Another newbie thread

[ScubaAndy]

I did some diving in Thailand last summer and finished my OW anxd AOW and havent dived since

Id really like to get back into diving and im planning to buy some equipment and join my local dive club, this is my plan

1, Get the basic equipment i need like Mask, Fins, Snorkel and BCD. I was thinking of a Triple L Cratos BCD as a decent entry level BCD and with the money i save i can spend more in the future on more important equipment. I know the Cratos is a back inflation BCD , the only problem i had during my OW and AOW was i disliked the "squeeze" and restriction of the rental jacket style BCD, are back inflation BCDs suitable to new divers or should i stick with a jacket style and ignore the discomfort for the mean time til i have more experience?

2, Repeating my AOW and using it as an introduction to UK diving after some pool practice dives, i was thinking of Nitrox and PPB as my electives, as well as a drysuit induction

Is there anything else a relatively new and rusty diver should be considering in making the switch from tropical warm water diving to those more commonly found in the UK?

Any help or suggestions appreciated

 

[jbd]

The squeeze you felt with the jacket BC are because it was over inflated. The reason it was over inflated is most because you were overweighted. Learn to do a proper weighting check, dive frequently which will help a lot with your level of relaxation and you will be able to remove a good bit of weight form the belt. Once this happens you won't feel the squeeze from a jacket style BC.

Properly used, any style of BC will work well for its purpose.

 

[Dave_Rapp]

Well, welcome back to the uk and diving. First things to understand is that the water here is different to the water in Thailand, it's colder and murkier. But thats not really much of a problem, once you get used to it.

Given that the AOW doesn't really focus on learning that many new skills, it would probably be a better bet to do a Scuba Review and then go on an orientation dive, most dive shops would be fine with allowing you to join a group up and pair you off with someone experienced to just complete an orientation. It would save you some cash in the long run and you would work on the skills that could be rusty and introduce you to some divers who are experienced in the UK.

Depending on where you are you'll be presented with a choice of inland sites, these are pretty good over here and a good introduction. The two inland sites I'm familiar with here are Gildenburg near Peterborough and Stoney Cove near Leicester. Stoney is in my opinion slightly nicer than Gildy, not to say that Gildy doesn't have it's charms. But the problem with diving Stoney is usually by the weekend it's chock full of divers and the only time it's worth going is during the week, where you don't have a long walk to the water - or getting there early enough to park in the closer car park.

Finally where abouts are you based?

 

[Mambo Dave]

Back inflation seems to have gained many fans across the board - it's the backplate vs. vest system that holds it on to a diver that's in question for some.

My original diving was all done with the vest style of BC. Having a BP/W, now, I can't say anything good about the "squeeze" BC's you and I once used. Sure, as jbd mentioned, one can reduce the squeeze, but the back inflates (the "W", or Wings) offer an advatage to underwater trim that a wrap-around bladder does not.

I have a friend with a Zeagle vest-style back-inflation BC, and he likes his. I have many more friend with BP/W's, and we like ours. One other has the popular Dive Rite TransPac, which she really likes. All, though, have the back inflation 'wings.'

One of the comical quips made at the last ScubaBoard party I went to was when, after looking at the gear laid out for beach dives, one of the women noted how 'tech' SB'ers have become comapared to the average diving population. Perhaps it's that, or perhaps those much more experienced than I have come to really favor back-inflation, simplistic, low drag harnesses, and two tank straps vs. one for recreational diving. That last one - the two tank straps - never hit me until I started diving on cattle boats, or on beaches with many divers - how many times do tanks have to slip out before some people change, lol? I'm just seeing it way too often here (in Florida).

 

[Jason Ooi]

Welcome to Scuba Board

 

[ScubaAndy]

Thanks for the advice so far

Im based in Manchester so i think Capernwray is probably the nearest dive site that is suitable for either a orientation dive or AOW, Stoney Cove is a little bit further away

One of the reasons i was thinking of repeating the AOW was for confidence reasons, when i did my OW the instructor and dive school were fantastic, it was almost one on one instruction with either one or two dive masters in training along and im pretty confident in the skills i learnt during that course

When i did my AOW (different dive school) it was a different story with around 6 students and 1 instructor and 1 very uninterested dive master

I thought repeating the course would be a good way to orientate myself with UK conditions after some pool dives to practice the basic skills, though im open to suggestions

 

[victor]

You might want to look into joining the BSAC. www.bsac.com
If you are going to dive in the UK then their training is aimed much more at diving in UK conditions. It is internationally recognised so no problems when you travel.
I don't know if there is a club near you, but most likely there is.

 

[Quero]

Don't repeat the AOW. It's an experience course to give you a taste of different specialties. It would be better for you to simply complete a couple of specialties if you want more time with an instructor. Choose specialties that make sense for the type of diving you'll be doing such as Dry suit for the cold water or Nav to help you find your way in the murk. You could also do specialties in areas you are particularly interested in or need extra guidance for--Night is a good one, and PPBuoyancy is always recommended for new divers.

 

[Mambo Dave]

I agree.

I had good friends give me a refresher in their pool (after helping me set up the BP/W equipment I bought), and they were right - it's pretty much like riding a bicycle: once you learn it, it doesn't take much to get back on it. Then we did a little table reading, to make sure I was brushed up on bottom times and Nitrox. From there, shallow, easy dives would be the next step - with a very experienced buddy who is diving with you, for you, or paying a DM would be the next step.