Introductions - Dive Buds - Best of both threads

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Hi I am a diver
Brandon
Brooksville/Springhill
I have flippers and a tank thingy that is full of nitrous. Who wants to dive
 
Hey everyone, it doesn't look like this site is much used but I wanted to take a chance anyway.

I'm moving to the area in July and am wondering who the preferred dive shops are in the area. I'm currently planning on getting my Instructor cert in June so I'm hoping to hook up with some fellow instructors and get to know the local diving there. This is just a hobby for me, not my full time job, but I'd like to get to know the professionals and the true enthusiasts in the area as soon as possible.

Hope to get to know some of you soon!
 
Hey everyone, it doesn't look like this site is much used but I wanted to take a chance anyway.

I'm moving to the area in July and am wondering who the preferred dive shops are in the area. I'm currently planning on getting my Instructor cert in June so I'm hoping to hook up with some fellow instructors and get to know the local diving there. This is just a hobby for me, not my full time job, but I'd like to get to know the professionals and the true enthusiasts in the area as soon as possible.

Hope to get to know some of you soon!

Tough pickle, if you're moving I'd almost urge you you to wait until AFTER you get settled and then train with a local dive shop here so you can become integrated in to their program. The Tampa Bay area is pretty large so maybe letting us know more specifically where you're moving and people will have some better recommendations.

What agency are you planing to get your instructor training with? That will change which shop(s) you might want to become affiliated with.

Yes, you can be an independent instructor and have no shop affiliation but developing a relationship with a good dive shop will further your diving career and lend you the support you might not know you need.

Are you looking to primarily do Open Water instruction? Or are you looking to get in to the more technical diving? The state of Florida has very diverse diving, from fresh water springs, Gulf diving with lower average visibility to ripping drift diving over on the Atlantic side, all within a few hours drive of the Tampa Bay area.
 
Tough pickle, if you're moving I'd almost urge you you to wait until AFTER you get settled and then train with a local dive shop here so you can become integrated in to their program. The Tampa Bay area is pretty large so maybe letting us know more specifically where you're moving and people will have some better recommendations.

What agency are you planning to get your instructor training with? That will change which shop(s) you might want to become affiliated with.

Yes, you can be an independent instructor and have no shop affiliation but developing a relationship with a good dive shop will further your diving career and lend you the support you might not know you need.

Are you looking to primarily do Open Water instruction? Or are you looking to get in to the more technical diving? The state of Florida has very diverse diving, from fresh water springs, Gulf diving with lower average visibility to ripping drift diving over on the Atlantic side, all within a few hours drive of the Tampa Bay area.

Thanks for the reply! I don't know yet specifically where in the Tampa area I'm going to live. A well recommended shop may help determine where I live. Yes, I would prefer to get certified after I move there, but due to vacation time and money issues I won't bore you with, this just seems to be the best way to make it work. I'm going with PADI. I believe the other associations are good as well, but I'm sticking with what I know. I am largely getting certified so I can certify friends, family and the occasional stranger to pay for the cost of insurance and PADI fees. Maybe even help out a dive shop occasionally...

I do want to get into tech diving, very interested in the cave diving. All in time. Are there any good Dive Clubs in the area? That might also help me focus on where to live... One thing about diving, the camaraderie and friendship is half the enjoyment.
 
My experience is not with PADI so I can't really recommend anyone to you on that front. In my experience, most shops in this area deal mainly with other training agencies but there are a few PADI dive shops in the area. That shouldn't discourage you from pursuing a PADI instructor level training but it may make it more difficult for you to find "the right fit" for you.

At various events I have met the folks who run Narcosis Scuba (www.narcosisscuba.com) which is listed as a five star dive center/resort, and they are good people. I can't speak to their training programs because I have no experience but from having done different things with them I can speak to my view point of their character and standards of business.

The folks at Tackle Shack (www.tackleshack.com) are also great people to deal with. As a scuba store their staff is extremely helpful.

I follow Adventure Outfitters on Facebook for their local activity, they're active in the "community" with volunteering and cleanup which speaks to what type of people they are. Adventure Outfitters or Adventure Outfitters - Scuba Diving Tampa, PADI, snorkeling, spearfishing.
 
Don't worry about the agency alphabet: Worry about the instructor. If you want to get into tech diving and possibly cave, then find an instructor who is also a cave diver. Be frank that you want to really learn trim and buoyancy during your OW class.
 
Don't worry about the agency alphabet: Worry about the instructor.

If he were looking to get an OW certification, I would agree that he should find an instructor that fits for him but I'm not sure that advice exactly fits this situation.

As I understand it, he's already a happy PADI diver, wants to complete a PADI Instructor program where is currently lives (Alabama?) and then after relocate to Florida, as a trained instructor.

My original advice was similar to yours in that he should wait, find a LDS here in Florida that meets his expanding goals as a dive professional and THEN complete an instructor training program with the shop so that he's more integrated with them.

If he's dead set on getting the OW Instructor training prior to moving all I can do is recommend shops that align him with PADI OW Instructor training he'll receive.
 
Ah, I misread it. Probably the best place to become a PADI instructor is Rainbow Reef here in the Keys.
 
Great, thanks all! Hope to run in to you at some point!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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