Anyone here scuba certified?

[luckybob9]

Ive been certified for about 4 years now. Open water, Advanced open water, Nitrox, and soon to be Rescue diver. Its an amazing world under the water and you will be addicted forever Cali. I've done dives in California, Hawaii, Mexico, Cozumel, and Caribbean.

 

As far as the most memorable dive......probably one off the coast of San Diego. There is a Canadian WWII destroyer that is down at around 70-100 feet that is super fun to go through. It can get a little surgy but well worth it. The way the boat is laying and how the surge goes over the holes to swim through, you can actually get sucked in if you are not careful; but two seconds later you get spit back out. It is fun to watch the rookie divers swim over an access hole and suddenly go in when the surge kicks, and then pop back out.

 

Cozumel is the prettiest places I have been so far though. 100+ foot visibility can not be beat. It also has Drift Diving which is cool. The current is constant and strongish. The boat will drop you off at point A, then you just let the ocean carry you across the dive site and the boat will pick you up at point B.

 

Got some nice videos here if anyone wants to check them out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/luckybob9/videos

[Cali]

I want to do Nitrox also, but with Christmas and 3 birthdays around the corner it's gonna have to wait a few. I plan on doing a few family trips to places I can dive at.

[luckybob9]

I want to do Nitrox also, but with Christmas and 3 birthdays around the corner it's gonna have to wait a few. I plan on doing a few family trips to places I can dive at.

 

I'm on the fence about nitrox. I only did the certification because it was discounted to $20 and was only a single classroom session. I have never used it though. A few boat trips I have been on have offered it but just never could justify the extra $10 bucks or so for a nitrox tank. Even multiple deep 70-80 foot dives I've never had an issue with muscle nitrogen load to the point where I thought I should have used it. It would probably be beneficial if you are doing multiple back to back dives, but all the boats out by me go to a different dive site each time so that is not really a relevant factor as you get nice surface time during the move.

 

If you are not advanced open water yet, id recommend saving for that before Nitrox. It is rare, but some places wont let you do certain dives without it. It also reinforces compass navigation, visual navigation, and a few other things that was nice

Edited November 21, 2014 by luckybob9

[Cali]

I'm on the fence about nitrox. I only did the certification because it was discounted to $20 and was only a single classroom session. I have never used it though. A few boat trips I have been on have offered it but just never could justify the extra $10 bucks or so for a nitrox tank. Even multiple deep 70-80 foot dives I've never had an issue with muscle nitrogen load to the point where I thought I should have used it. It would probably be beneficial if you are doing multiple back to back dives, but all the boats out by me go to a different dive site each time so that is not really a relevant factor as you get nice surface time during the move.

 

If you are not advanced open water yet, id recommend saving for that before Nitrox. It is rare, but some places wont let you do certain dives without it. It also reinforces compass navigation, visual navigation, and a few other things that was nice

 

The next thing I plan on doing is the advanced open water. I want to be certified to 100-130 feet. There are some good dives here in Guam that are at that depth and I want to do them. With Nitrox, you can stay down longer. So far my dives range from 32-47 minutes with a 3300-3500psi tank.

[luckybob9]

So far my dives range from 32-47 minutes with a 3300-3500psi tank.

You using the big boy aluminum 100 at that pressure? or you getting spoiled early with steel tanks? I finally broke down and got myself an HP100 and LP95 steel. Hard to go back to aluminum because of the buoyancy differences.

[Cali]

You using the big boy aluminum 100 at that pressure? or you getting spoiled early with steel tanks? I finally broke down and got myself an HP100 and LP95 steel. Hard to go back to aluminum because of the buoyancy differences.

 

Using 80's and I think they are steel. Going diving twice this week, I'll check and see if they are steel or aluminum. I tried a back inflate last dive and towards the end had buoyancy issues.....didn't have issues with the vest BCD's.

[luckybob9]

Using 80's and I think they are steel. Going diving twice this week, I'll check and see if they are steel or aluminum. I tried a back inflate last dive and towards the end had buoyancy issues.....didn't have issues with the vest BCD's.

 

I hated the back inflate too. I went with the vest style with the inflator on the side rather than over the shoulder

[Cali]

Someone is selling one just like that here for $300, just wish it wasn't close to Christmas time and 3 birthdays! The only thing I hate about the vest ones I have used here are the velcro straps. They get caught on my shirts and will eventually mess them up.

[Thor77]

Got PADI OWD, AOWD and Nitrox certified this year. Just 10 dives so far - most in Northern Adriatic Sea and a few in Bled lake. I currently have just ABC equippment, but I just got a great deal and ordered BCD and regulators and hope to acquire the suite and computer before the next season.

[Cali]

Got PADI OWD, AOWD and Nitrox certified this year. Just 10 dives so far - most in Northern Adriatic Sea and a few in Bled lake. I currently have just ABC equippment, but I just got a great deal and ordered BCD and regulators and hope to acquire the suite and computer before the next season.

 

I want to do AOW and get Nitrox as well, but have to wait til after the Christmas and 3 birthday's pass first. I've been certified for about a month and have 13 dives so far. We go every other weekend and do 2 dives. I wish I could buy my own gear, but that's going to have to wait. Not sure how much diving I'll be doing when I go back home. My wife wants to get certified so that's a good thing. One thing I would love to do is retire near a place I can dive at.

[Макс З.]

Got Aowd, deep, nitrox certificates. 50+ dives. Deepest 42 m so far:) all dives I have done in Egypt (Ras Mohammed, Thistlegorm, Dahab, Tiran island, Dunraven)

[Cali]

Saw a tour submarine this past weekend. Wanted to go climb on it, but we swam to the spot at 100 feet and the sub was up around 35 feet.

[Thor77]

I want to do AOW and get Nitrox as well, but have to wait til after the Christmas and 3 birthday's pass first. I've been certified for about a month and have 13 dives so far. We go every other weekend and do 2 dives. I wish I could buy my own gear, but that's going to have to wait. Not sure how much diving I'll be doing when I go back home. My wife wants to get certified so that's a good thing. One thing I would love to do is retire near a place I can dive at.

 

Get the AOWD done, it's fun! I really enjoyed the night dive and I will most likely do a speciality course on night diving next year.

 

regarding equipment - I got a deal for a new Aqua Lung high-mid class BCD along with regulator and octopuss for 450eur (recommended price around 800eur). A deal hard to miss.

[Cali]

That is a good deal, I want to get the AWOD done as soon as possible, although I have already been down to 100 feet, I'd like to know and be certified to do it.

[pdmarsh]

I was certified about 40 years ago--YMCA. Diving experience:

Quarries (one or two, don't recall)

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Florida Keys

Off the coast of Florida in general

Off the coast of New England

Virgin Islands (dove on the Rhone shipwreck which was used in filming of the movie The Deep (really dating myself here!)

Crystal River, Florida (swam with a manatee)

Night diving

River diving

 

Haven't done any SCUBA diving in quite some time now. Thanks for the memories!

 

Paul

Edited December 11, 2014 by pdmarsh

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

Once upon a time. My dad was going through his mid-life crisis so you can imagine being a 12 year old and being told "You're going to learn to scuba dive!"

 

The only time I think I was equally ecstatic was when I first flew solo.

[Cali]

I was certified about 40 years ago--YMCA. Diving experience:

Quarries (one or two, don't recall)

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Florida Keys

Off the coast of Florida in general

Off the coast of New England

Virgin Islands (dove on the Rhone shipwreck which was used in filming of the movie The Deep (really dating myself here!)

Crystal River, Florida (swam with a manatee)

Night diving

River diving

 

Haven't done any SCUBA diving in quite some time now. Thanks for the memories!

 

Paul

 

Sounds like you had a good time, I have a blast when I go.

[airdoc]

Basic Scuba experience in the past here. Been spearfishing regularly for 15 years.

[pdmarsh]

Sounds like you had a good time, I have a blast when I go.

 

I really did, thanks. In fact, I thought I wanted to make a career out of it in the sense that I started my college years majoring in marine biology. In reality, I guess I thought I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau, but I never really thought about what kind of job I could get in the real world. Ended up switching to Business Admin, but still went SCUBA diving occasionally.

 

Enjoy your SCUBA diving experiences!

 

Paul

[Cali]

I really did, thanks. In fact, I thought I wanted to make a career out of it in the sense that I started my college years majoring in marine biology. In reality, I guess I thought I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau, but I never really thought about what kind of job I could get in the real world. Ended up switching to Business Admin, but still went SCUBA diving occasionally.

 

Enjoy your SCUBA diving experiences!

 

Paul

 

I've thought about becoming a scuba diving instructor, but not sure if I want to do all that work. I like to have fun and frankly, I'm getting burnt out on teaching people.

[Alicatt]

Going through my late Uncle's photographs I cam a cross one of a favourite dive site of mine. This is just south of Wick on the north east coast of Scotland, the water there is about 22m at it's deepest and there are lots of interesting bits of old cars laying around on the bottom, including the engine and gearbox of a Willys Jeep that was dumped there at the end of WW2. But the pic shows what the locals call Scorrie Island (Seagull Island) there is a tunnel through from the seaward side and is navigable by a small boat, water is about 10 to 15m deep in the tunnel and is a nice feeling to dive through it from one end to the other.

 

Out of pic to the left (north) is another cave with a curtain waterfall covering the entrance, I could get my 16ft boat back into the cave for about 60m or 70m, it is full of sea birds and they don't half make a noise when you enter the cave.

Round the headland to the right of the pic lies the SS Rein, a Norwegian steamer that ran aground and sank in the 1930s, at low tide you can stand on the top of the boiler with your head out the water :)

 

 

Came across notes my friend David D. and I made when researching the Rein to go dive on her.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Alicatt
More info...

[Cali]

That's pretty neat and the water looks clear.

[Alicatt]

That's pretty neat and the water looks clear.

 

Yes generally we had great vis, but during the summer the kelp growth really limited how far you could see, my favourite time to dive was February and March, you could get 20 - 30m of vis then, water temp would be around 11c.

What we did have to watch for was the tide...

[Cali]

Looks a little crazy around that rock. Water temp here is 80-84 degrees, so about 26-28c. Beautiful diving in water that is warm and clear.

[Alicatt]

Looks a little crazy around that rock. Water temp here is 80-84 degrees, so about 26-28c. Beautiful diving in water that is warm and clear.

It can be, tide tables are an essential part of planning a dive, the further you get from the Pentland Firth the easier it is, around Wick where I lived, full flood could be 3kt where up at the Pentland Firth it would be around 16kt.

 

It is a narrow channel between the north coast of Scotland and the Islands of Orkney where the Atlantic tries to force it's way into the North Sea, A few years ago they put a traffic restriction on vessels allowed to sail through the Firth as so many ended up on the rocks. The Caithness and Orkney coastlines are littered with ship wrecks and not all of them that old either.

 

On our way back from Orkney seen this: