Buoyantly Challenged New Diver looking for recommendations

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My husband and daughter and I are new to diving. Other than our check out dives, we have done two dives in Grand Turk, and doing Disney Divequest next month.

We are begining to plan a dive trip for July, and looking for recommendations for dive shops in the Upper Key area. We would like to do a bouyancy class, and then spend three/four days diving. Looking to stay on the shallower side 30-50 ft.

Thanks for any info.

 

[dhuskins]

PADI has a peak buoyancy specialty. I highly recommend it.

 

[tedwhiteva]

Key Largo area - Conch Repiblic and Florida Keys DIvers - both good, both can provide an instructor for a buoyancy clinic along the reefs!

 

[Dive-aholic]

I recommend e-mailing or calling several instructors in the area. I've seen quite a few buoyancy courses that do nothing to improve buoyancy. Also, don't expect your buoyancy to improve after a 2 dive course. The purpose of buoyancy courses is to provide you with the information on how to work on your buoyancy, something that should have been done in your OW course. A big part of it is proper weighting. If you're properly weighted, buoyancy becomes very easy. My guess is when you dive you are over weighted. This is common for new divers who have completed an OW course in a large class with little attention from the instructor. You get planted on the bottom on your knees to do your skills in the confined water and open water dives and the only buoyancy practice you get is during the hover. The best way to improve your buoyancy is to get in the water as often as possible. Get in fresh water, stay shallow, 10-20 feet and work on maintaining neutral buoyancy. Swim a course that forces you to change your depth between 10 and 20 feet often and work on improving the anticipation. Keep your hands off your LP inflator! At that depth all buoyancy control should be through your lungs. Check out the video at the bottom of this page: Cypress Springs. I have no wing/BCD on. The bottom of that spring is at 25 feet and it's fresh water. My buoyancy control is done completely with my breathing. I don't know where you are in Pennsylvania, but if you are on the east side, get an annual pass to Dutch Springs or head over to Round Valley Reservoir in NJ as much as you can before your trip. If you want your buoyancy to be good for the trip, you need to start working on it long before the trip.

 

[moneysavr]

My husband and daughter and I are new to diving. Other than our check out dives, we have done two dives in Grand Turk, and doing Disney Divequest next month.

We are begining to plan a dive trip for July, and looking for recommendations for dive shops in the Upper Key area. We would like to do a bouyancy class, and then spend three/four days diving. Looking to stay on the shallower side 30-50 ft.

Thanks for any info.

Just a few ideas,

A great site for diving the easy dives to be had in the northern Keys and a great park!

Welcome to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - Key Largo, Florida Keys

A Great dive spot= boat,lodging,location,
Amoray Home Page

Make sure any dives you do with any of the many GREAT operators you tell them your skill levels PRIOR TO BOOKING!!!!! They may have spots for you or not,,
this will limit you to the patch reef's like Molasses's Reef a favorite of mine!

A good thing prior to any dive trip get to your local Dive shop and get to the pool, get familar with the equipment again and have fun get wet!

Last let the opperator know your skill level if they cant get you diving they will sugest a opperator that can!
You will have a blast!

 

[Scott L]

I would highly recomend Chris Brown the owner of Silent World Dive Center in Key Largo. Silent Word is a GUE Support Center and he or his staff can assist you both in greatly improving your bouyancy skills (and all other skills as well)...

Florida Keys Diving with Silent World voted #1 dive shop in Florida

 

[iztok]

There are several options around Key Largo for diving. If you like larger boats with more divers there are plenty of those. If you prefer smaller boats with more personal service I would suggest Scuba-Do (:: Scuba-Do Dive Company :: [ Welcome to Scuba-Do! ] Scuba Diving in Key Largo, the Florida Keys).

I just returned from Key Largo and dove with Cpt. Slate's and Scuba-Do. I liked both but I like that crew brings my gear to me and helps me get in and then just jump in. I like when they help me get out of it and change tanks so I can just enjoy diving. A little more personal approach I guess. They max out their boat to 10 divers as well. What I didn't like is the deep/shallow trip vs. Slate's option of deep/deep or reef/reef boats.

 

[ONESPEED]

I would highly recomend Chris Brown the owner of Silent World Dive Center in Key Largo. Silent Word is a GUE Support Center and he or his staff can assist you both in greatly improving your bouyancy skills (and all other skills as well)...

Florida Keys Diving with Silent World voted #1 dive shop in Florida

I would second this recommmendation.:thumbs-up

 

[rjnjupiter]

I teach this class free! Problem is Jupiter is ALL over 60 ft diving. Bouyancy is my special area of interest because I believe it is the single most important way to improve your dive skills. Smart to attack your future this way. Remember having trouble getting down is much safer than having trouble getting back up! Call me. Maybe I can arrange some private dive time with you and your family.

Randy
scuba diving jupiter
(561) 248-8332

 

[topspot]

Thanks to all who have responded. You have all given me info and thoughts that as a new diver I may not have known. I have also spent more time on the boards here and have found some more info on dive shops in the upper/middle key area. Keep up the good work.