You are PADI Certified and now what.....and if you live in the center of USA ?

[namerg]

Hello all,

I just want to say thank you very much to this site. It has helped a lot. Last weekend i did the OW confined diving. Theoretically, I felt good. I knew about the RDP Tables even though they don't teach it anymore at the PADI class. Dive Computer is the way to go.

Here is my first confined OW diving. I am the one who does the OK signal. First Confined Open Water Scuba Diving - YouTube

Next is my real OW test. Because, I am not close to the Caribbean I am going to do it at the Homestead Crater in Utah.

I know it can be very expensive hobby regardless of the specialty you want to pursue scuba diving. I live in Colorado. So, for the people who does and likes scuba diving and live in central USA, how do you guys and if you are married plan the scuba diving. Scuba Diving needs to be considered as a vacation as a whole ? Save, save money for the scuba diving time ? I just want to have an idea so i can plan financially you know what i mean....

Thanks for your help,

 

[knotical]

You might want to spend some time noodling around our Rocky Mountain regional subforum: Rocky Mountain Region
You'll find there is actually a lot of diving in the Denver area, although you're starting at the beginning of the slow season.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I dive "locally" in Missouri. It's cold so there are some needed items like drysuit, thick gloves, etc. You can shop around on some of the online scuba stores to get an idea of prices.

My wife is not a scuba diver so she stays home when I go on weekend trips down to the lake or cave.

When I lived in AZ I was about 30 min from a lake, so she just stayed home.

If there are sites to dive in CO near you, it should be reasonably inexpensive. You can start purchasing gear a bit at a time (black friday is a great time to buy)!

 

[namerg]

You can start purchasing gear a bit at a time (black friday is a great time to buy)!

Thanks Michael. What sites/brands do you recommend for scuba gear on Black Friday ?

Also just wondering if you can really do underwater photography in central states or definetly you have to go to the Caribbean.?

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Oh boy, religious wars have been started over less incendiary questions.

There are a few shops I use online:

Dive Right In Scuba | Plainfield scuba diving lessons and scuba equipment. We also provide scuba certification for the Chicago area.
www.divegearexpress.com
Northeast Scuba Supply
www.piranhadivemfg.com
Add Helium - Learn - Shop - Dive
Utah Diving Equipment & Divers Supply, Scuba Shops/Dive Store

Plus leisurepro and scuba.com for more recreational type gear.

If you're consistently diving in cold water, you'll want:

Drysuit with thick undergarment, thick gloves or dry gloves, and cold water regulators. there are a bunch of threads you can find about what brands and you'll literally get pages and pages of mine is better than yours type posts.

Most modern regulators perform very well for recreational depths so it's hard to go wrong. And more expensive DOES NOT mean better. If you think you might do technical diving in the future (and really even if you don't) I'd recommend DIN regulators instead of yoke.

 

[diversteve]

Cozumel is really reasonable from Denver. 4 hr. flight and under $400 r/t. Places like Villablanca Garden Hotel bundle room/diving and breakfast for well under $1000pp/wk. Less for non-divers. I'm sure there's even better deals in town also. Cancun probably is similar also as long as you stay away from the fancier all-inclusive large resorts. Both are warm and your spouse should be able to find something to do there also if he/she doesn't dive.

An even better deal is Spirit Air non-stop to Ft. Lauderdale for $232 r/t. 3hrs. to warm water and beaches. And affordable accommodations. Plus there's shore diving there when you get more experience - or find a local buddy. Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach is an easy shallow dive that people there dive all the time. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/386645-blue-heron-bridge-trolls.html There's also ocean diving off Hollywood.

Greater Fort Lauderdale is the only place in the continental USA where you can snorkel and dive on a living coral reef-straight off the beach. That's right, diving without B.O.B. (Benefit Of Boat). In Lauderdale-By-The-Sea and Hollywood, the first reef swings in close -- where it's an easy five-minute swim, just a hundred yards from shore. And the variety of fish and critters is astounding.

 

[namerg]

blue heron bridge in west palm beach is an easy shallow dive that people there dive all the time. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/386645-blue-heron-bridge-trolls.html there's also ocean diving off hollywood.

awesome

 

[TSandM]

You can do underwater photography anywhere that the visibility will let you take a picture. Gitterdun here on SB does fabulous photography in a local quarry. DaleC does photography and video in a lake he is monitoring up in BC. I don't know what the visibility is like in the Colorado dive sites, but you could ping boulderjohn here on SB and ask -- he teaches in them.

The confined water video looks like you are all having fun! Work on getting more horizontal and off your knees, and also keeping hand movement to a minimum (I realize we didn't see YOU waving your hands, but all your buddies are, and it's easy to pick up habits when you are seeing other people do them). Have fun in OW!

 

[namerg]

Thanks TSandM. I know with practice my skills will be better. I am really excited. I was making the video so it was little hard to spot myself in the camera. [emoji328]

 

[drbill]

Welcome to ScubaBoard and the 70% of The Water Planet that relatively few get to experience firsthand.

I started out in freshwater in the mid-West but moved to coastal SoCal in 1969 and haven't looked back.