when I moved to NY, I drove back to MA/RI to dive on weekends and holidays (I left NY back to Boston later). You can go diving with some of the best diving available in the world within 1 - 2 hour drive from where you are. Even Boston has excellent diving especially if diving from a boat. I dove from Maine down to RI (not much diving in CT myself) and I loved all of it and I can't wait to go back to dive there.

I bring this up because I want you to consider diving locally in addition to going away to dive. I come originally from hot and sunny Libya but I loved diving in New England so much and was diving most weekends and most of summer either in MA or RI.

 

[boulderjohn]

You might check and see if local dive shops have a policy that allows you to rent time in the pool. It will be good to maintain your OW skills, which are easily lost in time after your certification. They may even be willing to let you demo gear you might be considering purchasing when you do.

 

[happyharris]

Your living in the Boston area, you have so much opportunity to go diving locally. I lived in NE USA for 30 years, about 15 of which was in MA. Even when I moved to NY, I drive back to MA/RI to dive on weekends and holidays (I left NY back to Boston later). You can go diving with some of the best diving available in the world within 1 - 2 hour drive from where you are. Even Boston has excellent diving especially if diving from a boat. I dove from Maine down to RI (not much diving in CT myself) and I loved all of it and I can't wait to go back to dive there.

I bring this up because I want you to consider diving locally in addition to going away to dive. I come originally from hot and sunny Libya but I loved diving in New England so much and was diving most weekends and most of summer either in MA or RI.

Do you have any details or suggestions for New England diving? I would love to start doing that, once I reach a level where I can be an "equal buddy" instead of a hindrance to some stranger.

The problem with Boston area diving is that it is pretty much drysuit only from what I can tell. So that's another set of learning which I don't think I'm ready for.

 

[Rilelen]

If your wife will be in Orlando, you’re right that the drift diving off Jupiter is probably a bit advanced right now, but you might consider diving some of the Florida springs. They’re a great place to work on skills and get experience, esp for newer divers. And while they aren’t “cold” water (temps around 72 year round), they are much cooler than warm water reef diving and a good intro if you want to dip your toes into drysuit or thicker wetsuits in a calm, beginner-friendly environment. I second the recommendations towards working towards diving locally - I bought my cave regs secondhand from retired New England wreck divers, and their stories left me quite jealous!!

 

[BoltSnap]

Do you have any details or suggestions for New England diving? I would love to start doing that, once I reach a level where I can be an "equal buddy" instead of a hindrance to some stranger.

I loved diving in Cape Ann in MA. You just need to meet others who dive locally. Check to see if your LDS has a club or local activities. Next, look up dive clubs in the area. I also HIGHLY recommend that you do your advanced course locally so that you get oriented to diving locally in addition to advancing your skills' level and to meet divers who dive locally.

The problem with Boston area diving is that it is pretty much drysuit only from what I can tell. So that's another set of learning which I don't think I'm ready for.

You can dive with a 7mm wetsuit or a semi dry June to September but eventually you will get into drysuit diving so that you can dive longer, more frequently, deeper and wider dive season locally.

Learning to dive with a drysuit isn't a huge undertaking, you can do it from the beginning. I used to each entry level courses, NAUI Openwater Scuba Diver, in drysuit if the student wanted it. In fact, I was one of the first instructors/dive centers there to do so. It became so popular, I had classes with all students choosing to take the entry level course with the "dry option."