frontiernurse
Contributor
Hi there! I am a brand new diver. Just got certified in January in Mexico. Did 6 dives there which were very comfy and natural and awesome!. Then did one dive in Monterey a few weeks ago which was much harder. Loved what I saw, but had a brutal cramp that ruined the dive, in spite of the big Cabezon and the circling sea lion. I had to surface mid-dive. It was embarrassing. But I love being under water and want to join you all!
I want to learn more. I feel lucky to live in the Bay Area. However, when faced with all the extra weight and equipment and exertion, I fully admit, I didn't do that well. I'm a good swimmer, comfy in cold water, but dive cert notwithstanding, I still don't know how to navigate or plan a dive well, and probably wouldn't be the most attentive buddy cuz I still don't know Jack! Also, I don't own a BCD/dive watch. Just the basics: mask/snorkel/fins/gloves/boots.
So I see all these enticing posts about people going on dives, and I want to get more experience, but I'm not experienced. When people post on this list about going on dives, how does that work? Do you all have your own equipment already? Do you go out with a DM? Or just fill your tanks at a shop then go out with a buddy? Are your dives associated with a shop usually? How do feel about going out with inexperienced divers like me? How did you do your first 5 or 10 or 20 dives?
Thanks in advance for being kind to my uncool ignorant post!
I want to learn more. I feel lucky to live in the Bay Area. However, when faced with all the extra weight and equipment and exertion, I fully admit, I didn't do that well. I'm a good swimmer, comfy in cold water, but dive cert notwithstanding, I still don't know how to navigate or plan a dive well, and probably wouldn't be the most attentive buddy cuz I still don't know Jack! Also, I don't own a BCD/dive watch. Just the basics: mask/snorkel/fins/gloves/boots.
So I see all these enticing posts about people going on dives, and I want to get more experience, but I'm not experienced. When people post on this list about going on dives, how does that work? Do you all have your own equipment already? Do you go out with a DM? Or just fill your tanks at a shop then go out with a buddy? Are your dives associated with a shop usually? How do feel about going out with inexperienced divers like me? How did you do your first 5 or 10 or 20 dives?
Thanks in advance for being kind to my uncool ignorant post!