Starting SCUBA...

[rort]

So I am going to be taking my first scuba class next month and I am very excited. I got a great price for the class, pool sessions, and a dive at Catalina Island.

Anything I should know about with equipment, info, $, or anything that would be pertinent to starting this OTHER hobby??

Thanks

[yousmellsfishy]

If you haven't found scubaboard.com yet, let me introduce you. It is to scuba what reefcentral is to SW aquaria (thanks, SeaJayInSC). You can have all your questions answered there. A truely amazing site for everyone from those thinking about getting in to scuba to those with decades of experience.

[tgreene]

To be honest, I would have to disagree with you about SB... It's great for about a week, because within that time you will have learned absolutely everything that you could ever possibly learn from there.

You will learn that many members are eco-nazis, many members are self appointed Master Divers, many members are lunatics, and many members feel that only their methods will ever work and if you don't do 100% of what they say 100% of the time that there is a 100% chance you'll drown on yoiur next dive.

Like here, there are a handful of members over there that I have learned to realize that they are exceptional divers that are very humble and have a very strong willingness to assist others, and to a faullt!

I have learned FAR more here from the 3-4 SERIOUS divers that routinely participate on this site, and mostly in the "Let's play a game" thread.

-Tim

[yousmellsfishy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15251737#post15251737 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgreene
To be honest, I would have to disagree with you about SB.
Tim,
To be honest, I would have to disagree with you about SB. I've been perusing that site since SeaJayInSC pointed me there in February and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Any group as large as that is going to have people at the fringes but I have found it invaluable especially with trip planning. Also, being so huge, questions get answered fast espeically compared to the RC scuba forum - 3 posts in the last 2 days here. I do agree with you that the "A Game: What Would You Do" is a great thread and I learned a ton from it.
Here's another site with great articles about alot of topics that are very helpful to new divers. NWGratefulDiver (http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/articles.html) Articles about, gas management, accidental deco situations, lost buddy, nitrox, etc. Good stuff.

[rort]

so far I have received some help from the site but again I am just starting and really have no idea what direction to even take my first step is.

But I can see how tgreene can see the site.

[Sam2000001]

Take it slow, enjoy yourself, never hold your breath. Most importantly, don't let anyone make you think that going deeper is better. It is a great hobby that I love.

Also take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Yes there are some places that might have reliable information but if you really want to learn about a certain subject I would suggest getting proper instruction.

As far as equipment is concerned, don't let any local dive shop dupe you into purchasing tiny spare air bottles, they are pointless.

Safe diving!

[SeaJayInSC]

Heh - yeah, about ScubaBoard... :)

I completely agree with both of you guys. :)

I don't know of a larger resource online for scuba in general... But since everyone there has an equal voice, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting information from a reliable source. There are a LOT of self-appointed Navy SEALs and college roommates of Jacques Cousteau there, if you know what I mean. Thankfully, they're usually not too hard to spot. I do have to agree, though, that there's a lot there that makes you think - so overall, I think it's a good place to be.

I was a pretty visible member over there for years... And met with many members across the country, doing dives with them from coast to coast and from the Great Lakes to the Keys. Overall, I believe people are good.

That said, I became involved with a young lady who later did quite a bit of damage to my finances and my reputation... Truly, evil incarnate. I simply moved on, after taking quite a beating. Scubaboard, for me, was one of the damages. Somehow, I ended up banned from the site - I still don't know why. However, I can tell you that she was dating one of the moderators... In fact, I believe more than one... Which is why she and I never worked out in the first place. :) Banned and clueless after years of building great relationships? Confused and hurt, I was left only to believe that it all had something to do with her. That explanation made sense anyway, since there were more obvious attempts at similar damage by her in my face-to-face relationships.

Thankfully, no personal friend of mine ever doubted me for a second, and she became the laughingstock of the town. However, I have never been able to return to ScubaBoard. I could simply create a sockpuppet, but that's not my style. I never did anything wrong in the first place, so I'm not going to do something wrong to fix damage that someone else did.

...But yeah, there's a lot of people there with double ignorance - they don't know, and they don't know that they don't know. :)

You know? :)

That said, I do miss it - and find a lot of value in the fact that they're the largest online scuba forum in the world... Which brings with it all that you guys are both saying.

Getting back to rort's original post (sorry for the apparent hijacking) - asking, "Is there anything else I should know..." is kinda like a new driver asking a veteran motorist what else he needs to know other than red means stop and green means go. :) I hope that doesn't sound smartass - but getting your first C-card is simply a license to learn. Yes, there is as much new information as you could ever possibly want. In fact, some places are literally creating the knowledge as you read this - places like Duke University's Hyperbaric Facility. There is still much we don't know about the ocean and dive physiology. We humbly suggest that you move to the head of the class, get right up front and see what you can make of this new information. New minds are always fresh and full of good ideas.

One of the first things I always tell people new in diving is to avoid gear purchases for as long as possible... Rent for a while until you've tried it all, for when you finally decide what's right for you, you will no longer try anything new and will always instead use your own gear that you're familiar with. This is a good thing, really, but use this time to your advantage and try EVERYTHING first. Take the money you were going to spend on your gear and get your own mask fins and wetsuit, then rent the rest and go diving... A lot. Nobody ever became a better diver by buying gear - better divers are made from people who dive a lot and use their ears and voice in proportion to the way they were designed - listening twice as much as they speak... Particularly when it comes to listening to someone who dives more than they do. Much can be learned, no matter your age or experience level, and remember, somewhere, someone always knows more than you do. :)

Okay, off my soap box now... Put off the gear purchases as long as possible and come up only when you have to change tanks. :)

http://media.imeem.com/m/8GrBycU3NP

Here's a couple more great online forums:

http://www.direxplorers.com (The DIR group tends to be highly controversial, but their information is accurate, precise, practical, and physiologically correct - very trustworthy. No BS on this site.)

http://www.thedecostop.com (Not viewable unless you create a username and password, but a common haunt for more advanced types of diving, including scootering, staged decompression, cave, wreck, and overhead diving - really, just a ScubaBoard for advanced divers).

There's a handful of others, but add this site (great people, friendly atmosphere and distinct lack of Navy SEALs) and ScubaBoard (literally, the entire planet is over there - all of it's good and bad), and you could disappear into cyberspace for months and not come up for a breath of air. :)

http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/old/songs/walkontheocean.mp3

[rort]

Wow Lew, you have given me a lot to look at and learn from! Thank you.

Over the last few weeks while at work and just recently completing my Open Water Cert. i have found a lot of great articles online and more importantly I have come in contact with Dr. Richard Pyle who has been giving me a huge amount of information and help.

I have not spent as much time as I would like to on scubaboard.com strictly because I think i need to learn the basics before I really know what is going on and from what I have learned I believe I have done that now.

I will hopefully be snooping around more and learning all I can as I progress through my more advanced diving training.

So NO buying gear for awhile and just learning all i can... I think i can do that! LOL

Thanks for the heads up!

[gaucho30]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15395554#post15395554 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeaJayInSC


One of the first things I always tell people new in diving is to avoid gear purchases for as long as possible... Rent for a while until you've tried it all, for when you finally decide what's right for you, you will no longer try anything new and will always instead use your own gear that you're familiar with. This is a good thing, really, but use this time to your advantage and try EVERYTHING first. Take the money you were going to spend on your gear and get your own mask fins and wetsuit, then rent the rest and go diving... A lot. Nobody ever became a better diver by buying gear - better divers are made from people who dive a lot and use their ears and voice in proportion to the way they were designed - listening twice as much as they speak... Particularly when it comes to listening to someone who dives more than they do. Much can be learned, no matter your age or experience level, and remember, somewhere, someone always knows more than you do. :)



While I by no means consider myself an expert diver and in the past few years have not been able to dive nearly as much as I would have liked to, I do have a halfway decent amount of experience. I have a little over 80 logged dives and have been certified up to search and rescue. I agree 100% with seajay on the purchasing gear aspect. I still only own a wetsuit, fins, and mask. Do yourself a favor and spend some time finding a mask that fits well. You will be miserable diving with an uncomfortable mask. Same goes for fins, I am personally partial to booty style fins and can not stand the rubber S,M,L,XL style fins. Wetsuit isnt quite as important yet, but I would defiantly advise going with a thicker (7mm ≥) wetsuit if your anything like me and get cold easily. Scuba has provided me with some of the best memories of my life and some of the most breathtaking views. Be safe, be responsible, most of all have fun!

[SeaJayInSC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15403279#post15403279 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rort
Wow Lew, you have given me a lot to look at and learn from! Thank you.

You're very welcome, my friend... Welcome to the pod. :)

If you have any questions, I can't promise that I'll have all of the answers - but I will do my best to point you to those people who do... Or help you discover them on your own; so just ask. :)

I agree with gaucho... Proper mask fitment is a huge thing, and can mean the difference between a great dive and a terrible one, which, in the long run, means the difference between being excited about diving and not being excited about diving. Long-term effects of the excitement are that you either integrate diving into your life or you pass it off as another hobby that you were once into. I have met many more divers that say, "Oh, wow... I used to dive... I haven't been in many years," than say, "I love diving... You should have seen this reef I was on last week... Let's go tomorrow and I'll show you..."

Gear is the antithesis of diving; that is, it is the opposite of diving. It is expensive, it's a pain in the neck to lug around, it must be regularly maintained, and when the dive's over, it must be cleaned and put away properly for it to continue to do it's job. Unfortunately, it's also necessary to do what we do, so my advice is to get over the "cool factor" relative to gear as quickly as possible and focus on diving instead. It's a tough thing to do, especially for the new diver that's stricken by the amazing, pretty colors and designs and obvious craftsmanship that goes into a lot of this stuff. I am constantly amazed by my childlike reaction to the "latest and greatest" in the dive shop... I spent hours looking at the full-faced mask with wireless com system made by Oceanic, and before that, fondled the folding "amphibious" fins hanging on the wall - and I do this for a living, and am hardened with years of seeing failed products and know why these things are not a good idea underwater. I have marvelled at OMS's latest underwater head light and at the DataMask, with built-in, computerized heads-up display. They're just cool. I can't imagine what an impact this stuff must have on the noob.

Where the rubber meets the road - that's where your focus needs to be. Wax on, wax off. Mastery of the basics should be every diver's focus, and while not glamorous, will pay you dividends and create a level of expertise in you unavailable at any price. And frankly, expertise is what will keep you alive when the fit hits the shan, expertise is what will be the envy of your dive buddies, and expertise never needs to be rinsed off. It is free, neutrally buoyant, and never needs to be checked in with your luggage at the airport. It comes in only one size - "perfect fit."

...And just when you think you have a dashing of it, something will happen to remind you that you are but a small creature in a big ocean, and not at the top of the food chain. Mastery of the basics - which includes the trait "humility," should be your only goal.

...Which, offhand, you appear to have a healthy dose of - a great thing! Do not lose it as you become a bigger fish in your small pond. There are always bigger ponds - with bigger fish.

Anyway... Yes, a great mask is worth it's weight in gold... And a great mask is great because of the way it fits your face. I recommend the lowest volume mask possible - bringing the glass as close to your eyes as possible minimizes water's magnification effect and expands peripheral vision. It also creates a smaller air space between your face and the glass, meaning that it's easier to clear and less buoyant on your face (long dives with large-volume masks tend to get painful under the bridge of your nose because they are always pulling up right there).

I tend to recommend black-skirted masks over clear-skirted masks. Black-skirted masks prevent "ghosting" on the inside of the lenses - the situation where the diver sees the reflection of his own eyes and eyelashes on the mask's lenses. Many people never notice it - but long-term, I have found it to be as annoying as a grain of sand in my shoe - and made worse by long dives.
Also, black masks simply last longer. Black silicone is black not because of a dye that's added to the silicone, but because carbon has been added to the silicone, which is a UV stabilizer. This makes the silicone less likely to be affected by exposure to sunlight, and not break down as quickly as clear silicone will. Also, while it's breaking down, the "yellowing" in the silicone is much less apparent in black silicone than it is in clear silicone, so it looks newer longer.

Wear the mask just tight enough to stay put - if you remove your mask at the end of the dive and have red marks where the mask sits on your face, then you're wearing it too tight. If you HAVE to wear it that tight to get it to seal, then you've got a poor fit and need to find a mask with a better fit.

I personally have found two-window masks to be the best combination of simplicity and fit... I find one-window masks very attractive, but never seem to find the same fit out of them that I do out of two-window masks. Any more windows, to me, are redundant and simply confuse the mind visually with multiple, bizarre refractions of the same image. They also tend to create volume, which has all kinds of mal effects.

Once you've decided on which mask is right for you, Read this: http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/old/homemask.html and this: http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/old/strap.html . These are articles I wrote years ago for a magazine that were published fairly liberally. I believe you'll find them useful.

http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/old/songs/wetdream.mp3

[Rennsport]

A lot of great advice here. While I have only been diving for five years, I have been exposed to many types of diving as well as the many types of folks on SB. Its a good place to spend some time but as mentioned above there are too many who are self appointed experts.

Mask fit is important, also like mentioned above!!

Congrats on certification!

Do some diving in Cozumel, you will be amazed!

With respect to buying equipment, do so only if you are confident you'll dive often. We did, we bought really good stuff and we have found the most consistent equipment we have used is our own. As a counterpoint to the above mentioned rental equipment, I found that each time I rented equipment, each dive was different in the way the BC breathed. This alone was frustrating, also each brand fits different.

As you probably have already been told, the fit of all of the gear is really important. Gotta be comfy!!

[AquaAgua]

You also might like to get yourself a dive computer once you have been diving for awhile. It can extend your bottom time a fair bit, and they usually aren't included in the rental gear. Of course learn to use your dive tables really well and don't just rely on the computer.

[snorvich]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15403279#post15403279 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rort
i have found a lot of great articles online and more importantly I have come in contact with Dr. Richard Pyle who has been giving me a huge amount of information and help.



Now that is quite a resource. Ask him about closed circuit rebreathers. Do you know if he is back to collecting?

[JStraz4991]

i always wanted to scuba dive

[rort]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15443220#post15443220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Now that is quite a resource. Ask him about closed circuit rebreathers. Do you know if he is back to collecting?

I have had a lot of conversations about Rebreathers with him!!! :D

I don't know if he is back to collecting but he is definitely diving ALL the time and doing a lot of research. Was just in Europe, now in Papa New Guinea, and then off to research more Islands in Hawaii.

I have decided to pursue an addition major in Marine Biology, and he has lead me down the path of Ichthyology and Dive Research. So I have a long way to go but I am hoping I am off to a good start!