First Time - Out on your own?

[altaskier]

You're in the Chicago area (as am I), so you should learn about the Chicago Scuba Meetup (CSM) club. Monthly meetings downtown with fun talks (next one is June 17), Lake Michigan wreck charters (which you should not attempt until you've done several quarry days), and someone down at Haigh Quarry many weekends (this weekend several are at Pearl Quarry for the DUI drysuit demonstration event).

I got certified with my son, and it was quite a step from doing our certification dives to going out on our own so you have the right idea of wanting to gain experience. It should be pretty easy to find someone who can show you the ropes at Haigh; visit the CSM message board zone and go to "Find a buddy - local trips" (or contact your local scuba shop). I'd be happy to go to Haigh with you but I'm doing a wreck charter on June 8 and then I have some work travel in the second half of June, so no quarry trips for me til the first weekend in July.

 

[Necklinsberg]

3 whole weeks since you've been certified .... and your not diving yet??????

[just kidding]


Going out on your own is fun / scary.

Perhaps talk with your instructor or LDS to see who else may be wanting to go out and make it a small group. There seems to be a lot of people who get certified yet never take the next step of going out on their own -- perhaps you can use your enthusiasm and leadership and help to get some others certified at about the same time to have an outing.

Second TS&M' advice to go back to where you where you did your open water cert dives.

There may also be somewhere near to you that is an open water location, but run as a business. You'd still be diving on your own, but there would like be professionals available in the event of an event.

Enjoy & report back on how it went !!!

 

[ScubaPolishPete]

Thanks for all the feedback folks. Glad to hear we're good to go (or should be anyway).

 

[twisni7010]

We planning to go to Haigh this weekend. You welcome to buddy with us.

 

[00wabbit]

I went right back to the quarry I was certified in the next week with a buddy. We went down to the platforms and practiced skills for the first couple of dives.
Later dives we explored the quarry a bit and as we were getting near the end of our tanks we headed back to the platforms at 15ft to practice skills some more.


Just take it slow and practice. You don't have to swim around the whole quarry.

 

[ScubaPolishPete]

We planning to go to Haigh this weekend. You welcome to buddy with us.

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately I cannot this weekend. Maybe sometime in the future.

*We're planning on getting out next weekend, either Haigh (where we did our OW), or Pearl Lake.