Haven't Dived in well over a Decade!

[gohan32]

Hello,

I am just now considering renewing my PADI open water certification. (Apparently I need to track down my old membership card since I am not in their database).

I was lurking and reading old posts on this messageboard and decided there are some seriously knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful people on here. At least there was in the 2009 thread I read about Meniere's disease and diving.

My next trouble is that I can not afford diving equipment!

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Welcome back

 

[drrich2]

Enough people get into, then out of, diving that sometimes you can find used gear decently cheap. Network a bit; you might be surprised. There are some things I wouldn't want 'well-used,' like a dive computer, but with some items it's okay.

A lot of people rent gear on vacation, cutting down checked baggage fees.

You will want a mask that fits without leaking badly.

Richard.

 

[Blasto]

Over 10 years away from diving is a long time. It's enough that you may want to do a new course with a more contemporary agency such as RAID or SDI. It's usually a bit cheaper than PADI and you'll be learning new things along the way.

Of course, if limited budget is an issue and you're really sure you'll be fine with just a review, finding your card and going with that could be cheaper. Still, even if you find your card, I'd consider taking a follow-up training course with another agency instead. Non-PADI groups are much smaller than PADI ones, so the instructor will have the time to address the basics, although you will be taking more of their time than usual. But the instructors who go with other agencies have usually made the choice to spend extra time on their students quite consciously.

Gear isn't as expensive as you may think. Browse the classifieds and don't go for the fancy stuff, and you can fit a mostly-sufficient kit under $500.