Wingy
Contributor
No
Should I dive in shallow waters without a certification?
- Thread starter Tyler najib
- Start date
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scrane
Contributor
Even if there is no scuba law in your area, I would recommend against it. Thinking back to my starting days, I would probably not even have endangered myself, but simply miserably failed to descend and come into trim. Much more fun also to do it under instruction!
This feels like a trolling attempt.
You have the money for all the gear,
You have a compressor with water in a tank...I'm assuming you are talking about a home compressor which reaches a few hundred PSI, not the thousands required for scuba, but those also have a water drain valve so you can get water out of the tank...
And you stay up until 3am studying,
But you can't afford a scuba class?
Groupon has offers that rush you through the class and aren't a good fit for students who really want to learn, but they are a good fit for someone who has already learned and just needs a card. In some places you can get certified for say, $200, which isn't free, but that's what a halfway decent home use air compressor costs, and less than a new Zeagle BC...
You have the money for all the gear,
You have a compressor with water in a tank...I'm assuming you are talking about a home compressor which reaches a few hundred PSI, not the thousands required for scuba, but those also have a water drain valve so you can get water out of the tank...
And you stay up until 3am studying,
But you can't afford a scuba class?
Groupon has offers that rush you through the class and aren't a good fit for students who really want to learn, but they are a good fit for someone who has already learned and just needs a card. In some places you can get certified for say, $200, which isn't free, but that's what a halfway decent home use air compressor costs, and less than a new Zeagle BC...
Tell us about the compressor. Is it for power tools?
No.
OP
Tyler najib
Registered
Yeah Im a mechanic I have a lot of tools at my house and work has been slowing down. But I heard that an air compressors like mine can be bad for scuba. My local dive shop want 500 dollars for PADI and I want to go for PADI beings I’m wanting to be a navy seal. Right now I’m in the process of buying scuba gear and then buying the class because they charge a lot of money to rent their gear and I figured that buying a used zeagle ranger for 120 dollars wouldn’t be bad. In my opinion It would be smarter because I can learn my gear and know my setup rather than renting one and not knowing exactly where things are. But after scuba gear I’m going to save up for the class.
OP
Tyler najib
Registered
You could imagine 500$ for a class and another 200 to rent the gear. It’s too much so I’m getting my own gear and taking the class.
OP
Tyler najib
Registered
Yeah I know I have seen That and it’s about 300 for a dive shop that’s farther away from me, it’s just a open water course that’s it but I am not sure should I just pay the full price and really learn these things properly beings it’s a dangerous sport, do you think it’s the way to go, let me know because to be honest I’m not sure now if I want to use Groupon for open water or just do the full course
OTF
Coney Island Whitefish Biologist
"Open Water" is the full course, unless I'm misunderstanding your post.
Look, there are a lot of crazy people on this website who do a lot of crazy things to dive cheaper and deeper while cutting any possible corners, middle men, and extra steps. They're all telling you to take the darn class!
The class teaches you things you wouldn't pick up otherwise. It is possible to teach yourself to dive, but very hard to teach yourself to dive PROPERLY and SAFELY. There are a lot of things you don't know you need to know. A lot of bad habits you can form without an instructor catching them early. Maybe you could get away without taking a class if you had an experienced mentor willing to help you, but they would probably just tell you to take the class anyway. The class is generally pretty easy and fun. Buying gear, getting on dive boats, getting air fills, getting gear serviced, or doing any further training down the line will be very difficult without the certification card. Nice thing to throw on a resume too.
Regarding gear: you certainly could buy your own gear to use for the class and avoid the rental fees, that's sensible. Counterpoint would be that you will learn a lot about what you actually want/need in gear from your class experience and instructor. Everyone has some equipment they regret buying early on. For example, I wish I bought a backplate+wing instead of an expensive jacket BCD similar to the one you want. If you plan to dive frequently and locally you're right that it's smart to buy a full set of gear sooner rather than spend money on rentals. Just do a lot of research first. Look at what experienced divers in your area are using, get their advice on equipment choices. Preferably people who aren't actively trying to sell you things. Local dive clubs would be the place to start.
Regarding the compressor: shop air compressors run something like 150 psi. Most SCUBA tanks use 2400-3500 psi. 150psi in a scuba tank is basically empty. SCUBA compressors have elaborate filters to dry and purify the air. SCUBA air must be extremely pure to be safe for you and your gear. Any contamination in the tank (like oil from the compressor or water from condensation) can be a huge problem. Compressors can pump Carbon Monoxide into the tank either by sucking in vehicle/furnace exhaust in the atmosphere, or by producing it internally when an overheated piston burns small amounts of oil. Breathing a tiny fraction of vaporized oil or carbon monoxide at sea level is survivable, but when you're breathing it underwater at pressure you're actually breathing A MUCH HIGHER CONCENTRATION of the contamination per breath due to the ambient pressure. Not to mention how it will harm your equipment (eg. oil degrading seals, moisture rusting tanks from the inside). A headache and blurred vision or even passing out from contaminated air on land is survivable, underwater it often means SWIFT DEATH.
If you do insist on ignoring all of the people telling you to take the class, at least learn to never hold your breath (especially while ascending) so you don't overexpand your lungs and die. Pulmonary embolism can happen in surprisingly shallow water.
I hope I did an okay job explaining WHY people are telling you "no" so emphatically.
Look, there are a lot of crazy people on this website who do a lot of crazy things to dive cheaper and deeper while cutting any possible corners, middle men, and extra steps. They're all telling you to take the darn class!
The class teaches you things you wouldn't pick up otherwise. It is possible to teach yourself to dive, but very hard to teach yourself to dive PROPERLY and SAFELY. There are a lot of things you don't know you need to know. A lot of bad habits you can form without an instructor catching them early. Maybe you could get away without taking a class if you had an experienced mentor willing to help you, but they would probably just tell you to take the class anyway. The class is generally pretty easy and fun. Buying gear, getting on dive boats, getting air fills, getting gear serviced, or doing any further training down the line will be very difficult without the certification card. Nice thing to throw on a resume too.
Regarding gear: you certainly could buy your own gear to use for the class and avoid the rental fees, that's sensible. Counterpoint would be that you will learn a lot about what you actually want/need in gear from your class experience and instructor. Everyone has some equipment they regret buying early on. For example, I wish I bought a backplate+wing instead of an expensive jacket BCD similar to the one you want. If you plan to dive frequently and locally you're right that it's smart to buy a full set of gear sooner rather than spend money on rentals. Just do a lot of research first. Look at what experienced divers in your area are using, get their advice on equipment choices. Preferably people who aren't actively trying to sell you things. Local dive clubs would be the place to start.
Regarding the compressor: shop air compressors run something like 150 psi. Most SCUBA tanks use 2400-3500 psi. 150psi in a scuba tank is basically empty. SCUBA compressors have elaborate filters to dry and purify the air. SCUBA air must be extremely pure to be safe for you and your gear. Any contamination in the tank (like oil from the compressor or water from condensation) can be a huge problem. Compressors can pump Carbon Monoxide into the tank either by sucking in vehicle/furnace exhaust in the atmosphere, or by producing it internally when an overheated piston burns small amounts of oil. Breathing a tiny fraction of vaporized oil or carbon monoxide at sea level is survivable, but when you're breathing it underwater at pressure you're actually breathing A MUCH HIGHER CONCENTRATION of the contamination per breath due to the ambient pressure. Not to mention how it will harm your equipment (eg. oil degrading seals, moisture rusting tanks from the inside). A headache and blurred vision or even passing out from contaminated air on land is survivable, underwater it often means SWIFT DEATH.
If you do insist on ignoring all of the people telling you to take the class, at least learn to never hold your breath (especially while ascending) so you don't overexpand your lungs and die. Pulmonary embolism can happen in surprisingly shallow water.
I hope I did an okay job explaining WHY people are telling you "no" so emphatically.
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