nOOb diver here
- Thread starter fester
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You won't regret it. Get as much dive time as you can. I just got certified in the middle of July and August 1st I was in the Bahamas on a 65 foot dive boat for a week. We got in 16 dives and it was an amazing time. I can't wait to plan my next dive trip.
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Yep, it is one of the best things I have ever done in my life... I absolutely love it!
One word:
Bonaire
Unlimited shore diving. If you can get on with a dive shop trip, they usually will negotiate free nitrox too.
I went for a week and got 27 dives in. I highly recomend dawn dives, dusk dives, and night dives. That way you see the reef wake up, start to go to sleep, and then the nocturnal animals come out.
Bonaire
Unlimited shore diving. If you can get on with a dive shop trip, they usually will negotiate free nitrox too.
I went for a week and got 27 dives in. I highly recomend dawn dives, dusk dives, and night dives. That way you see the reef wake up, start to go to sleep, and then the nocturnal animals come out.
You'll never regret this! I've dove the Keys, Bahamas, Aruba, St. Marteen, and the US Virgin Islands (St. John & St. Thomas)......it's been a blast!!
I highly recomend dawn dives, dusk dives, and night dives. That way you see the reef wake up, start to go to sleep, and then the nocturnal animals come out.[/QUOTE]
:thumbs: In my opinion these are the best times to dive....Dawn dives are my favorite and I usually always try to make a few of these throughout the trip as long as I can find a buddy.
:thumbs: In my opinion these are the best times to dive....Dawn dives are my favorite and I usually always try to make a few of these throughout the trip as long as I can find a buddy.
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You'll love crystal river!
well things have changed... my schedule was really tight for the florida trip so we just made the decision to go to Pelham Al and do the cert dives... so this coming sunday we'll be certified divers! I'm excited and really look forward to getting it done so I can plan for Nassau in December...
nothin wrong with pelham,
the Quarry is awsome!
I did my rescue cert there... I have picture of be driving a firetruck and of me sitting on a toilet in the quarry. My only advise is, if your cold natured to begin with, take your wetsuit. And possibly look at a thicker one.
When i did my OW cert, we were in Vortech Springs in Feb.
the Quarry is awsome!
I did my rescue cert there... I have picture of be driving a firetruck and of me sitting on a toilet in the quarry. My only advise is, if your cold natured to begin with, take your wetsuit. And possibly look at a thicker one.
When i did my OW cert, we were in Vortech Springs in Feb.
F a bunch of that... febuary? Really...? I read up on the temps... what I read said after about 40ft it gets into the 50's... I have a 3mil suit for winter jetski riding but I'm renting a 5 or 7 but I won't be sure till tomorrow when I go pick up my stuff...
Thing about the Springs is they stay 68F year round pretty much. In the winter, that is exactly what you do, springs driving. Getting out of the water stinks, but once you are in it, it's great. I remember doing a dive at vortex when the outside temp was 40F. My hands were literally freezing when I was putting my rig together in the morning. I had my wife though in the first camping spot so I could run up there and jump in a tent I had setup with a heater inside to just stay warm.
I love pelham. I've always had a good time at alabama blue water. I like that they have tank stands and benches to setup on, rather nice. I do have to say though, if you need any kind of custom blend nitrox be prepared to wait for it.
I love pelham. I've always had a good time at alabama blue water. I like that they have tank stands and benches to setup on, rather nice. I do have to say though, if you need any kind of custom blend nitrox be prepared to wait for it.
I have no idea what to expect so I'll just cruise along and hopefully get it done...
I am thankful for all the tips and stuff in this thread... I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions about all the cool spots and what to do and no to do...
Imma try real hard not to drown...
I am thankful for all the tips and stuff in this thread... I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions about all the cool spots and what to do and no to do...
Imma try real hard not to drown...
Here's a good tip, when at alabama blue water make sure you jump in on the proper training platform. There is a platform to the far left (when facing the quarry) that is a straight drop to about 60-80'. The platform on the right where they should be doing the training has a multi-tier'ed platform system and is only 30' down to the bottom. One of the platforms you can stand on and still be out of water, next is about 10-15' down for training/doing drills. Lots of people forget that when those thick wetsuits they are wearing compress they become extremely negatively buoyant. I've seen people dirt dart off of the left platform that didn't have proper control of their buoyancy during decent.
buoyancy control will be a focus of mine since being in a suit will be new... they did tell us about the compression and to pay attention to the decent rate and stuff... I hope it isn't too hard to keep on top of as there'll be a thousand things I'll be paying attention to...
Man what a weekend!!! did 3 dives saturday and the last one sunday morning... I'm beat... we did our drills on the 20ish ft platform on the right side and did some fire truck inspection on both days... max depth was 58 ft and the 2nd thermocline was a shocker... very very cool experience(sorry for the pun) and I'm really looking forward to getting more time to just look around... we did get to see some other stuff like the 280z and one of the boats but the most fun was watching the fish... largest sunfish (brim or bream for the country boys like me) I've ever seen... well fed on cheeze wiz and hotdogs I assume... vis was good, instructor said it was 25+ and that seemed right... no real issues with our training and everything went well except for my tank orings... had an octo that wasn't flat and liked to extrude the rings... other than that it was an incredible experience and I really look forward to more...
