First dive after completing course?

[RikRaeder]

Sounds like a good idea to me. It might be smart to talk with your instructor, LDS, or some local divers to find out any intricacies about the tides, boat traffic, etc. but I say; have a blast!

 

[freewillie]

Real question is more how comfortable are you diving with another new diver without your instructor. Going to same site you certified at now gives you familiarity with where you will be diving. As others have said, you technically should have the skills as certified diver to complete your dive. Plan your dive, dive your plan. My only real advice would be to know your limitations and never feel obligated to complete the dive just because you planned to go out that day. Really experienced divers have no problems calling a dive if conditions aren't right.

 

[ScubaSeaMonkey]

My wife and I recently got our certification at the end of March (Vortex Springs, FL as someone else here mentioned). We signed up for a trip with our LDS to Key Largo for the end of April. I was apprehensive about going on the Key Largo trip after a month of not diving after just becoming certified. We also were considering going on another dive just ourselves in another fresh-water spring a week before the Key Largo trip. We wanted to do exactly what you are describing...practice skills at our own pace with no pressure of trying to make sure we passed the test. In the end we were not able to make a trip on our own because of our weekends being busy. So we went on the Key Largo trip. First time I jumped in the water, in about 5 seconds I was relaxed and all my worries went away. Of course the 82 degree Key Largo water felt much more relaxing than the 68 degree Vortex Springs water, so that helped. Bottom line, I agree with your plan, but if you don't do it and just go straight to a group trip with the instructors who already know you, you will still be just fine. They know you are a beginner and don't mind baby-sitting you while you gain experience.

 

[Scuba.com]

Not foolhardy at all. It's exactly what my first dive buddy and I did some years ago in Puget Sound. In fact, to this day (some 30+ years later) if we have a dive and the conditions or vis aren't what we'd hoped for, we'll often just hang out in relatively shallow water and go over all the basics again, rather than scrub the dive.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

You should be able to dive like the rest of the big kids. That is why you trained, after all. This is a good idea. Go ahead, and get wet.

 

[spectrum]

My question is ..am i being foolhardy going out with just the two of us for our first dive after the course?

Heck no, That is exactly the thing to do. A dive with a peer, in a familiar setting within the boundaries of your training. Do those dives at every opportunity and slowly your horizons will broaden.

Be sure to take your best shot at compass navigation from this first dive.

Pete

 

[WetBoy101]

According to many "experienced" posters here, the only difference between what you know now and what you will know after 100 dives, is that after 100 dives you will know how little you knew before 100 dives, and after 200 dives how little you knew at 100 dives, and after 500 dives you will know how little you knew at 200, 300, 400, dives, and after 1000 dives... Have fun, be safe and remember anyone can call a dive at any time for any reason. Aloha, Rick

 

[dburg30]

Well, considering that you got certified to be able to go diving with a buddy, I'd say if you passed the test, if you are both comfortable, you go for it. My OW check out dives were done in a quarry about 25' deep, and after my final dive and we got our c-card, myself and another person in our class went up, got our tanks filled with our nice new temp cards and was in the water 'on our own' 30 minutes after our checkout dive . Granted, this was a nice warm shallow quarry.. But still, you know where you are diving, and are certified...

 

[Kenny13]

If you and your buddy are comfortable with it, I see no problem whatsoever. Last summer I got certified with my then 15 year old son, my son-in-law, and 3 of his friends. We did our OW check out dives over 2 days at 2 different locations. The next day after getting certified, we went back to the location of the last 2 dives done the previous day with no instructor, split into 3 buddy groups of 2 divers, and had a great dive. Best part is that diving right after getting certified like that, everything is still fresh in your mind and you still tend to go through all the checks. Just make sure you are careful to plan your dive and dive your plan.

 

[nettyadam]

Cheers Everyone for responding and for your advice