thanks for all the good input. it does sound smart to do it all local. i didnt think about diving in a rock quarry. got lots of them by me. ill do a search on my local shops and get there input. hope that gets me goin the right way
I did my class work and pool work with the local shop in the middle of the winter and then went on a trip with the shop to the tropics and did my check out dives in the Bahamas. It was a blast and I have been hooked since. So that worked for me, I feel I was lucky to do it that way.
I agree that it is a good idea to hook up with the local diving community as much as possible. They will be some of your best resources.