Anybody Scuba?

[corigan]

Heya Everyone,

Haven't been around here as much as I would like to, but recently I have finally taken up SCUBA diving. I had dove a few times to 30 feet without any formal training and thought it was about time to finally get my Certification Card. I am finishing up my PADI Open Water later this month, I'm going to vortex springs and Panama Beach to finish my Open water training dives. After I finish this certification I have a trip planned on a cruise ship at the end of november to roatan, belize, cozumel, and cancun. After I get back I am going to start my training for advanced open water and nitrox certification. I am going to specialize in night diving, wreck diving, and a few other fun skills..

I was wondering if there any other divers on the forum and if so if anybody would be interested in possibly going on some future dive trips. I was thinking it might be cool to go down with a collection bag and collect some plants from some freshwater streams/lakes (If permitted). Would be cool to have some plants in your tank that you pulled out of the depths of a freshwater stream next to a manatee. If anybody is interested in having some fun blowing bubbles at depth, send me a PM or just drop a line in this thread. It would be nice to hear from some fellow divers that are planted tank addicts as well.

Matt

[Spar]

I will be diving in November in the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns, Australia)... maybe even Sydney. Will be my first time! Oct. 16th will actually be my first time in the water with equipment on when I take my first lessons.

[putty]

I used to scuba dive both for pleasure and later for work. I dove up and down the BC coast, there is some great diving here. When I worked at the Vancouver Aquarium, we collected a lot of local species scuba diving.

I am totaly out of the scene now, but it is a great hobby.

[glass-gardens.com]

I have a friend that is seriously into it, probably spends about 3 months out of the year traveling and diving. Odd thing is, I can't get him interested in my hobby. He's taken me up to the lakes a few times and I actually thought about getting certified, we met at the camera club we belong to and it has to be awesome to dive and photograph a reef or wreck.

He just had some company custom build a Canon 1DS into a water proof housing, strange thing though, when I asked him how that ran, he just got a little pale

[putty]

I used to dive with a lot of underwater photographers. Always amusing when their cameras flood.

I always told them they were asking for it, bringing electronics to depth.

Then one day my dive computer flooded, it was not amusing.

[Wasserpest]

I got certified here in Monterey 4 years ago, and did the advanced open water class a year later. Night diving is fun, except if there are so many divers that you loose the group that you are supposed to be with.
Monterey Bay is cold all year, but there is a lot to see, Kelp, Sunfish, Sharks, beautiful Jelly Fishies, and curious seals and otters.
I have the same problem, nobody to buddy up with... so I go rarely, and the guide/dive master plus rental equipment is really a lot of dough.

[Georgiadawgger]

I got my PADI a looong time ago when I took a marine biology course during undergrad. We spent a month in San Salvador and did twice-daily shore dives along the reefs there. We also went down the "San Salvador Wall"...I think the second or third largest wall in the world. (80 feet to 10,000 feet drop). Quite a rush I tell you...especially when you see shadows of hammerheads in the background. (The new course goes to Belize, and the Galapagos since the navy field station on San Salvador opened back up).

I haven't been in a long time, but it is one of the most relaxing sports! You can see so much and hear so little. Once you can control your breathing a tank of 3000 can last forever!

I do eventually want to get my advanced certification and nitrox, but my wallet is empty.

[Jumbotummy]

I only went one time when I went to Hawaii.
It's so fun SCUBA diving!!
I want to go to Monterey and Scuba dive. Sounds like Fun.
But i dont have equipment and i'm not certified or anything.

[Spar]

in Australia you dont even have to be certified, or even know what the heck you are about to do in order to Scuba.

All they do is give you a quick lesson of how to use the equipment on the boat ride out

[corigan]

Originally Posted by Spar

iAll they do is give you a quick lesson of how to use the equipment on the boat ride out

Scary, I know I wouldn't want to get buddied up with someone that doesn't even have some kind of training. Great to see that there are some divers around here. Maybe we can get a plantedtank.net trip going one of these days. Seems like there are quite a few divers around this area, won't be too hard to find a buddy for me, I just would like to get some buddies that are into plants and not just reefs..

GADawgger: Maybe one of these days when you are finished with your PHD and your stress level has reduced and your monetary funds have raised we could go out and have some fun. Of course with a lay off of that long it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a quick refresher class to bring back those skills you haven't used in awhile.

Wasserpest: Monteray sounds like a blast, I will have to come out that way one day and check it out. As for the equipment rental, I said forget it. I just went out and bought myself a very expensive rig. I don't want to be fumbling around with gear I am not comfortable with, nor that I have no idea when the last time it has been serviced. I know after I went through my confined water dives with these crappy jacket inflate BCD's, my scubapro knighthawk feel's like a dream. This BCD I had for these dives wouldn't even deflate fully from the low pressure inflator hose and I was having to pull various dump valves on the bcd to just get it to deflate.. No wonder I don't want to rent equipment, hehe. I know it's a ton of money for an initial investment in a rig, but it is well worth it to be comfortable with your rig, as well as feeling safe about it. I saw this one day on a dive boat in cozumel: A women came off the boat with a rental rig, then a woman was coming on and was renting gear. The DM just took the rig off the one lady and threw it to the other lady without even rinising it down. Unbelievable, the rig didn't even fit her properly. After I saw that I vowed to get my own gear.

Anyways, enough rambling. Good to see there are some other divers out there, even if most are inactive now.. Maybe we can get a plantedtank.net diving society together for some fun..

Cya on the bottom..

Matt

[Laith]

Scuba diving is a passion for both my wife and I. We are very fortunate in that we both love it; we started our first course together and are now (11 years later) both dive instructors and teach on the side.

I would encourage everyone to give scuba diving a try!

[Wasserpest]

Heh, I agree, having your own equipment is better. When I went recently one of the fins little pin broke, fixed it at 35 feet

Scubapro is good stuff. I would buy my own gear if I would go more often... need to look into that. Costs me $70 to rent all equipment and two bottles. I don't remember exactly, but the BCD and regulator and wet suit etc is quite some money...