Rob Phillips
Registered
Hi all - brand new to the board and looking to get back into diving after a 20 year absence. (skip down to the questions if you don't want the preamble, thanks!!)
I was certified NAUI junior open water 1 back in 92 or 93 when I was around 14 years old. My instructors were incredible, but demanding and the course was fairly rigorous. Multiple classroom sessions, written test, multiple pool sessions, fitness stuff (like laps underwater etc…) , and 5 dives - a sandy shore entry, a rocky shore entry, and 3 boat dives. We used no computers, and we did a lot of rescue techniques and buddy breathing. I remember being wrapped up in kelp by my instructor near Catalina about 40’ down - he knocked my mask and regulator out and then made sure I was able to get out of my BC, find the regulator, clear the mask, detangle the vest and put everything back on and give a thumbs up. Water was cold as hell and our max depth was around 85-90’ on our last boat dive. And we had to figure out all the decomp stuff ourselves. It was great - but very thorough I felt. It built a lot of confidence.
Anyway, life, school, lack of buddies, etc … I haven’t been diving in 20 years - live in Florida for 10 years now and it’s long past due I get certified again. I want to start from scratch and I’d love a good instructor. I love a good time, but when it comes to these types of things I’m pretty conservative and safety conscious.
Back in the day I was led to believe (perhaps mistakenly) that NAUI was a more thorough course at the beginner levels - whereas PADI was more tailored to vacation divers.
I’m sure any discrepancy between the two is largely irrelevant (?) and Im just looking for a good instructor - whatever program he or she follows.
So I called around near me - and could not find any NAUI instructors - spoke to a couple of PADI instructors and it seems OW cert is just a DVD, some questions, a day in the pool, and a day diving - possibly two dive days. Seemed to me to be easier and quicker than my Junior cert 2 decades ago - but either way I’m anxious to get moving on it. just a few questions - thanks!
1. Is it normal for beginner OW courses to be a "3 day, DVD-couple hours in the pool-couple of dives", kind of deal?
2. Is there anything I should be concerned about with regard to diving and smoking (I smoke maybe 7-10 cigarettes per day, otherwise in good health, about 5'8" 160, no conditions) - I've been looking to quit for a while now, and maybe this will give me the kind of push I need - but fact is I do smoke and have for 15-20 years or so now. Am I at some enhanced risk for DCI or other concerns?
3. Is this a good time of year, generally speaking, conditions-wise in Florida to start diving?
4. Any instructor recommendations in the Delray/ Boynton area in FL? (I can ask on the Florida forum specifically if thats more appropriate) And related question - is there any benefit or drawback to selecting NAUI over PADI or vice versa?
5. Unrelated but curious - What's the benefit of using split fins? I've seen a lot of divers on youtube using these?
Thanks for reading!
I was certified NAUI junior open water 1 back in 92 or 93 when I was around 14 years old. My instructors were incredible, but demanding and the course was fairly rigorous. Multiple classroom sessions, written test, multiple pool sessions, fitness stuff (like laps underwater etc…) , and 5 dives - a sandy shore entry, a rocky shore entry, and 3 boat dives. We used no computers, and we did a lot of rescue techniques and buddy breathing. I remember being wrapped up in kelp by my instructor near Catalina about 40’ down - he knocked my mask and regulator out and then made sure I was able to get out of my BC, find the regulator, clear the mask, detangle the vest and put everything back on and give a thumbs up. Water was cold as hell and our max depth was around 85-90’ on our last boat dive. And we had to figure out all the decomp stuff ourselves. It was great - but very thorough I felt. It built a lot of confidence.
Anyway, life, school, lack of buddies, etc … I haven’t been diving in 20 years - live in Florida for 10 years now and it’s long past due I get certified again. I want to start from scratch and I’d love a good instructor. I love a good time, but when it comes to these types of things I’m pretty conservative and safety conscious.
Back in the day I was led to believe (perhaps mistakenly) that NAUI was a more thorough course at the beginner levels - whereas PADI was more tailored to vacation divers.
I’m sure any discrepancy between the two is largely irrelevant (?) and Im just looking for a good instructor - whatever program he or she follows.
So I called around near me - and could not find any NAUI instructors - spoke to a couple of PADI instructors and it seems OW cert is just a DVD, some questions, a day in the pool, and a day diving - possibly two dive days. Seemed to me to be easier and quicker than my Junior cert 2 decades ago - but either way I’m anxious to get moving on it. just a few questions - thanks!
1. Is it normal for beginner OW courses to be a "3 day, DVD-couple hours in the pool-couple of dives", kind of deal?
2. Is there anything I should be concerned about with regard to diving and smoking (I smoke maybe 7-10 cigarettes per day, otherwise in good health, about 5'8" 160, no conditions) - I've been looking to quit for a while now, and maybe this will give me the kind of push I need - but fact is I do smoke and have for 15-20 years or so now. Am I at some enhanced risk for DCI or other concerns?
3. Is this a good time of year, generally speaking, conditions-wise in Florida to start diving?
4. Any instructor recommendations in the Delray/ Boynton area in FL? (I can ask on the Florida forum specifically if thats more appropriate) And related question - is there any benefit or drawback to selecting NAUI over PADI or vice versa?
5. Unrelated but curious - What's the benefit of using split fins? I've seen a lot of divers on youtube using these?
Thanks for reading!