• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

SCUBA Diving

Jump to latest Follow Reply
plum diamonds buckeye planet
Sort by date Sort by votes
kinch

kinch

Wash me
Is anyone here certified for SCUBA diving?

I just got my open water cert. I am heading to Utila, Honduras soon to do some diving (I will spend the next two weeks, starting Friday, in Central America and swing by; I am also briefly stopping in Costa Rica and El Salvador).

Even with my total lack of diving experience I think I am completely hooked. I even bough a wetsuit (3mm), mask, fins, etc.

I would love to hear tips, places to go, etc. from SCUBA peeps. . .
 
I'm technically still certified even though I let my PADI membership lapse. I only did one open-water dive after I was fully certified. It was a two-tank dive off Cozumel. Most amazing water I have ever seen and the colors of the fish were incredible.

One thing that happened to me was when I was doing my open-water as part of my certification I could not go deeper than 45 feet without feeling like I was in a dryer. In Cozumel I went past 100 feet without a problem.

I have a friend who goes on a big trip every year. His favorite place was the Gallapagos (sp?) Islands.

Have fun. My plan is once the boys are old enough I will get them certified so we can do trips together. My wife refuses to try it.
 
Upvote 0
ummm... don't forget to breathe? :p

so far all ive gotten to do is a little quarry diving and i went to freeport bahamas last year. id definitely recomend freeport and can point you in the direction of an excellent dive shop. a friend from work has been diving with them for about 10 yrs now. id say my fav was the shark dive. but the wreck dive to ~120 ft ranked right up there. you come out the stern of the ship and you find yourself about 20ft from the drop off from 120ft to 2200ft. the water was so dark blue just off the ledge, you really felt like you were standing on the edge of the world.

i would recomend before going anywhere cool to dive, find a quarry or similar that allows diving close to home. go on 4 to 6 dives there just to get a better feel for controlling yourself in the water and getting your breathing down. i went from being able to stay down for 30 min at no more than 40 ft to being able to stay down for almost 1h and 20 min at 90ft wtih the same size tank. that and the last thing you want to do is be out with a group of people who spent a lot of money to go diving to be running into them, coral, etc.. oh and by law you have to post a link to pics of your dives and any hot chicks you happen to see in binkinis. greenies will be given if any of said pics involve naked hot chicks :biggrin:. beyond that, relax and have fun :).

congrats btw :)

heres mine so i don't break my own rule :p:
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=510600607

edit: those are with a cheapo 100 dollar 20 mm.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
kinch said:
Is anyone here certified for SCUBA diving?

I just got my open water cert. I am heading to Utila, Honduras soon to do some diving (I will spend the next two weeks, starting Friday, in Central America and swing by; I am also briefly stopping in Costa Rica and El Salvador).

Even with my total lack of diving experience I think I am completely hooked. I even bough a wetsuit (3mm), mask, fins, etc.

I would love to hear tips, places to go, etc. from SCUBA peeps. . .
Click to expand...

I thought for sure this was going to have something to do with your Legoman's journey to your colon.
 
Upvote 0
My grandmother up until January this year, owned a dive shop in Dublin. She sold it after owning it for 30-35 years. Lets just say, my dad's side of the family is really into diving.

I've done it a few times. Went altitude diving in West Virgina. However, I've never been certified.
 
Upvote 0
Got NAUI certified in 1994 or so in Okinawa. Diving there is great. I have all my own dive gear (integrated BCD, regulators, cylinders, dive computers, etc.). Unfortunately, diving here on Oahu sucks...coral is all but dead and there are not a lot of diver friendly entry points, so I haven't dove since I got here in fall of 1996. Maui and the Big Island supposedly have some good diving spots...maybe I'll have to take a weekend and go over there and check it out.
 
Upvote 0
kinch said:
Is anyone here certified for SCUBA diving?

I just got my open water cert. I am heading to Utila, Honduras soon to do some diving (I will spend the next two weeks, starting Friday, in Central America and swing by; I am also briefly stopping in Costa Rica and El Salvador).

Even with my total lack of diving experience I think I am completely hooked. I even bough a wetsuit (3mm), mask, fins, etc.

I would love to hear tips, places to go, etc. from SCUBA peeps. . .
Click to expand...

I got PADI "Open Water" certified 6 years ago at a Jamaican resort. I'd recommend almost any place in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Bahamas. One of the "primo" dive areas in Central America is off Belize. They have the second largest barrier reef in the world. I guess my favorite places to dive in the Caribbean are the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao), Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, and St. Maartin. Cozumel is a popular location; however, all the dives there are "drift dives" which aren't my favorite.

I know it looks cool; however, you really don't need a wetsuit in the Caribbean. My best diving advice (besides never keep descending without continually clearing your ears): Follow the diving rules, know your limitations and don't exceed them, dive with a reputable company that has good dive masters and well maintained equipment, and when underwater stay relaxed. I know "staying relaxed" may not be easy to do, but I believe most serious problems occur when the diver panics and shoots for the surface. Remember almost anything can be resolved on the bottom in a calm controlled manner. I'm sure you will have some great dives.

I leave for Jamaica next week for a two week stay at a resort that includes diving. All your dives and equipment (as well as all meals, drinks, and other activities) are included in the price. The down side is that Jamaica is not a "primo" dive location due to over fishing, rough surf in the PM (on the north coast), and hurricane damage to the reefs. However, you still can have good dives and a great time there.
 
Upvote 0
Thump - You would be surprised how many people love to dive in land-locked states. There are lots of divers who prefer quarries.

Some tips for keeping your ears clear - Take Sudafed or some other antihistamine (sp?). Also, go through the exercise of clearing your ears several times during the day.
 
Upvote 0
Thump said:
Your family owned a scuba shop yet went "diving" in West Virginia? :slappy:
Click to expand...

Read my post again

Altitude Diving

You can't get that in the open ocean. Its a lot different than regular diving. Its actually considered a specialty.

We went to Mount Storm, WV. The lake was at a altitude of 3244 ft. It was a cooling lake for a power plant. The water was about 87 degrees when I was there. Very warm for diving. Although, the water temp can get up to 94 because the water comes out of the plant at 100.
 
Upvote 0
My son and I are going to get PADI certified as soon as he is old enough. The Bahamas has some of the best diving in the world. The 3rd longest coral reef in the world (after The Great Barrier Reef in Australia and one off of the coast of Belize) is near Andros Island. There are "blue holes" that are much dived and the famous "Tongue of the Ocean", a several thousand feet dropoff
 
Upvote 0
It's been years since I've been diving, but I am NAUI and YMCA certified. I recommend that you get NITROX certified, as it is a better mix that will make diving more enjoyable. You get a longer NDL, and a reduced decompression penalty, while reducing surface intervals and prolonging subsequent dives on days when you get in more than one dive.

And here I have to say that you'll want to buy the best gear available. Really. Forget the price factor, 'cause it is your life here, and not some cosmetic deal. There are so many things that can go wrong while diving that you want to have every available edge when it comes to equipment failures, etc. You want a great regulator and BC, a good octo - and one that is preferably hooked to a pony tank. Redundancy is key.
 
Upvote 0
The single best investment is to get a great, tough instructor. I was trained the old way by a ex-SEAL and he flunked out half the class! He was also brutal in the pool. Certification also involved "Shark Night", 30 minutes of underwater harassment. You surface before it's over and you're out!
On dive trips I was usually better trained than the "Dive Master" on the boat. PADI and NAUI. Rescue Diver.
Gear......get your own regulator and learn to maintain it.
Get a decent, well reviewed BC. Sure it's expensive but your familiarity with your own gear will make you a safer diver.
Get a neoprene weight belt, it will save needless bruising on your hips and add comfort.
Get your own good fins.
Get your own googles.
Safety first in all things because the time will come when some [censored] will happen and you'll have to make some scary decisions.
In my years of diving I saved another diver's life.
I got temporally stuck in the hold of a sunken wreck (70ft) and had to save myself from drowning.
I'm a member of the 100 Foot Club. :biggrin: More than once.

Always remember.....only you are in charge of your own safety! Do not depend on dive boat operators!
A mistake in open water means your just another bit of fish food. Nature doesn't care who you are! :chompy:
 
Upvote 0
Taosman;1803541; said:
I got temporally stuck in the hold of a sunken wreck (70ft) and had to save myself from drowning.
Click to expand...

That wasn't the only the time you got temporally stuck, was it?

strange-brew.jpg
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top