1st real OW dive this month

[Miller_Time]

OK guys as you can probably tell I'm still very new to diving, The only dives I have under my belt are my OW cert. dives. Which I did in December. I'm planing on going on my first OW dive at the end of the month with a buddy of mine that has his AOW, rescue, wreck, deep diving, etc. I feel pretty comfortable with him as my buddy as he takes diving pretty seriously. I was just wondering if yall have any advice for me. The chater op we're going with said we'll be out all day and since my buddy and I are on air we'll get about 3 dives in, while those on nitrox will get around 6. Also he was saying we'll dive to about 70 ft. I know dive planning is key and I just wanna do this right. Its my first dive that wont have an instructor watching everything I do so I dont wanna screw it up. haha Thanks for the help and sorry for the long read.

 

[AquaHump]

Relax it sounds like you buddy has got some good training. I would say relax, enjoy and have fun. This is what you went to class for. So just do what you have been doing. Good luck

 

[ChrisA]

OK guys as you can probably tell I'm still very new to diving, The only dives I have under my belt are my OW cert. dives. Which I did in December. I'm planing on going on my first OW dive at the end of the month with a buddy of mine that has his AOW, rescue, wreck, deep diving, etc. I feel pretty comfortable with him as my buddy as he takes diving pretty seriously. I was just wondering if yall have any advice for me. The chater op we're going with said we'll be out all day and since my buddy and I are on air we'll get about 3 dives in, while those on nitrox will get around 6. Also he was saying we'll dive to about 70 ft. I know dive planning is key and I just wanna do this right. Its my first dive that wont have an instructor watching everything I do so I dont wanna screw it up. haha Thanks for the help and sorry for the long read.

70 feet seems a bit deep for a new diver's first dive. Even more so since you did not dive for close to half a year after you class. Is there not some easier diving close to home. Do some easy 30 or 40 foot dives in good conditions.

It is recommended that new divers who have been out of the water for 6 months or more take a refresher class.

That said. Chances are you will be fine. Keyword "Chances". You can seriously improve those chances by following the "standard advice" given to all new divers

 

[Miller_Time]

70 feet seems a bit deep for a new diver's first dive. Even more so since you did not dive for close to half a year after you class. Is there not some easier diving close to home. Do some easy 30 or 40 foot dives in good conditions.

It is recommended that new divers who have been out of the water for 6 months or more take a refresher class.

That said. Chances are you will be fine. Keyword "Chances". You can seriously improve those chances by following the "standard advice" given to all new divers

Yeah I had heard anything below 60 was not recommended for new divers, I was wondering about that a bit. Also what all is involved with a refresher course? Any idea how much they cost? I'd be interested in taking one.

 

[Matteo]

where are you going to be diving?

 

[plwtwo]

You could always go to you LDS and get you Nitroix CERT. It can be done in one day, after you read the book. PM'd you.

Yes I would Londondiver.

 

[Londondiver]

Hi folks, another newbie reading this thread,
would you guys recommend Nitrox for someone just beginning like me and Miller Time?

 

[JdLag1]

I took my Nitrox class the following week after I got my OW cert.

 

[plwtwo]

Yes. Nitroix is easy and safe to use once you've taken the class. It extends ND limits. But its a little more complexed dive planning , unless using a computer.
I actually took Mine in conjunction with ow checkout dives on dive 4 and then an additional dive

 

[Louma]

I hate to put a damper on this dive but ----- 70 ft is a little too deep right now. You should get yourself confident in the 40 to 60 ft range first. Now, I have seen people go right from O/W certification in the Northeast and dive 90 ft dives the next week in the Caribbean. But, again, this is not recommended.

Now, I’ll give you a quick story. My wife became a diver when I had my Master Diver certification. I thought she was a good diver in clear, calm Florida Keys water. She also loved it. So I set up some 70 ft dives in the Outer Banks of NC. First dive she freaked 5mm wet suit, 16 lbs. of weight, dark water current, depth. I did the tank tow and got her back on the boat we both sat out the remaining dives that day. I also had to cancel the 3 other days of diving we had planned. It took me over 5 years to get her diving again. She is now quite good with it. I wouldn’t want to see this happen to others.

Nitrox now is a great idea. Don’t forget AOW and Rescue when you’re ready.