Howdy from Memphis!

[prunefoot]

Hey folks, I just joined this community after finding it after google searching for gear reviews. Three of our family of 4 are divers, but the 4th will be when she is old enough. I did a "Try diving" experience at Chankanaab park on Cozumel and was hooked. I had always wanted to try diving, of course, loved it. I received my OW cert, followed by AOW and Nitrox cert in short order last summer in Panama City Beach. My wife and, then 10, now 11 year old daughter received their OW certs this past October. We all love it, but living in the Memphis area provides no diving opportunities, so we head back to the beach every chance we get. I just ordered complete gear packages for the three of us since we dive almost every day during vacation, and those rental fees add up! We are heading back to PCB for spring break for more diving. I would like to eventually obtain the Master Diver cert, as an achievement and also as a goal to keep myself diving.

 

[NYCNaiad]

Welcome to Scubaboard & diving. It's a definite addiction.

 

[AdivingBel]

Welcome to SB from a fellow landlocked diver. My wife and I sometimes travel with the SB group (Invasions & Surges), with other groups we've met on SB, and on our own (using lots of info we get from the forum). If you like to dive, you've come to the right place.

 

[nolatom]

Welcome. As the family gets more dives, you may want the "total immersion" dive experience, aka a liveaboard boat.

While it's a long drive from memphis (but so is the Fla panhandle), please consider the liveaboard boat(s) that go out to the Flower Gardens and Stetson marine sanctuaries, out of Freeport, TX.

Great coral diving without the airfare, with meals and "hotel" (ha ha) included. It's dive-eat-sleep, but good fun, camaraderie, and great diving, way offshore in very clear water . The principal boat I've been on (including once as second captain, full disclosure here) is the FLING. Look them up at flingcharters.com if you are (or become) interested.

Best wishes

 

[iamrushman]

howdy and welcome from southeast Florida... a family that dives together has more depth....

 

[prunefoot]

Welcome to Scubaboard & diving. It's a definite addiction.

Thanks! Regarding the addiction, a story... My mother in law never liked the beach... then we finally talked her into going to Rosemary Beach, FL. Well she loved it and we go with her every summer. The problem is I get very bored on the beach. After doing the dive experience on Cozumel, this past summer, while they all sat on the beach, I got my OW, AOW, and Nitrox certs haha. After that I told them I would rather be under the water than sitting beside it!

 

[prunefoot]

Welcome. As the family gets more dives, you may want the "total immersion" dive experience, aka a liveaboard boat.

While it's a long drive from memphis (but so is the Fla panhandle), please consider the liveaboard boat(s) that go out to the Flower Gardens and Stetson marine sanctuaries, out of Freeport, TX.

Great coral diving without the airfare, with meals and "hotel" (ha ha) included. It's dive-eat-sleep, but good fun, camaraderie, and great diving, way offshore in very clear water . The principal boat I've been on (including once as second captain, full disclosure here) is the FLING. Look them up at flingcharters.com if you are (or become) interested.

Best wishes

Thanks for the Idea, It takes us around 8 hours to get to PCB. Trying a live aboard sounds very interesting. I will certainly look up what what you told me about!

 

[prunefoot]

howdy and welcome from southeast Florida... a family that dives together has more depth....

I like that quote!

 

[NYCNaiad]

Thanks! Regarding the addiction, a story... My mother in law never liked the beach... then we finally talked her into to Rosemary Beach, FL. Well she loved it and we go with her every summer. The problem is I get very bored on the beach. After doing the dive experience on Cozumel, this past summer, while they all sat on the beach, I got my OW, AOW, and Nitrox certs haha. After that I told them I would rather be under the water than sitting beside it!

I'll see your Cozumel addiction story & raise you another Cozumel addiction story. I had done maybe 12 Discover Scuba courses. Liked them, but didn't love them. Then, my best friend (& previous ex) was getting married in Playa del Carmen. I thought this was great till I found out none of our mutual friends would be there & another friend started telling me how awkward he thought it would be with me alone at the wedding. I looked online at cool things to do in Mexico & found out that diving in Cozumel was a ferry ride away. So I got my OW in nyc & then thought I would go to Cozumel just for a couple of days to get my drift diving cert. 6 days later I ended up with a drift cert, AOW & Nitrox from feeding my addiction daily in Cozumel. I had a great time at the wedding, but they all thought I was crazy to take the 6am ferry over every morning. lol

 

[prunefoot]

I'll see your Cozumel addiction story & raise you another Cozumel addiction story. I had done maybe 12 Discover Scuba courses. Liked them, but didn't love them. Then, my best friend (& previous ex) was getting married in Playa del Carmen. I thought this was great till I found out none of our mutual friends would be there & another friend started telling me how awkward he thought it would be with me alone at the wedding. I looked online at cool things to do in Mexico & found out that diving in Cozumel was a ferry ride away. So I got my OW in nyc & then thought I would go to Cozumel just for a couple of days to get my drift diving cert. 6 days later I ended up with a drift cert, AOW & Nitrox from feeding my addiction daily in Cozumel. I had a great time at the wedding, but they all thought I was crazy to take the 6am ferry over every morning. lol

That's really cool! We were staying on Cozumel and took the ferry back to Playa del Carmen early one morning, to the Playacar Palace, rented a Jeep, and drove it down to Tulum for the day. Loved it!