Scuba Lessons

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straightlinespeed

straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
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So I have been wanting to get my Scuba certification for some time now. Especially more now since we just booked our Honeymoon Cruise next February. We will be going to some great Snorkeling/Scuba Diving places.

Now I know nothing about Scuba diving or whats all involved to get certified. How many of you on here have your Scuba certification and would you recommend it?
 
I got certified twenty years ago before a trip to the Caribbean, but haven't used it since. Being stuck in the middle of the heartland doesn't help. I had fun in the class (went through with my brother), but it did take several weeks, some studying and taking a test.

If it's going to be a one time thing like I did, you can get cruise certified which will let you scuba the one time and be done. If you plan on doing it regularly, I would get the full certification.
 
BrianT said:
I got certified twenty years ago before a trip to the Caribbean, but haven't used it since. Being stuck in the middle of the heartland doesn't help. I had fun in the class (went through with my brother), but it did take several weeks, some studying and taking a test.

If it's going to be a one time thing like I did, you can get cruise certified which will let you scuba the one time and be done. If you plan on doing it regularly, I would get the full certification.
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Well I do live in the land of 10k lakes, but I would have to buy my own gear and all that. You have a good point, would I ever use it again? I have heard that diving the open pit mines can be pretty cool, but again no gear. Maybe I will look into that cruise certification, I didnt realize that was a option. Thanks
 
I got certified in 98 and went on many awesome dive trips with groups of 15-20 people for the first few years I was certified. What a great experience. The Scuba Shop in Eagan has a great pool in their facility. Took a refresher course there a couple years ago with my niece. They have discover scuba classes for cheap. I Own great gear but find that when I travel anymore, I usually just rent gear except for my own mask, snorkel & fins, which can make the difference between a fun, comfortable dive and one you struggle with.
Where will you going on your cruise? Maybe I can recommend a dive outfit to use for a resort course.

Do it!

Here's a few photos I have taken while diving:
 

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MobileCustoms said:
I got certified in 98 and went on many awesome dive trips with groups of 15-20 people for the first few years I was certified. What a great experience. The Scuba Shop in Eagan has a great pool in their facility. Took a refresher course there a couple years ago with my niece. They have discover scuba classes for cheap. I Own great gear but find that when I travel anymore, I usually just rent gear except for my own mask, snorkel & fins, which can make the difference between a fun, comfortable dive and one you struggle with.
Where will you going on your cruise? Maybe I can recommend a dive outfit to use for a resort course.

Do it!

Here's a few photos I have taken while diving:
Click to expand...

Well, I've snorkeled before when I've gone on my cruises and usually free dive down to 20-30 feet to snorkel around. I usually just want to hang out down at the bottom and away from all the others that are snorkeling.

We are going to Grand Cayman, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Cozumel. Those pics are great by the way! That is what I love about it all!
 
I got mine in 1967. I live in northern mi so it has clear water and lots of shipwrecks. I don't use tanks anymore due to 4 back operations but i snorkel
almost every summer day. Kind of like watching black and white tv compared to colored where you will be diving but it is great exercise.
 
Do they have Snuba where you're going?

http://www.snuba.com/about-snuba/

Getting certified is expensive, and you need to buy mask/snorkel/fins/booties, too.
If the only time you'll use it is this trip, it'd be an expensive thing to do.

I got certified when we lived in SoCal - went diving a bunch. Last time I went Scuba diving was in 1990. Many snorkeling trips since then.

Don't get me wrong...Scuba diving is cool (especially night diving!), but if you don't live where you can go pretty often, it's a lot of time/money for not much return on your investment.
 
I would get certified (I am not, but I my dad is an used to be an instructor so I got all the free instructions I needed and ive been below the surface a couple of times)

just because it is a different world down there and different rules apply
especially if you plan on taking the missus down I would want to know that I was prepared to handle whatever situation might occur (keep in mind, once you get married you are no longer responsible for the safety and wellbeing of one person but two, plus whoever gets born into your new family)

the initial cost of buying all the gear is high but how says you have to buy it all at once or that you have to buy it new?
or that you have to buy it at all, im sure that where you are going there are rental shops and there might even be some in minusooooda
 
stan marshall said:
I got mine in 1967. I live in northern mi so it has clear water and lots of shipwrecks. I don't use tanks anymore due to 4 back operations but i snorkel
almost every summer day. Kind of like watching black and white tv compared to colored where you will be diving but it is great exercise.
Click to expand...

So true, about diving in freshwater compared to Salt Water
64DartGTinAZ said:
Do they have Snuba where you're going?

http://www.snuba.com/about-snuba/

Getting certified is expensive, and you need to buy mask/snorkel/fins/booties, too.
If the only time you'll use it is this trip, it'd be an expensive thing to do.

I got certified when we lived in SoCal - went diving a bunch. Last time I went Scuba diving was in 1990. Many snorkeling trips since then.

Don't get me wrong...Scuba diving is cool (especially night diving!), but if you don't live where you can go pretty often, it's a lot of time/money for not much return on your investment.
Click to expand...

Im sure they do have the Snuba stuff, but I've never been a big fan of that I would rather free dive. You do have a big point with it being expensive to do with what little use I may use it. There are a few lakes locally I have wanted to dive and explore but I would have to have all my own equipment or try to rent it.

diymirage said:
I would get certified (I am not, but I my dad is an used to be an instructor so I got all the free instructions I needed and ive been below the surface a couple of times)

just because it is a different world down there and different rules apply
especially if you plan on taking the missus down I would want to know that I was prepared to handle whatever situation might occur (keep in mind, once you get married you are no longer responsible for the safety and wellbeing of one person but two, plus whoever gets born into your new family)

the initial cost of buying all the gear is high but how says you have to buy it all at once or that you have to buy it new?
or that you have to buy it at all, im sure that where you are going there are rental shops and there might even be some in minusooooda
Click to expand...

I looked up that dive shop locally and just for the instruction you have to provide your own Mask, Fins and Snorkel. Like anything Im sure the more you pay the better the equipment fits and functions. We figured for the both of us it would be around $1400 just to get certified. So sadly its out of our budget with the wedding and cruise we have to pay for. I think we will just be snorkeling this trip and maybe by the time the next cruise comes around we will be certified.
 
My wife and I got scuba advanced and Nitrox certifications together. We normally take cruises and go scuba diving there. Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, etc. are all fantastic! We dove a couple of times off of NJ, but that wasn't nearly as fun as in the Caribean. It takes your breath away to be 90' down and have a pair of curious dolphins come swim with you. Every trip gives us another story to tell. Quite a few awesome sites that words just can't do justice.

We decided to buy our equipment to ensure the quality of our gear. Particularly my wife has problems with dyslexia and knowing which hand or finger to use to rise or descend gave her great difficulty. I even had an underwater fight with her to save her life because she got the buoyancy control device controls mixed up and panicked. Since we bought our gear, I could rig it up so she could ascend with one hand and descend with the other (normally it is done with just your left hand). She's practiced so many times now that she no longer has problems.

I would recommend buying your own primary regulator if you are going to dive often, so you can ensure it is always properly serviced and disinfected. Everything else can be rented wherever you go and you shouldn't have to worry about it. It actually turns out to be cheaper to always rent too, as all the service to the gear is covered by the rental company.

I bought a dive computer that is integrated into the mask and that makes diving so much easier and safer too (see my avatar). It has a wireless transmitter that is attached to the regulator and it sends the amount of air left in the tanks right to the computer.
 
68gtxman said:
My wife and I got scuba advanced and Nitrox certifications together. We normally take cruises and go scuba diving there. Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, etc. are all fantastic! We dove a couple of times off of NJ, but that wasn't nearly as fun as in the Caribean. It takes your breath away to be 90' down and have a pair of curious dolphins come swim with you. Every trip gives us another story to tell. Quite a few awesome sites that words just can't do justice.

We decided to buy our equipment to ensure the quality of our gear. Particularly my wife has problems with dyslexia and knowing which hand or finger to use to rise or descend gave her great difficulty. I even had an underwater fight with her to save her life because she got the buoyancy control device controls mixed up and panicked. Since we bought our gear, I could rig it up so she could ascend with one hand and descend with the other (normally it is done with just your left hand). She's practiced so many times now that she no longer has problems.

I would recommend buying your own primary regulator if you are going to dive often, so you can ensure it is always properly serviced and disinfected. Everything else can be rented wherever you go and you shouldn't have to worry about it. It actually turns out to be cheaper to always rent too, as all the service to the gear is covered by the rental company.

I bought a dive computer that is integrated into the mask and that makes diving so much easier and safer too (see my avatar). It has a wireless transmitter that is attached to the regulator and it sends the amount of air left in the tanks right to the computer.
Click to expand...


I love snorkeling in Grand Cayman. Which brings me to a story. We were at our first location of the two that day. I always go as far away from the group as possible and explore on my own. (This is how I ended up surrounded by sea turtles that came thru. That was cool as heck). Anyways, I feel this little sting on my arm. I stop and look and sure enough I have a small red spot. It burns a little but I think that was weird. I continue on and I feel more stings. I stop and look and as Im treading water, my legs are not being stung. I swim back to the boat and inform the group leader that I think I was being stung by jelly fish. He argues with me and says no they are not around this time of year. I show him my arms and legs, (red rashes all over) and he still says nope they arent around. So I dive back in the water and start swimming back to where I was. Mind you getting stung the whole time. I just deal with it and enjoy the beautiful water. I now hear other people complaining that they are being stung. The leader is arguing with them also. Now he is wearing a wet suit, but had the top portion unzipped. He decides now to dive in and check it out. I never seen anyone get out of the water so damn fast! He shoots up onto the boat and starts stripping down. He had a jelly fish get into his wet suit. He starts yelling at everyone to get out of the water. On my way back to the boat I decide to try to see if I could see the jelly fish. By this time I was use to the burning of them and I ducked under the water and looked around. I was surrounded by them. They actually looked like sandwich baggies just floating in the water. Almost see thru! It took about 4 hours for the burning feeling to go away and I was covered from head to toe. After it was all said and done I think it was pretty cool and just one of my experiences.

I can just imagine what Scuba diving would be like in Grand Cayman Im sure its amazing! Actually Im sure there are many amazing places. I appreciate every ones stories and experiences. It makes me want to more and more get it.
 
I for one must say im surprised to hear how much certification runs, I would have thought it to be several hundred dollars
but still, if your going underwater I would suggest it


as for the jelly fish, those do sting a little bit
I remember scuba diving with the wifey on the coast of the Netherlands with many of them around but since we were both wearing wetsuits they didn't bother us
 
Beware the resort course. They teach you just enough to kill yourself. Take the full PADI course. I have my rescue cert, my wife is in the process of getting her instructor certification. You wont regret it. Your first coral reef dive in carribbean waters will have you hooked. Your first wreck dive will have you saving for a camera, and your first night dive will leave you breathless- literally. 68 gtx man-ever dive off Barnegat Light?
 
fratzog lover said:
68 gtx man-ever dive off Barnegat Light?
Click to expand...

Yes, if you mean on a boat that left from the Barnegat Light harbor. Went out to the sunken tug boat and to a sunken barge. The dive on the tug boat was about 10:00 AM and was as dark as a night dive! That damned algae ate up all the sunlight and made it as dark as night below about 10'. Thank God I had a dive camera (Go Pro) mounted on a flashlight or I might have lost my wife on that dive. She went past me on the anchor line in the algae and while I waited hanging on the Carolina line, she went down to the anchor without a flashlight. Then without any logical reason, she let go of the anchor line to "search" for me in the vast dark ocean. She couldn't even see the tug boat so she had no visual reference whatsoever to even know if she wasn't wandering away from the dive boat. I surfaced and asked the boat crew where my wife was and they said she dove 10 minutes before then. So I scurried down the anchor line and saw that she wasn't waiting there for me (her buddy diver). I left the anchor line and after swimming around the tug boat for a minute, she saw my flashlight and swam to me - thank God! The good news was that we found a ton of large mussels on the tug and they were great eating.

Have you dived from there Fratzog? Where are your favorite place(s) to dive in NJ and PA? I've wanted to dive on the steam locomotives up by Sandy Hook.
 
We dove the Dina Dee several times 7 miles out on the train barge. Lots of lobster and starfish. I'm used to Florida and Puerto Rico where they don't have claws LOL! Sometimes we go to Dutch Springs in Bethlehem because its close. But you need 6-7 mil, its a spring. Thats where I took my rescue cert. Usually Key largo 2 or 3 times a year. Yes the steam loco's - I'm in if you're game. The water will be ok in 12 weeks. Awesome story with a great outcome.
 
Yes, we dove on the Dina Dee too. Also we've been to Dutch Springs many times. Always chilly there, but I do like all the underwater sights to see (airplanes, trucks, buses, trolley, etc.). Did you get your dive stuff at the Dive Shop on Rt. 38 in Cherry Hill? That's our local dive shop.

12 weeks until the water is warm? I think with my 7mm wet suit, I might be a player in September. The problem is getting a boat captain that is willing to commit to a specific dive location. Plus, I don't think I want to ride on a boat from Barnegat up to Sandy Hook and back (I do get seasick). Would probably have to find a dive boat up in Sandy Hook. I'm not even looking for this pipe dream to come to fruition. I too would rather dive in the Bahamas or anywhere in the Caribean. We loved diving on the Christ of the Deep in Key Largo!!! What an awe inspiring trip that was for sure! Got some fabulous photos of my wife hugging Jesus! Plus we loved seeing all those Barracudas. Made me feel like I was at an A-body convention.

Let me know if you plan any trips to Dutch Springs this summer (July or later).
 
Not my shop but I have dove with Gil including the Dina Dee trips. He's funny for an elevator guy! I have a few pics of me at Christ of the abyss. Beware the fire coral. My wife is a warm water princess. She has to go to dutch for her IDC. Not gonna like that. Dutch is high this year from the snow and rain. 2 years ago I saw 102 feet on my computer in The Hole. That was 50 degree cold!
 
I just spent an hour trying to upload photos thru photobucket, but they always turn out to be too large.:wack:

Yes, 50 degree water is too cold!
 
..I cannot dive...ears hurt too much.

I have two sisters that are/were certified..one was down deep, came up and sold her equipment..won't talk about it. Another was almost drown during her certification dive..passed and kept it up for a shprt time..now just snorkels...
 
grassy said:
..I cannot dive...ears hurt too much...
Click to expand...

I was told that when you dive every 3-6 feet you descent you need to close your nose and blow it
this re-established the pressure within your ears and "should" stop them from hurting

I was out diving one day (think it was at playa del oro, somewhere in spain) and I failed to "clear" my ears as we called it

the first couple of feet didn't bother much but at about 45 feet down the pressure became to much and blood started to pour out my nose, slowly (but in my estimation WAY to quickly) filling up my goggles
 
straightlinespeed said:
I love snorkeling in Grand Cayman. Which brings me to a story. We were at our first location of the two that day. I always go as far away from the group as possible and explore on my own. (This is how I ended up surrounded by sea turtles that came thru. That was cool as heck). Anyways, I feel this little sting on my arm. I stop and look and sure enough I have a small red spot. It burns a little but I think that was weird. I continue on and I feel more stings. I stop and look and as Im treading water, my legs are not being stung. I swim back to the boat and inform the group leader that I think I was being stung by jelly fish. He argues with me and says no they are not around this time of year. I show him my arms and legs, (red rashes all over) and he still says nope they arent around. So I dive back in the water and start swimming back to where I was. Mind you getting stung the whole time. I just deal with it and enjoy the beautiful water. I now hear other people complaining that they are being stung. The leader is arguing with them also. Now he is wearing a wet suit, but had the top portion unzipped. He decides now to dive in and check it out. I never seen anyone get out of the water so damn fast! He shoots up onto the boat and starts stripping down. He had a jelly fish get into his wet suit. He starts yelling at everyone to get out of the water. On my way back to the boat I decide to try to see if I could see the jelly fish. By this time I was use to the burning of them and I ducked under the water and looked around. I was surrounded by them. They actually looked like sandwich baggies just floating in the water. Almost see thru! It took about 4 hours for the burning feeling to go away and I was covered from head to toe. After it was all said and done I think it was pretty cool and just one of my experiences.

I can just imagine what Scuba diving would be like in Grand Cayman Im sure its amazing! Actually Im sure there are many amazing places. I appreciate every ones stories and experiences. It makes me want to more and more get it.
Click to expand...


Hi there.
I've been a recreational diver for 25 years. I got certified in 1990 at age 16. For what its worth I nearly always wear a suit because of box jellyfish and sunburn. We have no ozone layer in the southern hemisphere. I recently did a trip to Fiji where the diving was awesome. Water temp was like 30 deg C near the surface and only dropped about 5 degwhen going down 15 meters. Still wore a suit. Glad I did because guess what, sea lice. The warmer water made them breed more or something like that. If your going tropical as well I would also recommend gloves. If you cut/stab yourself on some poisonous coral you could be in for a bad time. Make sure your travel insurance knows you will be scuba diving as well. Oh and I bought a go-pro duty free as well, another good investment. Happy diving man. :)
 
You have great diving down there Aussie! But as my wife says, In Australia everything stings, bites, or generally just kills you. I would love to dive the great Barrier reef.
 
Yeah, the Barrier Reef is very good. Its even interesting at night time. There is another reef on the west coast where I am from that is just as good too but not as large... Ningaloo Reef. A few of the locals here have been trialing special wetsuits with different patterns and colours designed to confuse sharks and warn them off with good success. And generally things will only bite or sting you if you look at them. :)
 
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